Gowon: Jack Of Trade Of All Seasons @ 80 ,By Issa Aremu

I am not sure what impact late Ahmadu Bello’s great motto; Work and Worship had on young Yakubu Gowon. What is however self-evident is that history will record it that Gowon did commendably work for Nigeria while in service and worships for Nigeria in retirement. Today more than ever before, leadership assumes notoriety in national discourse. How then does Gowon feel at 80 that while he prays in retirement, Nigeria slides into daily unserious mess with everything from national unity he gallantly fought for to communal and religious harmony that was once taken for granted?
‘Go on With One Nigeria’ is the historic full meanings of the destined acronym;Gowon. How does he feel that respectable Nigerians even as Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SANs, (who without Nigeria would have remained anonymous) are now proudly questioning the desirability of the once indivisible Nigeria? What is Gowon’s impression about how a functional developmentalist (1st, 2nd and 3rd development plans) country he presided over has suddenly been plunged into Structural Adjustment programme (SAP) and “reforms” that have entrenched poverty for millions and unimaginable prosperity for a tiny few? With Gowon’s NO VICTOR, NO VANQUISHED of 70s, nightmares of the dark civil war faded. In fact with that singular historic legacy of reconciliation, Nigeria was the first rainbow nation well before liberated South-Africa appropriated the our brand in the late 90s after the defeat of apartheid and release of Nelson Mandela.
President Shehu Shagari actually put into practice the great dreams of Gowon’s favoured reconciliation when he pardoned Chief Ojukwu who in turn proudly got ‘involved’ in national ‘mainstream’ politics even with the appeal of Zik’s later day politics of the margins. Indeed it is to eternal credit of Gowon’s legacy that Chief Emeka Ojukwu died and was nationally honored as a Nigerian. How does Gowon then feel that today at 80 Nigeria plays with its hard earned reconciliation as we are again treated to the discordant tunes of disintegration, civil wars and procurement of arms without declaration of wars? There is a whole movement headed by General Yakubu Gowon, called NIGERIA PRAYS: Nigeria double prays before meetings and meetings end up in chaos, (witness party congresses!) Nigeria prays before football matches and loses in abundance! What then have “prayers” got to do with the current Nigeria’s woes? Or better still, General Gowon at 80 must reflect on the current disconnect between religion and development in Nigeria.
As a child of independent, multi-religious, multi-cultural and democratic Nigeria, in 1961, yours sincerely proudly grew up in a country in which we were not made to “commence” or end “meetings” with “opening” and “closing” “Muslim/Christian” prayers. Indeed my imagination was fired by a role model of young Gowon as a smart scout boy and soldier statesman not as a prayer warrior. Yet we knew we were truly growing up in a country of deeply religious people with deeply religious guardians judging by their deeds not by their religious labeling. Whatever the creed we belonged, we all desired to live, work, study and worship in peace. There was a Nigeria (apology to Chinua Achebe) in which the strength of Nigeria manifested in multiple harmonious identities of a country comprising people who believed in different kinds of religion and yet marched together to grow the economy, build schools, spread prosperity and dared to even help to liberate other Africans such as the then oppressed peoples of occupied Namibia, Angola, Mozambique and apartheid South Africa. We once lived in great communities in which Muslims and Christians were worthy neighbours with respective wards attending both Christian and Islamic missionary schools of varying religious hues and graduating with good results without modern day religious labelling and our religious apartheid. Yet there was, no power failure, kidnapping, sickening political carpet crossing, and gangsterism, state robbery (corruption) and the latest in disorder; bombings and insurgency of the worst brand. Nigeria’s current failings are directly proportional with the quantity (certainly not quality!) of countless sundry worship centres and religious clerics of varying persuasions suffocating Nigeria’s space. Our leaders have visibly become more “religious” with their attendance of Sunday and Jummat services hitting the headlines. Yet the country is on a mutually assured free fall under our noses. Worst still religious chieftains are associated with scandals of varying dimensions, from failed marriages to arms deal.
Today the Christian pilgrims’ welfare boards out do Muslims welfare boards in state financed patronage amidst scarce resources for development. The difference between state and religion is not as clear today and nobody is talking. We endlessly declare public holidays that even churches and mosques don’t grant their respective workers.
There is no singular state in the world, (notwithstanding commitment to secularism) that is not run by God believing men and women. Nelson Mandela said of South Africans; ‘Religion runs in our veins’. We can see how religion truly runs in south African veins not through the senseless acrimony of religious labeling of Nigerians but genuine religious deeds that include unprecedented reconciliation after the tragedy of apartheid, uninterrupted power and water supply, strong Rand, hosting of the world cup, export promotion and African leadership role that made a 20 years old South African democracy to have the courage to challenge Nigeria for a Security Council Seat. All religions stress unity, honesty, integrity, faithfulness, peace, forgiveness, accountability, and reward for good deeds. We are in huge deficits of all the above cherished values in spite of the heightened noise level of our religiosity. Better way to Honour General Gowon at 80 will be to work our prayers as our founding fathers once truly did! Happy birthday Jack of all seasons!
Issa Aremu, mni