Gen. Gowon is interviewed by professor Robert Rotberg on becoming the third president of Nigeria and also one of Africa's youngest heads of state at age 32.
This man speaks so eloquently in a manner that exudes a calm demeanor - certainly not the personality you'd expect of a man whose regime starved millions of innocent people to death.
"When I became Governor of the East, my mind immediately went to Chief Obafemi Awolowo where he was in Calabar. I gave him as much protection as I could. The same as I did to J.S. Tarka..it was my own decision to release him (Awolowo) but not on any understanding. I released him because I felt that was one of the problems that beset Nigeria even before the attempted coup..On his release, he drove in the car, followed by my own personal guard." - Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. Tell Mag. Sept. 18, 2000.
Non-Igbo participants of January 15, 1966 Coup de'tat --- Major W. Ademoyega (West), Captain G. Adeleke(West), Lt. F. Oyewole(West), 2Lt. R. Egbikor(Mid-West) 2Lt. T. Katsina(North), 2Lt. O. Olafemihon(West), Capt. G. Jalo(North), Capt. J. Swanton(North), Lt. D. Waribor(Eastern Minority), 2Lt. H.E. Eghagha(Mid-West), 2Lt. Dambo(North) and 2Lt. J. A. Kpera(North).
When you don’t know what true for you, everyone else has unusual influence. Values are deeply held personal beliefs that form your own priority code for living. Values are the individual biases that allow you to decide which actions are true for you alone. What are your values?
Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia Alhaji Tafawa Balewa Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Murtala mohamed Awolowo Azikiwe and Shehu Shagari Are my favorite Nigerian Leaders.
"...on January 26th (1967) in Lagos, without any forewarning to the East, Yakubu Gowon gave a press conference. Reading from a prepared text he point by point rejected the four main points of the agreements at Aburi." ---- Frederick Forsyth in "Emeka" page 88, published first in 1982.
The remnants of colonialism is holding Nigeria together for neither Igbos nor the Yorubas nor the Hausas have anything in common culturally or otherwise.
Igboland is now awash with oil even though many areas were carved out and declared non Igbo because of oil presence. The moribund of Nigeria is becoming a reality and you do not have to look at the former USSR or Yugoslavia for guidance.
"Gowon had already arrived at breakfast time at Ikeja barracks that morning of July 29th (1966) and was closeted with the leaders of the coup. By sundown it was plain that seizure and killing of Eastern officers and soldiers was going on in Army barracks all over the West and the North. This pattern went on for three days; Gowon (was) shuttling between Ikeja and lagos city..while the awful killing of Eastern soldiers.. went on inside" -- Frederick Forsyth in his book "Emeka," page 70 Pub. 1981.
"Gowon had already arrived at breakfast time at Ikeja barracks that morning of July 29th (1966) and was closeted with the leaders of the coup. By sundown it was plain that seizure and killing of Eastern officers and soldiers was going on in Army barracks all over the West and the North. This pattern went on for three days,..with only Gowon shuttling between Ikeja and Lagos city; the flag of secession fluttering over the barracks.." -- Frederick Forsyth in "Emeka" page 70, published July 1982.
Gowon should openly apologize to the Ibo's and ask Nigeria government to do the same. I was born three years after the war but i could tell you that an average Ibo man feels a deep pain in there heart by hearing history of the war/ reading them or watching some of the recorded clips. And the fact still remain that every families in Ibo land lost a soul or more, despite the genocide against the Ibos yet what lead to the war is still happening. Ibo's still remain preme target in the north always.
Too many lies cause one to stammer like this man, Why didn't he explain what happened after ABURI ACCORD and WHY he and his bloodthirsty acolytes broke the signed agreement. Even by his own distorted accounts, it is clear the war was clearly a criminal genocide on Biafrans, he first denied oil was never the reason, yet the next line he pointed that the whole oil was in Biafra land. Then he claimed everything was done, but never mention like what? Yes, he's right Biafrans has no stake in Nigeria.
