Former presidents and several Nigerian leaders have collaborated to sing a hymn for Nigeria’s progress on New Year’s Day, 2017.
Yakubu Gowon, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ernest Shonekan, and Alex Ekwueme were some of the former leaders who sang the hymn ‘Oh God Our Help In Ages Past’.
Yemi Osinbajo, vice president, served as the coordinator of the choir.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5WrUPNqbOo
Aso Villa Chapel yesterday organised its annual end of the year thanksgiving service with former Heads of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Olusegun Obasanjo and Ernest Shonekan in attendance.
The service, which took place in the chapel, was also attended by former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme, former Chief of General Staff Rear Admiral Ebitu Ukiwe, Gen. Oladipo Diya and the host, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.
Osinbajo said the service was an exciting time to thank God for all he had done for the country during the year.
“Today is a special thanksgiving for the end of the year and as you have seen, all the former presidents and vice-presidents are here for the special thanksgiving service.
“They have been specially invited to come, we also expected former President Jonathan but unfortunately, he had to cancel at the last moment.
“So we are all extremely excited that we have been able to bring everyone together to thank God for our nation and to give Him thanks for the great future ahead of us,’’ he said.
Gowon said he was delighted to be at the service with other former colleagues and thanked Osinbajo for facilitating his attendance.
Gowon said he was more excited with the children who came also to do their thanksgiving and prayed to God to bless the children in a special way.
He enjoined the children to keep the faith with other Christians and “to always make sure that we keep this country one and together’’.
He urged Christians to love every Nigerian in spite of their faith following the injunction of Jesus Christ to love their neighbour.
“Our neighbours are Christians, Muslims, traditional religions etc. Whatever we do, we make sure that we live up to the expectation of what Christ expects of us,’’ he said.
Gowon prayed for President Muhammadu Buhari, Osinbajo, the entire presidency and Nigerians and asked God to give the leadership the guidance to administer the country according to His will.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, thanked the vice-president and organisers of the service for bringing the past and present leaders to the service.
He said the nation was expecting good lead from the leadership in the coming year, noting that the event was meant specifically to thank God for helping the country to steer its economy.
Enang said the year was almost gone and that the budget for next year would soon be presented.
Read More: thisdaylive
The Aso Villa Chapel on Sunday organised its annual end of the year thanksgiving with former Heads of State, Yakubu Gowon, Olusegun Obasanjo and Ernest Shonekan in attendance.
The service which took place in the chapel was also attended by former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, former Chiefs of General Staff, Ebitu Ukiwe and Oladipo Diya, and host Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Vice President Osinbajo said the service was an exciting time to thank God for all he had done for the country during the year.
“Today is a special thanksgiving for the end of the year and as you have seen, all the former Presidents and Vice Presidents are here for the special thanksgiving service.
“They have been specially invited to come, we also expected President Jonathan, but unfortunately, he had to cancel at the last moment.
“So we are all extremely excited that we have been able to bring everyone together to thank God for our nation and to give Him thanks for the great future ahead of us,’’ he said.
Mr. Gowon said he was delighted to be at the service with other former colleagues and thanked Mr. Osinbajo for facilitating his attendance.
Mr. Gowon said he was more excited with the children who came also to do their thanksgiving and prayed to God to bless the children in a special way.
He enjoined the children to keep the faith with other Christians “to always make sure that we keep this country one and together.’’
He urged Christians to love every Nigerian in spite of their faith following the injunction of Jesus Christ to love your neighbour.
“Our neighbours are Christian, Muslim, traditional religions, among others. Whatever we do, we make sure that we live up to the expectation of what Christ expects of us,” he said.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Ita Enang, thanked the Vice President and organisers of the service for bringing the past and present leaders to the service.
He said the nation was expecting good lead from the leadership in the coming year, noting that the event was specifically to thank God for helping the country to steer the economy of the country.
The Chaplain of the Aso Villa Chapel, Seyi Malomo, in his message said thanksgiving was an injunction from God, adding that everyone in spite of status must thank God in all circumstances.
According to him, thanksgiving is an acknowledgement that God is alive, adding that each time the faithful gave thanks they demonstrate their faith in God.
“As we thank God, He will restore the good days to the nation,” he said, and predicted that time shall come when people will queue in embassies to visit Nigeria.
A former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), said in Kaduna on Thursday that corruption had made governance in the country difficult. He, therefore, argued that the war against the menace must be decisive.
Gowon spoke at the Northern Nigeria Stakeholders’ Town Hall Engagement organised by CITA- NGO at Arewa House, Kaduna.
The former Head of State noted that corruption was responsible for the deterioration of the quality of infrastructure, healthcare delivery among others in the country.
This, Gowon noted, had robbed the government of the respect and loyalty of the citizens and eroded the authority of the state.
