Gowon Backs Nigeria’s Restructuring, Says He Did Same in 1967

•  Says he became head of state by accident

Davidson Iriekpen with agency report

Former military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon has thrown his weight behind those clamouring for the restructuring of the country, saying there was nothing wrong with restructuring, provided it is done within the “context of one Nigeria”.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Gowon stated this when the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Sen. Shehu Sani, visited him in Abuja yesterday.
He recalled that Nigeria was restructured under his leadership as military head of state through the creation of 12 states from the regional structure in 1967.

“We can restructure within one Nigeria context. I did it in 1967. We created states to stop Eastern Nigeria from seceding,” he said.

“We had to do something to ensure the fear of their secession did not exist – a serious issue of a part of the country wanting to breakaway when we already lost a part to Cameroun.

“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,” he said.

The creation of the 12 states from the former regional structure was the masterstroke that the Nigerian government used to breakup the old Eastern Region that was threatening to secede in 1967.
With the breakup of the Eastern Region, the defunct East Central, Rivers and South Eastern States were created.

However, the 12-state structure did not stop then Col. Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, a few weeks later, from declaring the old region the ill-fated Republic of Biafra, leading to the 30 months Nigerian Civil War.

Little did Ojukwu know that by creating Rivers and South Eastern States, he would not get the support of their citizens who were only too happy with the new state structure.

Also speaking on being made military head of state, Gowon said he became head of state 31 years ago by an accident of history without nursing the ambition.

Gowon was reacting to calls by some Nigerians for a reduction of the age limit to 30 years for eligibility to contest for the presidency in the country.

“What happened was an accident of history. When you have lost your leadership and there was a crisis and you didn’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 of becoming head of state but it was an opportunity. If the opportunity presents itself and people ask you to do it, then you do it.

“What I have achieved is (because of) God. I 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 a duty and responsibility to ensure the coup in Lagos did not succeed,” he said.

The former head of state advised younger Nigerians to prepare themselves academically and morally to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves.