Former Nigerian Leader Yakubu Gowon Dies At 89
Nigeria’s former military ruler, General Yakubu Gowon, has died at the age of 89, his family announced on Monday.
Gowon, who led Nigeria from 1966 to 1975, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Abuja, his son Musa Gowon said in a statement.
He said his father had been ill for some time and had been receiving medical attention.
Gowon was Nigeria’s third head of state and the youngest to assume power at the age of 31. He came to power after a bloody coup that toppled his predecessor, General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, and sparked a civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970.
Gowon fought to keep Nigeria united against the secessionist state of Biafra, which declared independence in the eastern region. The war claimed an estimated two million lives, mostly from starvation and disease.
Gowon declared a policy of “no victor, no vanquished” at the end of the war and initiated a program of reconciliation and reconstruction. He also oversaw the creation of 12 states from the four regions of Nigeria and the relocation of the federal capital from Lagos to Abuja.
Gowon was ousted in a bloodless coup in 1975 by his former deputy, General Murtala Mohammed, while he was attending an Organisation of African Unity summit in Uganda. He went into exile in the United Kingdom, where he obtained a PhD in political science from the University of Warwick.
He returned to Nigeria in 1981 after he was pardoned by President Shehu Shagari. Sheu Shagari became a respected elder statesman and a champion of peace and democracy. He founded the Yakubu Gowon Centre, a non-governmental organisation that promotes good governance, health and education.
Gowon is survived by his wife Victoria, whom he married in 1969, and four children. His family said funeral arrangements would be announced later.