Gowon stated, “Truth be told, the fight against corruption is a fight that we must overcome, we must win it and win it decisively.
“Corruption has also caused deterioration in the quality of infrastructure, healthcare delivery and education among others.”
The former Nigerian leader said the current economic situation facing the country was one of the most troubling economic crisis ever.
He added, “I believe that the troubles and problems we have gone through in the past few years have helped Nigerians to see more clearly the difference between a self-sustaining economy and one that relies totally on a wasting asset such as oil.”
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, who was the guest speaker at the event, said the path to growth and prosperity “is investing in basic infrastructure like roads, airports railways and information technology as well as enhancing fiscal policy more than ever before.”
Emefile, who was represented by the zonal director of the CBN in Kaduna, Alhaji Ahmed Gusau, said the agricultural sector remained the backbone of the nation’s economy.
He said the apex bank had committed N23bn in the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme with active participation across 14 states of the federation.
“We are gratified that the CBN’s borrower’s programme, together with other initiatives like Commercial Agricultural Scheme and NIRSAL are proving to be successful in several states,” he said.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki , noted that the role of the CBN in charting monetary policy direction and its economic management role were difficult to understand.
The Senate President, who was represented by a former governor of Sokoto State, Aliyu Wamako, said that the Senate was working to create appropriate legislative interventions to resolve the issues of obsolete regulatory and legal frameworks in the system, reduce cost of doing business, improve investor confidence and reduce obstacles associated with doing business in Nigeria.”
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday met behind closed doors with a former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting was held inside the President’s office.
The meeting of the two leaders was the second one in two months.
They had earlier met on August 23 before Gowon travelled out of the country.
The former military leader did not speak to reporters after the Thursday meeting.
Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd), has said there was nothing wrong with restructuring the country, provided it was done within the context of one Nigeria.
Gen. Gowon
Gowon said this, yesterday, when Shehu Sani, Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
He recalled that Nigeria was restructured under his leadership as the head of state with the creation of states in 1967.
He said: “We can restructure within one Nigeria context. I did it in 1967; we created states to stop eastern Nigeria from seceding. We had to do something to ensure the fear of their seceding did not exist; a serious issue of a part of the country wanting to breakaway when we already lost a part to
Cameroon.
“If we had allowed the eastern region to go away, the map of Nigeria would have looked funny; it would have been tilted one way. So, we decided overnight to break the fear through the creation of states. If we had to save the country, that was the only way to do it. We also ensured that no state was too big or too small to threaten the unity of the country.”
On his time as the number one citizen in the country, Gowon said: “Accident of history made it possible for him to become head of state. What happened was the accident of history. When you have lost your leadership and there was crisis and you don’t know what to do and it happened that those within your constituency chose you, what would you do?
“I was lucky enough within the military at that time and all the officers knew me by reputation. I had no intention to become head of state but it is the opportunity, if opportunity presents itself and people ask you to do it then do it.
“What I have achieved is (because of) God. I had never thought of becoming head of state but there was a coup and all my senior colleagues were killed and I was the only one that survived.
“My plan was to rise in my profession and hopefully become a head in my profession but that did not happen. I didn’t know what happened but I had the duty and responsibility to ensure the coup in Lagos did not succeed.”
He advised younger Nigerians to prepare themselves academically and morally to take advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves.
Source: Vanguard
Former military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, retd; yesterday owned up to fathering a love child with the late public relations expert, Princess Edith Ike Okongwu, bringing to an end the 48-year-old paternity dispute over Musa Gowon. Musa Gowon. Musa, who returned to Nigeria at the end of last year, after about 23 years in a United States prison, was acknowledged by Gen. Gowon upon the report of a conclusive DNA test.
The paternity dispute was the subject of a legal action that reached the Supreme Court in Nigeria, which Okongwu won. However, execution of the judgment was thwarted by the arrest of Musa by United States law enforcement officials in Dallas on the charge of importing heroin into that country. The young Musa was sentenced to 27 years in prison and was only released last November on compassionate ground and good behaviour.
He was said to have pursued graduate school from prison and was of exemplary behaviour. In 2003, while in US custody he lost his mother, a leading socialite in Nigeria who was also a one-time public relations manager of Guinness Nigeria Plc. Both the former Head of State and Okongwu were friends in the 60s. Gowon later married Victoria Zakari, a nurse, on April 19, 1969.
In acknowledging Musa as his son in a statement issued yesterday, Gen. Gowon, now 81 nevertheless asked for privacy after a very difficult period. He said: “Following years of doubts and speculation, a DNA test was recently conducted to ascertain the paternity of Musa Gowon, who recently returned to the country. ”The results of the tests were conclusive, and they confirm his paternity. We, the family, are working to assist in his rehabilitation following a very difficult period in his life. ”As we look forward to the future with faith in God, we request that our privacy be respected.”
