Admin l Monday, May 14, 2018
IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – Former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon today revealed how he survived since 1975 after he was overthrown in a military coup. Gowon who was speaking at the 8th Commonwealth Regional Conference for Heads of Anticorruption Agencies in Africa said he survived on salary since he left power and estacodes from some of those who worked with him.
“Apart from my salary in 1975, those who worked with me made sure that they used estacode to enure that I survived”, this he said perhaps account for the reason many who occupied the highest position in the land are tempted to be corrupt in order to provide for the future.
He however said that was not the case in his time. “Everything we had belongs to the nation, it belongs to the people and so we were made to believe that we must not touch it. That was the situation in our time and so it is really very sad that we hear reports that all Nigerian head of states are thieves, you read it in newspapers and magazine and that really affected the image of head of states of Nigeria. It is sad and we must really try to make sure that all leaders elected into office should check themselves that if they get there let them earn what they get, they must not touch the nations coffer, by doing that they are stealing and depriving the people of their rights”, he said.
He called on the conference to look at ways of encouraging leadership to move away from being tempted to touch national resources. “Let them move away from that because it gives all of us, former head of state a very bad image and we know that should not be done”, the former head of state said.
He noted that at the end of the conference members of the commonwealth countries should be able to find ways and means to handle the anti-corruption war, and be able to get back whatever money that has been stolen and be able to get it back to their country for the good of the people.
“So I wish you a successful delibration”, and that the conference must ensure that such bad habits does not continue again. “Make sure that all the money stolen from your country are returned to your respective nation”, he said.
The conference had in attendance, Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and former military dictator, Gen. Abdulsami Abubakar among others.
