General Gowon @ 89: Could History Absolve Him?

IGBOELI ARINZE 

It was Fidel Castro, who once used such an expression while facing trial for the July 26 attack on Moncada Barracks, Castro who defended himself at that trial declared “Condemnade no importa, la historia mi absolveria” in English it simply means “Condemn me, it does not matter, history will absolve me”.

For General Yakubu Jack Gowon , Nigeria’s Second military leader, History as well as posterity must be hearing his ‘Closing Statements’ as he clocked 89 recently, even celebrating his birthday amidst the ugly rumours of his demise just a week ago, the man who once declared that to “ Keep Nigeria one was a task that must be done” will need no soothsayers or pastors to tell him that his time with his maker will surely come.

So what verdict will history pass on General Gowon, this one time Chief of Staff of the Nigerian Army and later maximum ruler for 9 solid years? There are a number of strands of thoughts or should I say answers to this question, each possessing a different tangent to the rest, each conceived as a result of one’s perception which has been shaped probably by a number of socio political factors.

For me as an avid student of our nation’s history and politics, I very much possess a view about Gowon’s place in our history and It is my intention to share such a view here with the admonition to those who may choose to disagree to do so or even write their own!

Yes, even though General Gowon wouldn’t naturally fit into the description of a statesman by Mark Hatfield. Here in Africa, most especially Nigeria, by virtue of serving in some high office, even if you were thrust there and wobbled and fumbled while in office, you would naturally earn the appellation of an Elder Statesman. It is in this context that we may grudgingly confer such on the founder of the Nigerian Prayer Movement and kudos to him Nigeria recently emerged as the Second Most Prayerful country , losing the first position to Afghanistan. I am sure the Nigerian Prayer Movement led by Gowon must have contributed its quota to such a feat!

Now asides the Nigerian prayer movement, General Gowon also has a number of physical legacies to his name, legacies such as the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC which has sought to create avenues for national cohesion and unity,

The creation of states within Nigeria is another legacy of the Gowon administration which has much influenced the pattern and operational dynamics of the Nigerian Federation or Quasi Federation as it actually is.

The creation of more Unity Colleges is another befitting legacy to Gowon, who in his attempt to patch through the elusive threads of unity within Nigeria established more of such schools.

Gowon’s biggest feat would be his prosecution of the Nigerian/ Biafran War which he presided over. Notwithstanding the resultant horrors that came with the 33 months struggle, his singular mandate to keep the Eastern Region within the Federation by force of arms could be chalked of as successful and while one may not resent a number of his actions as regarding the war, since the pervading situation at that time demanded such of him, however, the same war as well as the taxing events that led the nation to that war also remain as a tarred brush to Gowon’s statesmanship stature.

General Gowon came at a period the Nigerian nation needed a leader, even after desecrating the military tradition or dictates of military command and succession, by assuming power while Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe his senior in the army was muscled away, Gowon despite his avuncular like mien and gentleman officer posturing behaved more like a member of the mob and engendered forever that indiscipline Nigerians witnessed in the military even to this present day.

At the time of his triumphant entrance to become the nation’s number one helmsman , the nation was much in crisis. The Head of State and Governor of the Western Region were missing, brother officers were reportedly slaughtered in their numbers while Igbo civilians who had no say nor participation in either of both coups were also massacred in their numbers. Gowon had not only gone on to betray his SupremeCommander but also a number of moderates in the military then who were shocked at Gowon’s inveterate dawdling while these pogroms occurred.

Even his half hearted attempt at finding a solution to the crisis via the Ad Hoc Constitutional Conference of 1966 was a ruse as it only encouraged further killings in the North under Gowon’s watch. He was later to suspend the conference after tinkering with secession, confederation and then one indivisible unitary cum quasi federation( Another legacy of his)