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Yakubu GowonPolitician, head of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975.
Date of Birth: 19.10.1934
Country:  Nigeria |
Content:
Early Life and Military Education
Yakubu Gowon was born in Lere, Nigeria on October 19, 1934, to a Christian missionary father. From 1957, he attended military schools in Ghana and the United Kingdom, including the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Gowon returned to Nigeria as a lieutenant senior in 1962.
Rise to Power
In 1963, Gowon was promoted to lieutenant colonel and became the Chief of Staff to General Aguiyi Ironsi. He retained his position following an attempted military coup in January 1966. When Ironsi and other officers were assassinated in an ethnic conflict in July 1966, Gowon was named Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Biafran War
Gowon faced a conflict between the federal government and the Igbo people of the Eastern Region. Thousands of Igbo people living in the Northern Region were massacred. To prevent the secession of the eastern regions, Gowon abolished Nigeria's four-region administrative division and created 12 states, ensuring the loyalty of ethnic minorities in the east. However, these measures failed to prevent the outbreak of the bloody 30-month civil war with Igbo separatists in 1967.
Civil War and Impact
During the war, Gowon led Nigeria to victory over the breakaway Republic of Biafra. He displayed magnanimity towards the defeated Biafrans in 1970. However, he failed to restore civilian rule promptly or establish an effective governance system, leading to his overthrow in a bloodless coup in July 1975.
Later Life
Gowon fled to the United Kingdom, retired from politics in 1979, and pursued a doctorate degree at the University of Warwick. He later returned to Nigeria and became a successful businessman, serving as Chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
