President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday described former military Head of State, retired Gen. Yakubu Gowon, as “a gallant patriot whose commitment to national unity is beyond comparison in the annals of our chequered history.”
Buhari said this in a statement by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, on the occasion of Gowon’s 86th birthday.
He said: “The role General Yakubu Gowon played in our political history and infrastructure development is etched in stone and cannot be rewritten.
“As young military officers, many of us regarded General Gowon as our role model because of his patriotism, commitment to unity and his humility.
“Nigerian civil war brought out the most brilliant qualities of Gen. Gowon as a visionary leader who put the interest of Nigeria before his own personal interest.”
He said Gowon led a very impressive national reconciliation effort at the end of the civil war to heal the bitter emotional and psychological wounds of the fratricidal conflict.
“General Gowon is one of the fairest leaders I have ever known who has inspired so many future leaders.
“Even in the context of Africa, many leaders in the continent draw inspiration from his adroit handling of the outcome of the civil war through his policy of ‘No Victor, No Vanquished’,” he said.
According to him, as he marks 86 years of age, Nigerians cannot forget Gowon’s immeasurable contributions to the unity and development of Nigeria.
Similarly, the Northern Governors’ Forum yesterday congratulated Gowon on his 86th birthday. The chairman of the forum and governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, in a congratulatory message yesterday by his spokesman, Makut Macham, described Gowon as a distinguished statesman.
He described Gowon as a gentleman, a prayer warrior and a bridge builder, who spent most of his lifetime working for the peace, unity and progress of Nigeria.
Lalong said Gowon remained one of Nigeria’s finest leaders, whose exemplary lifestyle of humility and enormous sacrifices toward nation building and global peace was well recognised.(NAN)
