Former Nigeria’s Head of state and elder statesman, General
Yakubu Gowon (retd), has explained why he championed the creation of 12 states
in Nigeria while he was in office as head of state.
Gowon said that the rationale was aimed at dousing tension
and removing the fear of northern domination by other component parts of the federation.
He stated this when a delegation of the Senator Ibrahim
Shekarau-led League of Northern Democrats paid him a courtesy visit at the
Yakubu Gowon Centre, in Abuja.
The elder statesman also urged Northern elites to build a
consensus around issues that would better serve the greater interest of Nigeria
as a whole.
“I firmly believe, as I have always said, that the
responsibility of maintaining Nigeria’s true democracy rests on the north, and
Baba Tafawa Balewa embodied this ideal.
“Let me also say that I hope your visit is not just about
returning to the old thinking where the north prioritises the north, the west
prioritises the west, and the east prioritises the east-until, of course, the
Mid-West emerged to think for itself.
“My position has always been that whatever the north does
must serve the greater interest of Nigeria. From your speech, I understand that
this is your intention-to ensure the north, in its current state, focuses on
national unity.
“It was for this reason that I supported the creation of
multiple states, to prevent any one region from becoming too powerful and
threatening the country’s unity,” he said.
Gowon was the head of state between 1966 and 1975.
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