Gowon: How Obasanjo and l Became Close Friends

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Former Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon, has revealed how his friendship with former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stood the times from 1958 during a military course in the UK.
In his remarks on Friday at the public lecture in Abuja to mark his 90th birthday, Gowon disclosed that Obasanjo, whom he profoundly called Aremu, bailed him out when both were on a course in 1958 by paying his £7 mess bill as he had not enough money on him at that time.
He said they were on a military course at the time, though he was participating in the senior course.
“Our first meeting was in 1958 and he had to bail me out. You know, when at the end of the week, we had dined and wined, et cetera and you’ve got to pay your bill.
“I had arrived, but l had not got my escacodes ready and had not got much what I could pay with. And then there were two young Nigerian officers there then, and I think Sotomi (Emmanuel) was one of them. And of course, so I had to ask them if they had any money that I could be able to pay for my mess bill. And of course, you know, the first one, Sotomi, a very interesting young man, well, said he couldn’t make it, he hadn’t got anything to give. So I asked of his senior then, (Obasanjo) and of course, he was able to give me. I think it was about £7 then. And so I paid my bill. And when my estacode arrived later, you know, I gave it to him. So I took interest in him since then. And to make sure that it’s running, he comes, when he comes back to Nigeria, he should really always try to do the right thing,” Gowon said.
“And yes, so when he came back and he said he wanted to join the engineering corps. I was advising him, engineering? There wasn’t very much opportunity to go right up because at that time, you only considered the infantry officers among people that might probably go right up to generals.
He insisted he was going to remain in a supper at that time-engineering. And that was how, you know, we became very close with one another right through until today,” Gowon said.
Equally, he described the 17th Sultan of Sokoto, Sir Saddiq Abubakar III as a special man, who ensured peace in the country after the first military insurrection on January 15, 1966.
“He came, pleaded for peace, so that there was no reaction. I wonder what would have happened if things had gone differently. But for that man, when Ironsi invited him to come to Lagos after what happened on January the 15th, and what he did, honestly, suddenly saved the country from totally breaking up at that time,” he stressed.
The former head of state also urged the Acting Secretary General of the ECOWAS Parliament, Mr K. Bertin Somé to ensure that Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are readmitted to the union following imposition of military rule that disrupted civil order in those countries.