yakubu gowon

Yakubu Gowon (born 19 October 1934) is a retired Nigerian army general who served as the country’s Head of State from 1 August 1966 to 29 July 1975. He came to power after a series of coups, led Nigeria through the devastating Biafran Civil War (1967‑1970), and pursued policies of “no‑victor, no‑vanquished” reconciliation. Gowon was ousted in a bloodless coup led by General Murtala Muhammad and later lived in exile before returning to Nigeria, where he remains an influential elder statesman. Views Nigeria