{"id":21462,"date":"2025-10-20T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=21462"},"modified":"2025-10-20T13:03:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T12:03:16","slug":"he-chose-peace-over-power-plateau-governor-honors-gowons-lifelong-sacrifice-at-91","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/20\/he-chose-peace-over-power-plateau-governor-honors-gowons-lifelong-sacrifice-at-91\/","title":{"rendered":"He Chose Peace Over Power\u201d: Plateau Governor Honors Gowon\u2019s Lifelong Sacrifice at 91."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

JOS, Nigeria \u2014 Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang has congratulated former Nigerian Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon on his 91st birthday, describing him as a towering figure in the country\u2019s history and a symbol of peace and unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement issued Sunday by the governor\u2019s Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere, Mutfwang praised Gowon\u2019s leadership during Nigeria\u2019s most turbulent years, including the civil war, and credited him with preserving the nation\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is with profound humility and immense joy that I join the global community in celebrating Gen. Yakubu Gowon on his remarkable 91st birthday,\u201d Mutfwang said. \u201cHe is not only a revered father figure and a beacon of peace to millions of Nigerians but also an iconic statesman whose life and legacy continue to inspire transformative leadership and national cohesion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gowon served as Nigeria\u2019s military head of state from 1966 to 1975, a period marked by the Biafran War and subsequent efforts to rebuild the country. His post-war declaration of \u201cNo Victor, No Vanquished\u201d remains one of the most cited gestures of reconciliation in Nigerian history. Mutfwang emphasized the enduring impact of Gowon\u2019s Reconciliation, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation program, which helped restore national unity and rebuild the country\u2019s socio-economic fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public reactions to the governor\u2019s tribute have been largely positive, with many Nigerians taking to social media to honor Gowon\u2019s legacy. \u201cGowon\u2019s leadership was far from perfect, but his commitment to keeping Nigeria together is undeniable,\u201d wrote one user on X, formerly Twitter. Others praised the symbolism of Mutfwang\u2019s message, noting Gowon\u2019s Plateau State roots and his continued influence in national affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gowon, who has remained active in peace-building and interfaith dialogue since leaving office, is widely respected across political and religious divides. He founded the \u201cNigeria Prays\u201d initiative, which promotes national unity through prayer and civic engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 91-year-old statesman has largely stayed out of partisan politics but continues to advocate for good governance and national cohesion. His birthday celebration has sparked renewed interest in Nigeria\u2019s post-civil war history and the role of elder statesmen in shaping the country\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governor Mutfwang concluded his message with prayers for Gowon\u2019s continued good health, long life, and divine protection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JOS, Nigeria \u2014 Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang has congratulated former Nigerian Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon on his 91st birthday, describing him as a towering figure in the country\u2019s history and a symbol of peace and unity. In a statement issued Sunday by the governor\u2019s Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-naija-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Yakubu-Gowon1.jpg?fit=719%2C405&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21462"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21462\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21466,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21462\/revisions\/21466"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}