Having Successfully Ended The Biafra War, I’ll Never Thought We’ll Fight Insurgency Again – Gowon

Former Head of State,General
Yakubu Gowon, has said that he fought the Nigerian civil war in 1967 to keep the country as one indissoluble entity.
He said this at a youth on mentorship, to mark his 80th birthday celebration.
Gowon also he didn’t think he will become Head of state at the age of 31.
“Honestly, it was not my intention to be a Head of State; it was by providence. I never planned to be the Head of State. If there is anything I planned to be, it was to rise up to be General officer Commanding the Nigerian Army but not becoming the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces,” Gowon said.
He said that he told the young coup plotters that he was not interested but they insisted.
“I told them I did not want that, and that they should give it to any other officer that was disciplined and loyal in his approaches However, they insisted it should be me,”
He advised the youth to shun violence and corruption, describing the Boko Haram insurgents as unfortunate,
saying after the Civil war, he never thought that there was going to be another uprising in Nigeria where people would be killed and maimed.
The former Head of State also warned against the moves to create additional states saying that the recommendation by the just concluded 2014 National Conference for the creation of 19 more states along the lines of ethnic nationalities was not good for the country.

Gowon was the Head of state between 1967-1975. He led Nigeria in the Nigerian civil war.