Former Military Head of State,
Yakubu Gowon has given insight into how he became Commander in Chief of the
Nigerian Armed Forces at the age of 31.
Giving a breakdown of events that
led to his emergence as the Head of State, Gowon disclosed that coup and
counter coup led him to power.
He disclosed that his then
superior, Zakariya Maimalari would have been the Head of State in July 1966
“after the convolutions” that followed the Kaduna Nzeogwu-led coup early in the
year but could not as he, Maimalari was killed in a counter coup.
Gowon made the revelation in a
book titled, “The First Regular Combatant: Brigadier General Zakariya
Maimalari,” which will be launched today in Abuja.
He said Maimalri would have been
the “natural choice” after the so-called counter coup.
Giving a breakdown of the coup
and counter coup, the book recalled that Nzeogwu, a Major at that time, had
executed a failed coup on January 15, 1966 which led to the assassination of
the prime minister, Abubakar Balewa, the premier of the northern region, Ahmadu
Bello, and the premier of the western region, Samuel Akintola.
As a result of the coup, key
officers from the Northern part of the country were also killed, including
Maimalari, a brigadier General at the time.
Following the execution of the
coup, Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi,who was the most senior military officer
assumed power but his failure to prosecute those behind the coup led to his
overthrow and subsequent death in a counter-coup by officers from the North.
Against this backdrop, Gowon, who
was a lieutenant Colonel and Chief of Staff to Aguiyi-Ironsi, became Nigeria’s
Head of State at 31.
In the book, Gowon said had
Maimalari survived the January 1966 coup, “the convolutions in Nigeria that
followed might have been averted, and Maimalari would have eventually taken his
rightful place in the hierarchy of the Nigerian Army, following the appointment
of General Aguiyi Ironsi as GOC of the Nigerian Army after Sir Christopher
Welby-Everard, the last British GOC.
“He would have been a natural choice for leadership after the event of that day. I do not see how I could have become commander-in-chief, if Maimalari or any of those senior ones above me from the same school were alive.”Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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So what did you achieve? You insitutionalised CORRUPTION and led Nigeria to no where. You usurped power from others. One Yoruba officer and even Ojukwu were senior to you in the army. The core northern establishment wanted Murtala, while the middle belt officers who carried out the coup wanted Joe Okhahan. in the imbroglio you just emerged. Do you think we don't know about the history of your naivety, cowardice, treachery, et al. So just shut up and stop twisting history. It was your role in the capture and murder of Ironsi in collaboration with Danjuma and Murtala that gave you the position. Posterity will later record your period in dashes, except that you planned the coup that assassinated Mutla Muhammed.
ReplyDeleteAfter Hitler na you.
ReplyDeleteSo the North took their revenge by genocide but why did you not execute the last phase of your plot ie declare you "ARABA REPUBLIC"? The British and American ambassadors reminded you people of your poverty should you secede. Before this you said "There is no basis for unity". You now found basis ie milking the south and you have been doing so since then!
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