I Should Have Allocated Plots Of Land To Myself – Gowon

Former Military Head of State General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) has disclosed that his biggest mistake was not allocating plots of land to himself when he ruled Nigeria.

He made this known while speaking at the 26th anniversary exhibition and commemoration of the movement of the seat of government from Lagos to Abuja.

The former military ruler stated that despite been the initiator of the idea that gave birth to the present Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as the nation’s capital, successive governments marginalized him by not naming any street after him.

He said he had the powers to make Jos the capital of Nigeria, but he did not do so.

Gowon said: “I had to officially complain to General Ibrahim Babangida, when he was the Military President, that I have been excluded from getting a street named after me in Abuja, while all other members of the Military Council who nurtured the idea, had gotten streets named after them.

“One of the places I saw that attracted me was somewhere in Plateau, those of you who know the place especially close to Jos forest will agree that the area is beautiful and I thought that place was beautiful for the capital city.

“But I did not make that choice because I would have been accused of parochialism, and favouritism, because it was very close to my original place where I come from.

“So I said no, I must look at other places. The search for a new capital took me round the northwest, and in my state visits, I continued to look for other places; when I came to Abuja, I was attracted.”