Former Head of state and elder statesman, General Yakubu Gowon (retd), has given insight into why he championed the creation of states in Nigeria, among others, while he was in the office as head of state, even as he urged Northern elites to build a consensus around issues that would better serve the greater interest of Nigeria as a whole.
He spoke when a delegation of the Senator Ibrahim Shekarau-led League of Northern Democrats, LND, visited him yesterday at the Yakubu Gowon Centre, in Abuja.
Gowon who governed between 1966 and 1975, told his visitors that it was aimed at dousing tension and removing the fear of northern domination by other component parts of the federation.
According to him, “May I thank you sincerely, as a former governor and now the chairman-am I correct?-of the League of Northern Democrats. I hope you’re not suggesting that Baba Tafawa Balewa was not both a northern and a national democrat.
“I firmly believe, as I have always said, that the responsibility of maintaining Nigeria’s true democracy rests on the north, and Baba Tafawa Balewa embodied this ideal.
“Let me also say that I hope your visit is not just about returning to the old thinking where the north prioritises the north, the west prioritises the west, and the east prioritises the east-until, of course, the Mid-West emerged to think for itself.
“My position has always been that whatever the north does must serve the greater interest of Nigeria.
“From your speech, I understand that this is your intention-to ensure the north, in its current state, focuses on national unity.
“It was for this reason that I supported the creation of multiple states, to prevent any one region from becoming too powerful and threatening the country’s unity.
“This perspective was born out of extensive discussions with political leaders, chiefs, and various groups.
“The north had to make sacrifices to address fears of domination by one region, especially given the size and population of the north.
” At that time, there was considerable anxiety from the south about the north’s dominance, which nearly led to calls for secession from all regions-the west, the east, and even the north.
“This deeply worried me. I was born in Nigeria, raised in Nigeria, and served a profession that represented the country’s collective interest.
“My decision to advocate for states creation stemmed from a desire to prevent the fragmentation of our nation.
“Even now, I recall that at one point, people believed the north wanted to secede, just as similar claims were made about the east and the west. This fear of disintegration weighed heavily on me. If we had allowed it, what would we call ourselves today? We might have ended up with separate nations-whether Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, or otherwise. I hesitate to say more, as I might risk offending someone here.”
