My dad never pushed me to join the military – Ibrahim Gowon

Weekly Trust: How was it like growing up the child of a famous father?Ibrahim Gowon: Growing up was a combination of several things. I didn’t see much of my father and when I did, it would be for a short while. When duties of state would allow, he always made sure he spent quality time […]

Weekly Trust: How was it like growing up the child of a famous father?
Ibrahim Gowon: Growing up was a combination of several things. I didn’t see much of my father and when I did, it would be for a short while. When duties of state would allow, he always made sure he spent quality time with us, like him teaching me to ride my bicycle or a horse, or how to swim. But I never saw it as any different from anybody else’s – I had no other life to compare it to.
I was learning how to ride a bicycle and the day came when I was a confident enough cyclist for the stabilizers to be removed. As he pushed me along, he would talk to me. I would chat back and laugh as I was being propelled along the pathway. One day I hadn’t realise that he had stopped talking. Turning back, I could see him in the distance. That was the day I learned to ride a bicycle by myself! It will remain the most enduring memory I have of him from my childhood. He allowed me take risks, to learn from them.
WT: How would you describe your father?
Gowon: He’s a very kind man, someone who rarely loses his temper. He’s focused on anything he sets out to do. He is also very generous – not only how people define generosity – but very generous with his time, also. If you want to discuss something with him, he would have time for you.
WT: Have you ever seen him lose his temper?
Gowon: Yes, and it was with me, actually. There are probably quite a number of times, but no doubt, in almost all occasions I probably deserved it (laughter). I remember one particular instance, a classic one, when I showed some wrong sort of behaviour on a Rugby pitch and he told me off in front of the whole team.
WT: We know he’s a football buff. Was he into Rugby?
Gowon: He likes Rugby but he was a better football player.
WT: Growing up the son of a military officer and being transferred all over the country, which place would you say left an indelible mark?
Gowon: I remember Maiduguri, Jos and of course Lagos. There are some other areas we have been, because looking at the pictures I was clearly there, but I can’t remember. But in the case of Jos, I do remember being there because of the buildings, the colours, et cetera. I also remember Kaduna and I recall staying at the State House. I went back there many years later and when I walked out there was the distinctive smell of rain on soil and masonry. It’s a wonderfully intoxicating smell that I associate with Nigeria, which brought back several memories. I then felt a longing for my childhood all over again.
WT: Do you have any shared recreational interests with your father?
Gowon: I play a lot of sport. It’s saddening that my golf is not even as good as my father’s, so I definitely cannot challenge him. I’d be humiliated. That’s a sport I miss playing with him. We did enjoy football together and I recall dad trying to get me to use both feet: he succeeded in changing me from being a right-footer to a left-footer.
WT: Did he ever push you in the direction of a career in the army?
Gowon: No, he never did. He’s one of those parents who believe that as long as you’re doing something well, then it doesn’t matter what it is you choose to do. I went ahead with my choice of career, learned my own rules without being pushed. Always guided, but never pushed. But I did toy with the idea, but here I am now with my chosen career as a private sector development consultant.
WT: Was your father a military officer at home, too?
Gowon: No, he wasn’t. Military men have a particular bearing and it doesn’t matter what part of the world they are in, you can spot them from a mile away. But he was not a soldier in the house. He was a husband and dad at home. He would pick you up, put you on his shoulders, have fun with you, read books to you, et cetera. He was a disciplinarian and I’m glad of that today. Many have lost their moral compass, and it stems from a lack of discipline.
WT: Was there any time you felt under the shadow of a great man?
Gowon: I think that has always been the case. I think anybody that is in that position would always feel that way. That’s what you try to avoid when you go to seek your own path. You don’t try to follow in their footsteps, because that way you are forever going to be judged by their own standards. At least when I look back, he was 32 when he became head of state, so that’s a mountain to climb in itself. In that aspect, I will continue to be in his shadow.
WT: What’s his favourite colour and food?
Gowon: I would say red, because he is a sports man and he is a Manchester United fan. That’s such a shame because I’m an Arsenal fan.
As for food, I know he likes rice, eba and tuwo. So it’s slightly difficult to pin down his exact favourite.
WT: When you were growing up, what was your father’s favourite phrase?
Gowon: One that always kept me on my toes is: ‘Ka yi hankali fa’. It means ‘be careful’ in Hausa and I got that from him anytime I was naughty. He has several solid values and I learnt by watching him diligently and he moulded me into who and what I am today.
WT: You’re also a father. What core values of your dad’s are you currently transferring to her?
Gowon: I think with my dad, it was actually difficult to see the impact directly. What I saw was how he was with my younger sisters. He was always around them, so I try as much to be around my daughter as much as possible. Obviously being here is slightly more difficult, as she’s in the United Kingdom. But when I’m there, I try to spend as much time as possible with her.
WT: When did you leave for the UK and how long have you been staying there?
Gowon: We left in 1975 and have pretty much have been there since. We do come back every now and then and now that I’m working in Nigeria, I dash to the U.K every month or so.
WT: What’s one misconception you think society has about your father?
Gowon: I can actually say it’s something related to the Civil War. There’s the misconception that he was the aggressor and that he started the war. History gets rewritten from many angles, and it shouldn’t be like that. It should be understood that he did not want any form of conflict and went out with the aim of trying to maintain the nation’s unity. Unfortunately, a terrible war broke out.
WT: What’s your dad’s favourite TV show?
Gowon: It would be anything that has to do with current affairs.  
WT: If Hollywood was to do a movie about your dad, who do you think would play him?
Gowon: It would have to be Idris Elba (laughter).