Yakubu Gowon Military Government In Nigeria (1st August 1966 – 29th July 1975)
| Yakubu | Gowon |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Yakubu Gowon |
| Date of Birth | 19th October, 1934 86 Years – ( January 25, 2021 {Last Update}) |
| Nationality | Nigeria |
| Place of Birth | Kanke, Nigeria |
| Political Party | NIL (Military) |
| Service | Nigerian Army |
| In Office | 1st August 1966 – 29th July 1975 (President) January 1966 – July 1968 (Chief of Army Staff) |
Yakubu Gowon Military Government In Nigeria
Yakubu “Jack” Gowon Military Rule (1966 – 1975)
Lt Colonel Yakubu Gowon, the Chief of Army Staff under Ironsi, became the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces after the bloody coup d’etat of 29th July, 1966 which led to the assassination of General Aguiyi Ironsi and Lt. Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, the military governor of Western Nigeria and several military officers mainly of Igbo extraction. Ironsi was killed while on a state visit to the Western Region.
The immediate causes of the coup included the following:
- People in the North were generally dissatisfled with Ironsi’s handling of the officers who carried out the January 1966 coup. The coupists were not officially tried and sanctioned in accordance with military regulations.
- The January 1966 coup was perceived in the north as an attempt by southerners, especially the Igbo to regain power from the north. The urge for revenge and the need to retake power was always there.
- The decision by the Ironsi government to turn Nigeria into a unitary state was unpopular in several parts of the country.
- The government of General Aguiyi Ironsi was weak and, was unable to take decision on several reports of attempts to overthrow it.
The assassination of General Aguiyi-Ironsi and several officers of Igbo origin in the July 1966 coup precipitated a series of crises in the political system. First, the Igbo were alienated and most of them resident in other parts of the country heeded the call by Ojukwu to return home.
Secondly, the Governor of Eastern Nigeria, Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu refused to cooperate with the new military government at the centre. Finally, the state of Biafra was declared in 1967 by Colonel Ojukwu and the leadership of the region
On its part, the Gowon regime reinstated the federal system of government in September 1966. In addition, 12 new states were created on 27th May, 1967. When all peace efforts, including the Aburi Accord, failed to resolve the political crises in the country and dissuade Ojukwu from the secessionist attempt, civil war broke out on 6th July, 1967. It ended 15th January, 1970 following a formal surrender by the secessionists.
Immediately, after the war, Yakubu Gowon announced a three-pronged programme of reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction to win back the Igbo into the Nigerian fold and demonstrate that there was no winner or loser in the war.
The central government also announced a transition programme which was due to end in October 1976 but Gowon later reneged on his promise to hand-over power to civilians. As a result, the government became unpopular and was subsequently overthrown in a bloodless military coup on 29th July, 1975.
The structure of the Gowon government was similar to that of the Ironsi regime which it supplanted. The Supreme Military Council remained the highest decision-making organ of government while the National Executive Council was the implementing organ of government. Both councils were headed by the Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon.
Although Nigeria remained a federation, there was much concentration of power at the centre. This was in line with military tradition and commamd structure. The creation of 12 states in 1967 further weakened the states in relation to the centre.