"In response to anti-Igbo incitements, Igbo citizens in northern Nigeria were massacred in three waves of pogrom in most sadistic and inhuman methods that made the Jewish holocaust appear like mercy-killing. 50,000 Igbos were slaughtered. Some of the inhuman methods of slaughter were recorded in affidavits of eye witnesses." ---- Ohaneze. Guardian Newspapers. July 26, 2001. These incidents took place under Yakubu Gowon's leadership.
Shebanyan, no they did not just wake up. There remarks in 1940s and 50s already showed there unjustified resentments against the Igbo. That was behind the massacre of the Igbo by Hausa-fulani in 1945 in Jos and 1953 in Kano prior to the genocidal killings of 1966 -1970.
Where was Awolowo before he was released? Awo was in a Calabar prison. Don't distort history. Even Awo stated that Ojukwu granted him safe haven and passage back to the West. Ojukwu controlled Calabar at the time. And I will tell you this, no northerner or even westerner could have crossed into Biafra territory to release Ojukwu at the time. Remember this was before the war. It is common sense.
Gowon did not tell the complete truth. He knew that Murtala Muhammed was well behind the killing of Aguiyi ironsi. He should have tried murtala muhammed but instead retained him as head of signals and then deputy during his tenure.
Long video. Robert Rotberg seems so bored by Gowon's answers. Gowon speaks of Nigerian Unity . What type of unity is that , when an Igbo man is practically forbidden from leading Nigeria? In fact, I am appalled that Gowon actually admitted that it was due to fear of Ojukwu's vision that he chose to murder 2 million Igbos. Well, look at your Nigeria today. If Igbos did not want to be part of Nigeria, then you should have let them go there way.
@Biafrans7: Do not believe Ojukwu, he was hallucinating when he said that he released Awolowo from prison. He had no constitutional power to do that. He became governor on Jan 17, 1966. If he could release Awo, why did he not do it before Gowon came in 7 months later? Ironsi and the Igbo lost a great oppotunity in Awo. No one knows tomorrow. Gowon released him, so he worked with Gowon. It was Igbo and Hausas (Balewa/Zik) that jailed Awo to gain political advantage. But Awo got the last laugh.
@xythinker What is subjective about the facts that Nzeogwu-led coup was not ethnic-motivated as the people they targetted were political and military leaders versus July 29th July coup which targetted all Easterners, primely the Igbo? When your pretended forthright assessment ascribes Nzeogwu coup as wrong, but leaves out its cause - Balewa and Sardauna's subvertion of democracy, ethnic and religious incitements to kill. What's your motive? Which ethnic groups are other coups ascribed to?
As an Igbo man I consider Gowon to be a very intelligent man. Only a mad man would want to lead a large country like Nigeria at the age of 31. But Gowon clearly knew about the plan to eliminate Ironsi. Gowon also could have stopped the execution of Ironsi if he did not have personal ambitions. But I still respect the man.
@Biafrans. Your inability to engage in civil discourse without name calling/senseless foray into subjective story-telling is funny. Pure and simple, the northern counter-coup was a direct response to an Ibo-led coup which mostly claimed the lives of non-Igbos. Both coup-de-tat were wrong and set in motion the downward spiral on the Nigerian polity, the effects of which are still being felt today. I believe Ojukwu had no choice but to declare the east a sanctuary for fleeing Igbo returnees.
On close attention of an unacquainted observer Yakubu Gowon (Nigeria's Military Head of State, 1967 - 1975) indeed appears a man of mild personality with a christian upbringing, but this view conflicts the facts that he and his fellow mutineers, in July 1966, were behind the murder of his innocent Commander-In-Chief, Johnson T.U. Aguiyi-Ironsi along with about 300 military personnel from the South-East. Gowon presided over Africa's worst genocide in the 20th century - The Biafran Genocide.
@omoibile I really think u are lost with that comment of urs This man hardly expresses himself in english how did he rule Nigeria and in what potencials pls
Gowon speaking is too poor for me to listen among all those 1960s leaders that read in UK speaks well but this man called gowon speaking like phone with network problem
This man speaks so eloquently in a manner that exudes a calm demeanor - certainly not the personality you'd expect of a man whose regime starved millions of innocent people to death.
