President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has paid special tribute to former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon on his 90th birthday, describing him as a gentleman extraordinaire and one of the longest-serving Nigerian leaders.
Tinubu in a message he personally signed yesterday, said Gowon did a lot for the country and served meritoriously in various capacities within and outside the military.
“As a brilliant officer trained at Sandhurst and reluctantly became Nigeria’s leader at 32, his life story has inspired many Nigerians.
“As the nation’s head of state, he significantly contributed to nation-building and development and can be rightly called the father of national infrastructure.
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“It is on record that after the country’s civil war, his philosophy of “No victor, no vanquished” helped promote national healing, peace, and reconciliation”, he said.
Similarly, former presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Olusegun Obasanjo also paid tribute to Gowon as he marks his 90th birthday, praising his visionary leadership and dedication to Nigeria’s unity and progress.
In a message to General Gowon, Buhari stated that the former military ruler’s far-sighted leadership and commitment to the country’s unity and future development was praiseworthy.
“We honour his invaluable contributions to our country’s continued existence as one and the progress that has come with that,” he said in his message signed by Malam Garba Shehu.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo while speaking at a public lecture held in Abuja in honour of General Gowon, said the former head of state was a man worthy to be celebrated while alive.
Obasanjo said it is a mark of favour that the former head of state has lived this long, stressing that 90 is not a joke.
The Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar III, who chaired the event, said the former head of state fought very hard to keep the country united and must be celebrated.
He said Gowon’s life was worthy of emulation, praying for the former head of state to live beyond 100 years and in good health.
In the same vein, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, congratulated Gowon on his birthday, describing him as “patriotism personified.”
Gen. Gowon remains beacon of hope for better Nigeria @ 90 – ACF
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has saluted its grand patron, General Yakubu Gowon, on his 90th birthday, describing him as a beacon of hope for a better Nigeria where justice, equity, tolerance, patience and peace reign.
The ACF National Publicity Secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, in a statement in Kaduna, said the occasion of the birthday provides reasons to reflect on and appreciate the life and times of Nigeria’s heroes in nation-building.
He said: “General Gowon certainly belongs to that unique and unforgettable category who gave their all to ensure that the Nigerian Project remains realisable. The amiable officer and gentleman established himself as an inspirational leader during his years as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic in the period 1966 to 1975.”
“Those years were trying periods in the history of Nigeria, but also the epoch when the General successfully prosecuted a three-year Civil War, yet shunned triumphant celebrations. Perhaps counter intuitively, but to Nigeria’s glory, General Gowon elected to pursue a positive policy programme of national reorientation and rebirth with his now famous policy of the Three Rs – Reconstruction, Reconciliation and Rehabilitation – to the admiration of the world,” he said.
He said it was a thing of immense gratitude to God Almighty that General Gowon remains relatively healthy and active, despite the challenging socioeconomic and political dynamics in the national landscape.
