Yakubu Gowon is a Nigerian politician and Military General who served as Nigeria’s head of State during the Nigerian civil war. Born on October 19, 1934, Yakubu Gowon, the son of a methodist evangelist joined the Nigerian Army in 1954.
He became a second lieutenant in 1955 and was trained at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK, Staff College, Camberley, UK, and the Joint Staff College, Latimer, and became Nigeria’s youngest military chief of staff at the age of 31.
Here are Top 10 Quotable Quotes of Yakubu Gowon
10 Famous Quotes of Yakubu Gowon
1. The trouble with military rule is that every colonel or general is soon full of ambition. The navy takes over today and the army tomorrow.
2. The Igbos, when they are returned to the fold, must be given their rightful place and as a people who have been misguided and misled by their leaders, the rest of us have a duty to bind their wounds and give them our right hand of fellowship.
3. One of the challenges of the future is the extent to which our Universities can meet the needs and aspirations of the society which they are established to serve, without in any way compromising the autonomy that is so essential for a healthy academic atmosphere.
“Although the challenge of the future will emerge only gradually and more clearly with the passage of time, one can sense even now some of the problems which the Universities will be called upon to tackle in the near future. Firstly, there is the problem of pressure of student numbers”
4. I am painfully aware that many citizens of all walks of life who are sincere patriots-are becoming concerned about the length of time it is taking to crush the rebellion in our country. We have one and only one aim in prosecuting this war: it is to ensure that coming generations will live in a happier and more stable country. Let us accept our present difficulties as the price we have been called upon to pay in order to ensure a peaceful and prosperous future for our children.
5. In spite of Ojukwu’s wicked propaganda, religion has never been a cause of conflict in Nigeria and it is my fervent hope that all Catholics, Moslems, and Protestants will continue to work and live together in harmony.
6. Foreign meddlers have been doing their very best under various pretexts to prolong our crisis. They place every possible obstacle in the way of peace and support rebel propaganda and intransigence. They will surely fail. I do believe that the end is in sight and that we will be able to settle down soon and concentrate on the task of national reconciliation and reconstruction.
7. The Worth of a child born and bred in Nigeria cannot be compared to that in the United State.
8. We fought the war with great caution, not in anger or hatred, but always in the hope that common sense would prevail. Many times we sought a negotiated settlement, not out of weakness, but in order to minimize the problems of reintegration, reconciliation, and reconstruction.
9. The world knows how hard we strove to avoid the civil war. Our objectives in fighting the war to crush Ojukwu’s rebellion were always clear. We desired to preserve the territorial integrity and unity of Nigeria.
10. It is my hope that our students will continue to be restrained and sober, concentrating more on what they can contribute to the development of their country. They have a rare opportunity which they should utilize to the fullest.