"When I became Governor of the East, my mind immediately went to Chief Obafemi Awolowo where he was in Calabar. I gave him as much protection as I could. The same as I did to J.S. Tarka..it was my own decision to release him (Awolowo) but not on any understanding. I released him because I felt that was one of the problems that beset Nigeria even before the attempted coup..On his release, he drove in the car, followed by my own personal guard." - Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. Tell Mag. Sept. 18, 2000.
Non-Igbo participants of January 15, 1966 Coup de'tat --- Major W. Ademoyega (West), Captain G. Adeleke(West), Lt. F. Oyewole(West), 2Lt. R. Egbikor(Mid-West) 2Lt. T. Katsina(North), 2Lt. O. Olafemihon(West), Capt. G. Jalo(North), Capt. J. Swanton(North), Lt. D. Waribor(Eastern Minority), 2Lt. H.E. Eghagha(Mid-West), 2Lt. Dambo(North) and 2Lt. J. A. Kpera(North).
When you don’t know what true for you, everyone else has unusual influence.
Values are deeply held personal beliefs that form your own priority code for living.
Values are the individual biases that allow you to decide which actions are true for you alone.
What are your values?
Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia Alhaji Tafawa Balewa Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Murtala mohamed Awolowo Azikiwe and Shehu Shagari Are my favorite Nigerian Leaders.
"...on January 26th (1967) in Lagos, without any forewarning to the East, Yakubu Gowon gave a press conference. Reading from a prepared text he point by point rejected the four main points of the agreements at Aburi." ---- Frederick Forsyth in "Emeka" page 88, published first in 1982.
The remnants of colonialism is holding Nigeria together for neither Igbos nor the Yorubas nor the Hausas have anything in common culturally or otherwise.
Igboland is now awash with oil even though many areas were carved out and declared non Igbo because of oil presence. The moribund of Nigeria is becoming a reality and you do not have to look at the former USSR or Yugoslavia for guidance.
"Gowon had already arrived at breakfast time at Ikeja barracks that morning of July 29th (1966) and was closeted with the leaders of the coup. By sundown it was plain that seizure and killing of Eastern officers and soldiers was going on in Army barracks all over the West and the North. This pattern went on for three days; Gowon (was) shuttling between Ikeja and lagos city..while the awful killing of Eastern soldiers.. went on inside" -- Frederick Forsyth in his book "Emeka," page 70 Pub. 1981.
"Gowon had already arrived at breakfast time at Ikeja barracks that morning of July 29th (1966) and was closeted with the leaders of the coup. By sundown it was plain that seizure and killing of Eastern officers and soldiers was going on in Army barracks all over the West and the North. This pattern went on for three days,..with only Gowon shuttling between Ikeja and Lagos city; the flag of secession fluttering over the barracks.." -- Frederick Forsyth in "Emeka" page 70, published July 1982.
Gowon should openly apologize to the Ibo's and ask Nigeria government to do the same. I was born three years after the war but i could tell you that an average Ibo man feels a deep pain in there heart by hearing history of the war/ reading them or watching some of the recorded clips. And the fact still remain that every families in Ibo land lost a soul or more, despite the genocide against the Ibos yet what lead to the war is still happening. Ibo's still remain preme target in the north always.
Too many lies cause one to stammer like this man, Why didn't he explain what happened after ABURI ACCORD and WHY he and his bloodthirsty acolytes broke the signed agreement. Even by his own distorted accounts, it is clear the war was clearly a criminal genocide on Biafrans, he first denied oil was never the reason, yet the next line he pointed that the whole oil was in Biafra land. Then he claimed everything was done, but never mention like what? Yes, he's right Biafrans has no stake in Nigeria.
"In response to anti-Igbo incitements, Igbo citizens in northern Nigeria were massacred in three waves of pogrom in most sadistic and inhuman methods that made the Jewish holocaust appear like mercy-killing. 50,000 Igbos were slaughtered. Some of the inhuman methods of slaughter were recorded in affidavits of eye witnesses." ---- Ohaneze. Guardian Newspapers. July 26, 2001. These incidents took place under Yakubu Gowon's leadership.
