Yakubu Gowon, born on October 19, 1934, in Kanke, Plateau State, Nigeria, was a Nigerian military leader and head of state from 1966 to 1975. He was the fifth of eleven children in a Christian family, belonging to the Ngas ethnic group. Gowon was raised in Zaria, Kaduna State, where his father worked as a Methodist minister. He received his early education at the Zaria Middle School and Government College in Zaria.

Gowon pursued a military career and was trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, graduating in 1955. He also received further military training in the UK and the United States. After his training, Gowon rose through the ranks of the Nigerian Army and quickly became a prominent officer. By 1966, Nigeria had been through a turbulent period, marked by a series of coups, political instability, and ethnic tension, particularly between the northern and eastern regions of the country.

Following the assassination of Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi in a counter-coup on July 29, 1966, Gowon emerged as the new military leader of Nigeria at the age of 31, despite not being the most senior officer at the time. His ascent to power was heavily supported by northern officers. He inherited a country deeply divided along ethnic and regional lines, and during his time in power, Nigeria experienced one of the most defining moments in its history—the Nigerian Civil War (also known as the Biafran War).

The civil war broke out on July 6, 1967, following the declaration of the secession of the Eastern Region under Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu as the Republic of Biafra. Gowon led the federal military government in a bid to keep Nigeria united. The war, which lasted until January 15, 1970, resulted in immense devastation and the loss of over a million lives, primarily due to starvation and disease in the Biafran region. Gowon's administration adopted a "No Victor, No Vanquished" policy after the war, aimed at reconciliation and rebuilding the war-torn nation. His government also launched the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program to promote unity and integration among Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups.

Gowon's tenure saw several reforms, including the creation of new states in Nigeria to address regional grievances and the centralization of power. However, his administration was marked by allegations of corruption and mismanagement, which grew more pronounced as Nigeria's oil revenues increased significantly in the early 1970s. Despite these challenges, Gowon maintained a relatively stable government for nine years, which was the longest any Nigerian head of state had remained in power at the time.

On July 29, 1975, Gowon was overthrown in a bloodless coup while he was attending an Organization of African Unity (OAU) summit in Kampala, Uganda. He was succeeded by Brigadier Murtala Mohammed. After his overthrow, Gowon went into exile in the UK, where he pursued a degree in political science at the University of Warwick, eventually earning a doctorate in 1983. In the years following his return to Nigeria in the early 1980s, Gowon transitioned into a role as an elder statesman, engaging in peace-building and conflict resolution efforts, both within Nigeria and across Africa.

Despite the controversies surrounding his time in power, Gowon remains a respected figure in Nigerian history, particularly for his role in maintaining the country’s unity during the civil war and for his post-presidency contributions to peace and diplomacy.

REFERENCE:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakubu_Gowon