Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), has said the officer he personally appointed to protect his life, Joseph Garba, was among those who orchestrated his removal in the July 1975 coup.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that Gowon said Garba, who was then Commander of the Federal Guards Unit, had denied any knowledge of a plot against his government days before the coup.
The former Head of State made the revelation in his 859-page autobiography, *My Life of Duty and Allegiance*, obtained by our correspondent at the book launch in Abuja on Tuesday.
Gowon described the coup as the deepest personal betrayal of his public life, saying it was carried out by men he had trusted and elevated.
He said his Chief Security Officer and head of the Special Branch, M.D. Yusuf, had warned him before the Organisation of African Unity summit in Kampala, Uganda, that some officers were plotting to overthrow his government.
According to him, Yusuf identified Garba and Anthony Ochefu, then Provost Marshal of the Nigerian Military Police, as key figures in the alleged plot.
Gowon said the warning placed him in a difficult position because Garba had been appointed to one of the most sensitive positions in his security structure.
He wrote, “As commander of the Federal Guards, which is the elite entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the person of the Head of State, Garba was supposed to have unquestionable loyalty.
“Not only did I intimately know both men, but I had also grown to like and trust them over the years.
“Coincidentally, both were Christians and from my original home state, Benue Plateau.”
‘He Denied Plan To Remove Me’
Rather than act immediately on Yusuf’s intelligence, Gowon said he confronted Garba directly.
He recalled that Garba strongly denied knowing about any plan to remove him from office.
Gowon wrote, “In quick succession, he vehemently denied awareness of any plan to topple me and swore by heaven and earth to deny the existence and his membership of any group that may have been formed for that purpose.
“But, I made him realise that if, at the end of the day, there was any truth in the rumour of his involvement in any plan against me, he would be answerable to God and his conscience.”
Gowon said his suspicions later increased after Ochefu allegedly refused to return to Lagos.
“His uncharacteristic, yet deliberate act of gross disloyalty made me sense the plot might be true.
“I made a note to revisit the issue on my return from Kampala,” he wrote.
How I heard I Had Been Overthrown
Despite the warning, Gowon said he travelled to Kampala for the 12th Summit of the Organisation of African Unity because he had already committed to attend.
He said he remained uneasy during the trip and directed his aide-de-camp, Mr Walbe, to return to Lagos to monitor developments.
However, according to him, Walbe could not return on time because the co-pilot was reportedly ill.
Gowon said he was seated at the conference on July 29, 1975, when Uganda’s then leader, Idi Amin, showed him a Reuters dispatch announcing that his government had been overthrown.
He wrote, “I did not recognise the garbled name on the Reuters dispatch. Early media reports mentioned a certain ‘Colonel Darwa’ as the officer who made the dawn broadcast of the coup.
“‘Darwa’ certainly sounded and read like a mispronounced or misspelt ‘Garba’. Still, I was not inclined to believe that he, of all people, would betray me.”
Gowon said he initially suspected that Garba might have been coerced or deceived into joining the coup.
“My concern for Garba was based on fears that the planners of the coup may have co-opted him into their scheme against his better judgment.
“I felt they might have convinced or threatened him into believing he did not gain anything from his long association with me and, as such, was better off being in their camp, failing which he could be shot if need be,” he wrote.
Akintola Williams’ Wife Tutored Victoria For First Lady Role – Gowon
Gowon also revealed how Mrs Efuntiloye Williams, wife of the doyen of Nigeria’s accounting profession, Mr Akintola Williams, personally tutored his wife, Victoria, on etiquette, British customs, home management and international protocol.
Gowon said the effort was meant to prepare Victoria for the demands of becoming First Lady.
The revelation is contained in Chapter 17 of the autobiography, titled, “War’s Raging; Gowon’s Marrying.”
Gowon said that before the tutoring, his personal aides had secretly arranged to enrol Victoria in a finishing school in London without the knowledge of her father, Hamza Ahmadu.
He said the discovery led to an angry confrontation with Hamza, who was also his Principal Secretary.
“How dare he do this without seeking my blessing and permission?” Gowon quoted Hamza as saying.
According to him, Hamza’s wife later persuaded him to allow the travel arrangement to proceed because plans had already been concluded.
Gowon said Victoria received further preparation after her return from London through Mrs Williams.
He wrote, “Mrs Oye Williams, late wife of the doyen of the accounting profession in Nigeria, Mr Akintola Williams, and a lively lady that I highly respected, quickly offered to share with Victoria practical tips drawn from her vast experience of etiquette and British customs and traditions.
“Her principal concerns were to ensure that the ‘First Lady’ appeared most presentable, did Nigeria and womanhood proud and avoided potentially embarrassing missteps. She soaked in the older woman’s lessons and thanked her profusely.
“When, however, they came round to discussing the issue of her wardrobe, she quietly informed Mrs Williams that she had made her choices.
“‘Aunty, I have already done a selection of what I need to wear, and I hope and am sure I will not embarrass you or Nigeria.’”
Gowon described Victoria as unobtrusive and purposeful, saying she did not seek to run a parallel office as First Lady.
Gowon said his wedding to Victoria on April 19, 1969, at the Anglican Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos, generated controversy because it took place during the Civil War.
He wrote that the media gave the event headlines suggesting that while the war was raging, he was getting married.
Gowon stated, “Several individuals felt that the timing of my wedding was wrong, not minding that I had kept thoughts of getting married on hold for the most part of the Nigerian Civil War because I was focused on the country’s challenges.
“The event attracted its share of controversy that provided hot news for the media, which merrily feasted on the story with screaming headlines that literally said: The war is raging; Gowon is marrying.”
Gowon said the service was conducted by Bishop Seth Irunsewe Kale and Provost Bishop Festus Oluwole Segun of Lagos.
Hamza, who had earlier opposed the finishing school plan, later walked Victoria down the aisle.
How Gowon Met Victoria
Gowon said he first met Victoria Zakari in 1964, when she visited his Ikoyi residence with Dr Ishaya Audu and Mrs Victoria Audu.
At the time, Victoria was undergoing nursing training at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
He said he was cautious about starting a relationship with her because of his position, while Victoria also wanted clarity before committing herself.
“If I were cautious about not making myself vulnerable to any possible charge of leveraging my high office to disrupt any possible relationship Victoria might have had, she, on the other hand, was emphatic about not starting any relationship with me if I had one ongoing with anyone else. She did not want any wahala,” he wrote.
Gowon said Victoria later asked him to put his commitment to her in writing.
“She wanted a relationship on a clean slate, and very well documented, not just by me saying so verbally,” he wrote.
He said he eventually wrote to her to confirm that he had no existing relationship with any woman, adding that this settled the matter.
The autobiography also covers the family’s years in exile in the United Kingdom after Gowon was overthrown in 1975.
Gowon said Victoria’s biggest regret was that exile denied their children a proper Nigerian and African upbringing.
He added that they eventually returned to Nigeria in 1983 after Muhammadu Buhari overthrew the civilian government of President Shehu Shagari.
The book was launched in Abuja at an event attended by President Bola Tinubu, who was represented by Vice-President, Kashim Shettima.
Also present were former President Goodluck Jonathan, senior government officials, military veterans and other public figures.
The autobiography contains 36 chapters and covers Gowon’s life from his Angas origins in Plateau State to his military career, the 1966 coups, the Civil War, post-war reconstruction, the founding of ECOWAS, his ouster, exile, academic life in Britain and return to Nigeria.
Gowon governed Nigeria from July 1966 to July 1975.