Former military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, has narrated how he played a role in saving fellow former military Head of State who later became civilian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, from being executed by military dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha.
Gowon, who led Nigeria through the turbulent civil war years, said he pleaded with Abacha, even sent his wife with a letter to the late maximum dictator, to spare Obasanjo’s life.
The former military Head of State spoke at the first edition of the Interdenominational Unity Christmas Carol and Praise Festival organised by the Plateau State Government.
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Gen. Abacha had arrested Obasanjo in 1995 and convicted him over an alleged planned coup to overthrow the Abacha regime. Obasanjo was jailed for 30 years, which was later reduced to 15 years. He, however, spent three years in prison and was released in 1998 after Abacha’s death on June 8 of that year. He went on to become a democratically elected president in May 1999.
“I wrote a letter to Abacha, I pleaded with him that God made him a leader to do good and not evil,” Gowon said.
“I sent my wife with the letter in the middle of the night to Abacha in Abuja; I pleaded with him that such a thing should not happen.
“I’m glad that soon after that, things changed, and not only that Obasanjo left prison, he became our president in 1999.
“This is something that only prayers and sincerity can do; I’m happy that today myself and Obasanjo are here to celebrate the unity of Plateau,” he said.
