By Desire Emmanuel
Former Minister of Defence, Lieutenant General Theophilus Danjuma (retd) on Tuesday , May 19, donated the sum of ₦3 billion at the public presentation of the autobiography of former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon.
Also, President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, donated the sum of ₦500 million, while Abdul-Samad Rabiu, President of BUA Group, purchased copies of the book with ₦25 million.
Danjuma, who served as Chief Presenter, was represented by General Martin Luther Agwai, a former Chief of Defence Staff.
The 20-chapter autobiography, titled “My Life of Duty and Allegiance,” was presented in Abuja on Tuesday at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Vice President Kashim Shettima represented President Bola Tinubu at the well-attended event, which drew top government officials, diplomats and senior military officers.
Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Right Reverend Matthew Kukah, reviewed the book.
Beyond the cash donation, Danjuma directed the purchase and distribution of 12 copies of the book to the libraries of each of the 20 universities that awarded Gowon honorary doctorate degrees.
At the launch, Tinubu described the book as an important national document that offers guidance for Nigeria’s future, regional cooperation and the preservation of national unity.
He particularly called for wide circulation of the memoir across the country, noting that it is a civic inheritance for all Nigerians.
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.
The president 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.
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