Shebanyan, no they did not just wake up. There remarks in 1940s and 50s already showed there unjustified resentments against the Igbo. That was behind the massacre of the Igbo by Hausa-fulani in 1945 in Jos and 1953 in Kano prior to the genocidal killings of 1966 -1970.
Where was Awolowo before he was released? Awo was in a Calabar prison. Don't distort history. Even Awo stated that Ojukwu granted him safe haven and passage back to the West. Ojukwu controlled Calabar at the time. And I will tell you this, no northerner or even westerner could have crossed into Biafra territory to release Ojukwu at the time. Remember this was before the war. It is common sense.
Gowon did not tell the complete truth. He knew that Murtala Muhammed was well behind the killing of Aguiyi ironsi. He should have tried murtala muhammed but instead retained him as head of signals and then deputy during his tenure.
Long video. Robert Rotberg seems so bored by Gowon's answers. Gowon speaks of Nigerian Unity . What type of unity is that , when an Igbo man is practically forbidden from leading Nigeria? In fact, I am appalled that Gowon actually admitted that it was due to fear of Ojukwu's vision that he chose to murder 2 million Igbos. Well, look at your Nigeria today. If Igbos did not want to be part of Nigeria, then you should have let them go there way.
@Biafrans7:
Do not believe Ojukwu, he was hallucinating when he said that he released Awolowo from prison. He had no constitutional power to do that. He became governor on Jan 17, 1966. If he could release Awo, why did he not do it before Gowon came in 7 months later? Ironsi and the Igbo lost a great oppotunity in Awo. No one knows tomorrow.
Gowon released him, so he worked with Gowon. It was Igbo and Hausas (Balewa/Zik) that jailed Awo to gain political advantage. But Awo got the last laugh.
This is a general?
Reaping the Reward: Now the Islamic north is practicing genocide on the Christians of Jos where Gowon belongs.
@xythinker What is subjective about the facts that Nzeogwu-led coup was not ethnic-motivated as the people they targetted were political and military leaders versus July 29th July coup which targetted all Easterners, primely the Igbo? When your pretended forthright assessment ascribes Nzeogwu coup as wrong, but leaves out its cause - Balewa and Sardauna's subvertion of democracy, ethnic and religious incitements to kill. What's your motive? Which ethnic groups are other coups ascribed to?
A GOOD MAN.
His excellency General Yakubu Gowon. An example of impartial Leadership..one of the very few good men. Awesome guy.
As an Igbo man I consider Gowon to be a very intelligent man. Only a mad man would want to lead a large country like Nigeria at the age of 31. But Gowon clearly knew about the plan to eliminate Ironsi. Gowon also could have stopped the execution of Ironsi if he did not have personal ambitions. But I still respect the man.
@Biafrans. Your inability to engage in civil discourse without name calling/senseless foray into subjective story-telling is funny. Pure and simple, the northern counter-coup was a direct response to an Ibo-led coup which mostly claimed the lives of non-Igbos. Both coup-de-tat were wrong and set in motion the downward spiral on the Nigerian polity, the effects of which are still being felt today. I believe Ojukwu had no choice but to declare the east a sanctuary for fleeing Igbo returnees.
All those free educations u recived,....u ate and refused others from eating. too bad.
On close attention of an unacquainted observer
Yakubu Gowon (Nigeria's Military Head of State, 1967 - 1975) indeed appears a man of mild personality with a christian upbringing, but this view conflicts the facts that he and his fellow mutineers, in July 1966, were behind the murder of his innocent Commander-In-Chief, Johnson T.U. Aguiyi-Ironsi along with about 300 military personnel from the South-East. Gowon presided over Africa's worst genocide in the 20th century - The Biafran Genocide.
@omoibile I really think u are lost with that comment of urs
This man hardly expresses himself in english
how did he rule Nigeria and in what potencials
pls
this guy right here is my role model.
Gowon speaking is too poor for me to listen among all those 1960s leaders that read in UK speaks well but this man called gowon speaking like phone with network problem