Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday, mentioned he has at all times secretly admired former Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon as a result of he was one of some world leaders who received celebrated of their lifetime.
Obasanjo gave the glowing tribute on the opening ceremony of a four-day worldwide convention of the African Biblical Management Initiative in Abuja.
Gowon’s rise to energy adopted the July 1966 counter-coup and he was head of state for the longest steady interval, ruling for nearly 9 years till his overthrow within the coup d’état of 1975 by the then Brig Murtala Mohammed.
The Nigerian Civil Battle which started on July 6, 1967, and ended on January 15, 1970, was one of many deadliest in trendy historical past, with some accusing Gowon of crimes towards humanity and genocide.
The previous head of state maintained that he dedicated no wrongdoing in the course of the warfare and that his management saved the nation.
On Saturday, October 19, 2024, Gowon clocked 90 years and was greeted by many personalities and our bodies nationwide, together with President Bola Tinubu.
On the ABLI initiative, with the theme: ‘Worth-based management mannequin for Africa,’ which attracted a number of African and European leaders in addition to world Christian leaders, Obasanjo likened Gowon to the late British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, who he described as an unsung hero as he was not given any recognition regardless of his present of patriotism and army feats.
He mentioned Churchill was ultimately honoured with a ‘Man of the Century’ award in recognition of his political relevance and army achievement in his twilight.
He mentioned, “Just a few leaders get appreciated of their lifetime. Normal (Gowon), I envy you since you are appreciated in your lifetime. That, too, is the grace of God in your life.
“You’re like (Winston) Churchill. He fought within the night time, on the ocean, and for the British Empire. In the long run, he was unrecognised, known as a warmonger, and even voted out of the Parliament.
“However earlier than he died, he was named ‘Man of the Century.’ He was appreciated.
“Many leaders is probably not appreciated, together with our Lord Jesus Christ and virtually all his disciples. A lot of them died in circumstances which can be unbefitting of the way in which a frontrunner ought to die.
“So if a frontrunner expects praises, adorations, and adulations from human beings, he will likely be totally dissatisfied. However God takes care of leaders.
Talking on the continuing wars throughout the nations of the world, Obasanjo lamented that just about half of the international locations on this planet had been at warfare.
He mentioned, “Specialists mentioned now we have 58 wars occurring on this planet right now and 92 international locations concerned straight or not directly.
“That’s half of the international locations on this planet. But, they mentioned now we have no third World Battle. So what can we do?”
The previous president raised issues over the decline in management on the worldwide stage, expressing disappointment that the current crop of leaders merely acted on intuitions.
He famous that a number of state actors had additionally developed a penchant for dabbling in necessary management issues about which that they had little or no thought.
A former Minister of Data, Prof Jerry Gana, shared his sentiment.
Gana drummed up help for efficient management, saying “Africa is in dire want of 1.”
He mentioned, “In a world characterised by unprecedented challenges and complexities, Africa stands at a vital juncture. The necessity for visionary, moral, and value-based management has by no means been extra pressing.
“The way forward for Africa hinges on our capacity to domesticate leaders who are usually not solely competent, compassionate, and dedicated to the well-being of the abnormal residents in our varied international locations,” he mentioned.