A former military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, on Tuesday faulted President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian military over the December deadline for ending the Boko Haram insurgency.
President Buhari had tasked the military to end insurgency in three months, ending December 2015. The military has said it would meet the schedule.
Mr. Gowon said the military would do its best to meet the December deadline, expressing “absolute confidence” in the ability of the Nigerian armed forces to defeat Boko Haram.
He however warned that no person can confidently talk about the particular time a military operation would end.
Mr. Gowon stated this in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital, when he led an advocacy team on malaria and four other neglected tropical diseases, on a visited to Governor David Umahi.
“I can tell you this, nobody can really talk about when any particular operation is going to end. And as a (former) commander-in- chief, I know this.
“Yes, you can say you target a particular time, but it may finish before that time or it may go slightly beyond. To end it, that is the most important thing.
“I assure you that I have absolute confidence in our military that they are going to really deal with the situation as they are doing at the moment,” said Mr. Gowon, who was the military leader during Nigeria’s civil war between 1967 and 1970.
Credit: PremiumTimes
Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has demanded an apology from Amnesty International to the Nigerian military over accusations of inhuman treatment in its fight against the Boko Haram sect.
The elder statesman admitted that there might exist instances where military operations have raised human right concerns but said that the military never engages in ‘slitting of throat’ of any person whether civilian or terrorist as peddled by the international human rights group.
General Gowon was speaking at the National Defence College Course 24 inauguration lecture.
Read More: channelstv
Following the recent 30-day assessment of the new government led by President Buhari, and Buhari being referred to Baba Go-slow, former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon has pleaded with Nigerians not to rush the new president.
Speaking exclusively with the Nigerian Tribune, in Ibadan, Gowon said;
“Give him a chance. You cannot solve any problem within two or three days. People say they want a change but as far as the problem of Nigeria is concerned, you cannot do it in one day, in one month. It will take time before a lot of these changes would be done and done effectively.”
“Let us give Buhari the chance to do things in the proper way to be able to get a good result. I have read it in some papers where people question him that in 30 days nothing has been done. It is unnecessary.”
“They criticised me when I was Head of State that the civil war was taking too long. I said, Yes, do they know some of the problems that are involved in dealing with some of those problems?”
Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has called on Nigerians to be patriotic and pray against the problems confronting the country.
Speaking at a church service, Sunday, he said, “Every Nigerian, therefore, needs to pray because if there is peace between Christians and Muslims and peace among family members, Nigeria will definitely be a great country all of us will be proud of. It is necessary for every Nigerian to embrace peace. In the western part of this country, there is an understanding between Christians and Muslims, they are able to live together in peace and harmony, this is what I want Nigerians to emulate, so that we can achieve peace across the land.”
Nigeria’s former leader, His Excellency, Gen. (Dr.) Yakubu Gowon (rtd), has being described as an integral part of Nigeria’s political history whose towering sense of patriotism and nationalism is simply outstanding.
Former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, in his goodwill message on the occasion of the 80th birthday of the reputable elder statesman said Dr. Gowon’s place in the nation’s history is not in contest as it is replete with awesome records of achievements both in and outside power. “From his early life which reflected an all-round school boy who excelled both in academics and sports, Dr. Gowon’s fine military career capped by his ascent to the exalted position as the Head of State at a very ‘tender’ age of 31 was a story of a rare personality on who leadership was trusted upon at a crucial period in a nation’s history”.
“Navigating the country through the dark days of civil war, his philosophy of ‘No victor, no vanquished’ and the subsequent rehabilitation, reconciliation and reconstruction project revealed a personality with unflinching commitment to the unity of the country”.
“It is on record that the unprecedented developmental projects executed during his regime marked the golden era of our national life. Dr. Gowon is indeed a phenomenon”.
According to Otunba Daniel, “rising form the ashes of the civil war, Dr. Gowon was able to put the nation together and rallied political leaders to achieve the much wanted unity in the country”
His deep humanism, Otunba Daniel said, reflects in his involvement in the Guinea Worm Eradication Programme as well as the HIV Programme. It was also in fulfilment of his unflinching commitment to a peaceful and united Nigeria, free of disease and poverty, where every citizen has an opportunity for self expression and the realization of their full potentials that he founded the Yakubu Gowon Centre to work on issues in Nigeria such as good governance as well as infectious disease control including HIV/AIDS, guinea worm, and malaria.
His ‘elder statesman’ role in African politics also underscores his phenomenal posture in and beyond the continent” making him one of the greatest and most celebrated Nigerians of all times.
Ayo Giwa
Chief Press Secretary to OGD
