Duty & Allegiance: Gowon’s Memoirs, An Exercise In Self-Justification!

 By Olu Fasan

In the Acknowledgements section of his recently published memoirs My Life of Duty & Allegiance, General Yakubu Gowon, a former military head of state, writes: “Let me begin by saying that I was not anxious to document my memoirs, but the calls for me to do so kept coming.” 

Well, I am one of those who kept urging General Gowon to write his memoirs. I did so in three interventions in this column, the last of which, in March last year, was daringly titled “A plea to General Gowon: Sir, write your memoir before you die!” (Vanguard, March 13, 2025). So, when Gowon published his memoirs in May this year, I did not hesitate to spend £29.98 (about N54,000) to buy a copy from Amazon. I read the 760-page book with great interest! 

Zik’s Day Beckons!

 By Uzor Maxim Uzoatu 

The man fondly called Zik of Africa deserves his day. Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s foremost nationalist and first president, deserves his birthday, November 16, to be slated as a national holiday.

*Azikiwe 

It is a deserving honour for the pivotal leader who led the charge for Nigeria’s independence on October 1, 1960. 

As a result of his unparalleled efforts Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe would in the course of time become the only black Governor-General of Nigeria, the first President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the only Nigerian whose name appeared in a Constitution of Nigeria, the first Senate President, among many other sterling firsts.