REMARKS BY GEN. DR. YAKUBU GOWON, GCFR AT THE COMMEMORATIVE BIRTHDAY LECTURE TO MARK THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OBAFEMI AWOLOWO FOUNDATION AND HIS POSTHUMOUS BIRTHDAY HOLDING ON SUNDAY, 6 MARCH, 2022.
PROTOCOLS
Mr. Chairman, HE John Dramani Mahama,
HE President Mbeki & HE Mrs. Mbeki,
Your Excellencies,
My Lords,
Royal Fathers,
Eminent and Distinguished Corporeal Zoom/Virtual Audience,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
1. I am delighted, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, to welcome you all to this virtual commemorative birthday lecture to mark the 30 th year of the establishment of the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation and his Posthumous Birthday. As we all are aware, March 6 is a landmark date, not just for the Awolowo nuclear and political families but in the political history of Nigeria, for it is the birth date of the highly revered late elder statesman, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo. He would have been 113 years old today. The year 2022 also marks the 35 th year of his passing on to eternal life. We have also been celebrating him for 30 consecutive years. That this session is virtual, as forced on us by the protocols of COVID-19, is also a tribute to the never-say-die spirit of Chief Awolowo who thrived best in the most difficult of times.
2. In the 30 years that the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation has been in existence, it has kept faith with the vision of its moving spirit. In word and in deed, it has continued to make impact as a think tank in Nigeria's search for transformational leadership. Not only has the Foundation actively created room for quality engagements on good governance, but it has also established a well-regarded Leadership Prize to encourage excellence and distinction in service to society. These are some of the values that the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo embodied in his lifetime of service to Nigeria. He as a leader, displayed a heart that was consistent, contrite, courageous, convictional, committed and captivated.
3. Although it is often said, like Marc Anthony did in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, that “the evil that men do lives after them (while) the good is oft interred with them,” the converse is the case with Chief Awolowo. The good he did as a politician, as a legal luminary and as a leader statesman are writ large not just in Nigeria but in Africa and, indeed, in the history of mankind. None is interred with him. Instead, his good works stand as standard of reference in the annals of our nation. His was a life of firsts, as exemplified in the tagline of the old WNTV-WNBS, First in Africa, after he established the first television broadcasting station in Africa while he was the Premier of the defunct Western Region of Nigeria.
4. He abhorred illiteracy, ignorance and disease, for which reason he made free education and free healthcare the pillars of his programmes as a political leader in the Western Region at the time. These programmes were carried through by his political family and have remained the benchmark of public service in Nigeria. The Federal Government adopted it for the whole country in later years during my time from 1973/4 onward.
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5. His unparalleled contribution to the building of a strong and united Nigeria remains by far his most outstanding legacy. He was a strong believer in the unity of Nigeria and he did the necessary to keep the country one. As Commissioner/Minister of Finance, his Financial and economic wizardry contributed in no small measure to the Federal Government's prosecution of the 30-month war of unity without borrowing a dime or a penny from any source. History will always be kind to him in this regard, just as I will personally continue to appreciate his decision to serve his nation under me at a most inauspicious time of our history.
6. I especially wish to commend the Executive Director of the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, Ambassador Dr Mrs Tokunbo Awolowo Dosunmu, scion of the Great man and her dedicated team, for the yeoman's job they have been doing these past 30 years to keep the Foundation on an even keel.
7. I also commend the organisers for the befitting theme of this landmark 30 th anniversary lecture: Values for Africa's Development . I say this because I know, like most of us do, too, that it would virtually be impossible for the distinguished guest speaker and former Vice Chancellor of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Professor Adedapo Asaju, to do justice to the subject without rehashing the well-known story of the late Chief Awolowo. That is because he embodied every known value of visionary and transformative leadership, especially in terms of selflessness, integrity and passion. Indeed, Chief Awolowo embodied hope because he saw a brighter and rewarding future for the people. He pursued it vigorously and demonstrated that leadership was no rocket science. That is the reason his name has been immortalised. Contemporary Africa needs more of him.
8. May I also especially commend our Chair at this event, His Excellency, John Dramani Mahama, former President of Ghana for accepting to be here. This, without argument, further demonstrates the strength of the cultural and political ties between our two nations. I know, for sure, that no amount of debate or contest on Nigeria or Ghana, jollof rice or football, will detract from our bond.
9. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, having set the tone for the start of this programme, I have the pleasure of yielding the floor for its continuation. Please enjoy yourselves as we look forward to exciting and engaging conversations to push the frontiers of development in Africa.
10. Thank you and God bless you all.
GENERAL DR. YAKUBU GOWON, GCFR
Abuja, Nigeria
Sunday, March 6, 2022. |
