As former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has reflected on the extraordinary burden of leadership thrust upon him at just 31.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Wednesday, Gowon recounted the chaotic days that followed the July 1966 counter-coup, the assassination of General Aguiyi-Ironsi, and the chain of events that saw him unexpectedly assume the helm of a fractured nation.
“I’ve had a good upbringing from home, from school, from various military training, you know, and of course, growing up in a very strict, prestigious state. I was not prepared,, simply to move to Nigeria, but, you know, I was for them to, as a loyal soldier, you know, to be loyal to my country, to be loyal to my head of state, and to that idea in my country. So I had that upbringing, and also, I was in the British training, especially at the Staff College in Benin, teaching you how to deal with any issue, any problem, whether you know it or not, how to appreciate, we used to call it, appreciate the situation. so that upbringing and training certainly helped me in a lot of ways, but certainly I was not trained to rule, but at least, given sufficient upbringing to be able to, you know, deal with the situation the best way you can.”
Gowon emphasised that the creation of 12 states from the original four regions was not solely his decision, but one made in response to popular demands by ethnic communities seeking greater autonomy. “It was a response to people’s wishes after the crisis of 1966,” he said.
He also denied any foreknowledge of the 1966 counter-coup that unseated General Ironsi, stating that he learned of the mutiny only in the early hours through phone calls alerting him to developments in Abeokuta. “By the time I tried to intervene and called the government house, it was already too late,” Gowon recalled somberly.
On how he came to lead the country, Gowon said he was selected by fellow officers who trusted his ability to unify the military and the country. Despite being junior in rank to some, they saw him as a stabilising figure.
Addressing the 1966 pogrom against southeastern Nigerians in the north, Gowon said the military attempted to quell the violence but admitted the attacks were driven more by popular reaction than by military command. He engaged traditional and community leaders, urging calm and restraint. “I called leaders to stop the killings. I spoke to soldiers and told them it was not their role to allow civilians to be harmed,” he said.
He credited Nigeria’s survival through the turbulence of the 1960s not to individual brilliance, but to collective effort and a willingness to listen and adapt.
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