Former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, once had a land allocation in Abuja revoked during the tenure of Nasir El-Rufai as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, according to Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah.
Kukah made the disclosure in Abuja while speaking at the review of Gowon’s autobiography titled My Life of Duty and Allegiance. He explained that Gowon returned from exile in the United Kingdom without owning any property in Abuja and only received a plot of land through the efforts of senior military officers, including former military president, Ibrahim Babangida.
According to Kukah, the land was allocated after a street in Abuja was named after Gowon. He said the former military leader had already started developing the property before the allocation was later revoked during El-Rufai’s time as FCT minister.
The bishop added that retired General Theophilus Danjuma and other influential individuals later intervened, helping Gowon recover the property.
Speaking further about the autobiography, Kukah described it as a detailed reflection on Nigeria’s political history, military coups, exile, governance and personal experiences. He revealed that many of Gowon’s personal archives were destroyed in separate fire incidents, forcing the former leader to depend largely on memory while writing the nearly 900-page memoir.
Kukah also highlighted parts of the book that discussed Gowon’s close relationship with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whom Gowon reportedly described as someone he trusted deeply.
The cleric praised Gowon’s wife, Victoria Gowon, for supporting the family during their difficult years in exile in the United Kingdom. He revealed that she sustained the family financially by sewing bed sheets and making pillows for sale while Gowon struggled to secure work and basic services abroad.
