President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has described the autobiography of former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, as an important national document that offers guidance for Nigeria’s future, regional cooperation and the preservation of national unity.
The Nigerian leader particularly called for wide circulation of the memoir across the country, noting that it is a civic inheritance for all Nigerians.
Speaking on Tuesday during the public presentation of the memoir at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, the President, who was represented by his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, said the reflections of leaders who witnessed defining moments in the nation’s history remain essential to strengthening democratic stability and national cohesion.
President Tinubu said Nigeria must preserve its historical memory to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, stressing that societies that fail to learn from their history risk drifting into division and uncertainty.
“A nation that misplaces its memory soon begins to quarrel with its own reflection. A society without memory becomes an orphan in time,” he said.
President Tinubu observed that the former Head of State’s account was arriving at a time when Nigeria and the wider West African region continue to grapple with insecurity, economic pressures and social fragmentation, making the lessons of reconciliation and statesmanship even more relevant.
The Nigerian leader praised Gowon’s post-civil war reconciliation efforts, particularly the declaration of “No victor, no vanquished,” describing it as one of the defining principles that helped preserve Nigeria’s unity after the civil war.
He said peace and national healing require deliberate policies built on trust, inclusion and shared citizenship.
“The decisions of that period cannot be understood by those who examine them with the arrogance of comfort. Every generation that inherits peace must learn to speak gently about the choices made in the season of peril,” he said.
The President added that national unity must be sustained through institutions and policies that encourage interaction, fairness and mutual understanding among citizens.
He highlighted the role of the National Youth Service Corps as one of the enduring legacies of Gowon’s administration, saying the programme has helped bridge ethnic, cultural and religious divides across generations.
According to him, shared national experiences remain vital to building a stronger federation and deepening trust among Nigerians.
President Tinubu also said Gowon’s life stands as a rebuke to divisive narratives that attempt to reduce Nigeria’s diversity into rigid regional or religious stereotypes.
“His story teaches us that the Nigerian project becomes stronger when a citizen refuses to become a weapon in the hands of sectarian entrepreneurs,” the President said.
On regional affairs, the President commended General Gowon’s role in the establishment of the Economic Community of West African States, describing the regional body as one of the continent’s most important platforms for economic cooperation and collective security.
He said the founding vision behind ECOWAS remains critical as West Africa confronts terrorism, political instability and economic disruption.
“We need cooperation against insecurity. We need trade that empowers our young people. We need diplomacy that prevents conflict from becoming contagion,” he said.
