Gowon to Nigerians: Tinubu Requires More Time to Perform

* Says govt trying possible best to solve nation’s identified problems

* Advises president not to be bothered by criticism of his policies

Deji Elumoye in Abuja 

Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), has appealed to Nigerians to give President Bola Tinubu more time to deliver dividends of democracy to the citizenry.

The elder statesman, who spoke with newsmen Wednesday after meeting with the president at the State House, Abuja, said the relatively new government at the centre was doing its best to solve the nation’s identified problems.

Gowon, who was meeting with Tinubu for the first time nine months after being sworn in as president on May 29, 2023, however, advised the president not to be bothered by people’s critique of his government, saying he was similarly criticised over his pursuance of the Nigerian Civil War when he was Head of State in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

His words: “Well, I was telling the president that no Nigerian leader that can get there and will not have all the report of what is being said about him. But certainly, there’s no doubt from what one hears and what one sees on the various media etc, I think the government is trying their best to deal with the various problems of the country but with Nigerians? Don’t worry you will get criticised but people who get there know better than you know. 

“I think all what one can say is that Nigerians, we’ve got to give the president time to get things really done. And it is too early to sort of say absolute result, perfect result will be achieved now. That is my opinion. 

“I know and if I can remember, when I was fighting the war I was told I was too slow and that probably Nigeria cannot make it and that we should now seek for discussion. Well, did we do it or not? They probably do not know the problem underground so that is where we are.”

The former Head of State also disclosed that he discussed the current challenges facing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of which he’s a surviving leader with President Tinubu and the need to resolve them.

He also debunked the insinuation in some quarters that he sabotaged recent ECOWAS meeting, saying the meeting was billed to hold later on Wednesday.

According to him, “I came to discuss various matters especially the issue of the ECOWAS problem at the moment which I think needs to be resolved. And being the surviving leader, or founding fathers of the ECOWAS, I think we had to discuss some of his plans in order to see what can be done to bring the matter under control.

“So, this is what has brought me here and we had a very interesting meeting and I’m sure some of you have read report that I refused to attend ECOWAS conference isn’t it? Is it you that did that report? Who did that? You know trying to give that impression that it was me who was probably trying to sort of sabotage ECOWAS. No, that is not the case. I think there was a miscommunication but then it gave the opportunity for Mr President to call me so that we can discuss what I was to do. 

“So that ECOWAS meeting was part of the discussion we had today. So that has been done and solved and I hope that we can probably be able to have that message done later on today at ECOWAS headquarters probably by 5pm they will let you know.”