Former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the Board of the National Credit Guarantee Company Limited (NCGC), Yakubu Dogara, has paid a heartfelt tribute to Nigeria’s former Head of State, General Yakubu Dan-Yumma Gowon,on his 91st birthday, describing him as a father figure, a man of peace, and a living testimony of divine grace.

Dogara said General Gowon’s life tells the story of humility in power and grace in leadership — a rare combination that defines greatness.

According to him, Nigeria has been blessed with many leaders, but very few have carried the weight of responsibility and history with such quiet dignity as General Gowon.

“General Gowon’s life is a sermon in humility, forgiveness, and faith,” Dogara said in a statement. “He led this nation through one of its most difficult moments and came out not with bitterness, but with a heart full of compassion and a hand stretched toward reconciliation.”

The former Speaker noted that Gowon’s vision of Reconciliation, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation after the civil war remains one of the most profound expressions of leadership ever demonstrated in Africa.

He added that even decades after leaving office, General Gowon has continued to live for God and for Nigeria through the Nigeria Prays movement, mentoring leaders and inspiring unity through prayer and example.

“While others retire into silence, General Gowon has remained a voice of conscience — gentle but firm, humble yet powerful in influence,” Dogara stated. “He has shown that moral strength and spiritual conviction can rebuild what politics alone cannot.”

Dogara described the former Head of State as a bridge between generations, a man whose wisdom transcends politics, and whose name evokes peace and stability wherever it is mentioned.

“At 91, General Gowon stands as one of the last living architects of our unity — a father to the nation and a reminder that integrity still has a place in public life,” Dogara said. “His life continues to call us back to the values that make nations great: honesty, humility, and love for one another.”

He prayed that God would preserve the elder statesman in health and peace, granting him many more years of strength and grace to continue being a source of moral light to the nation.

“As we celebrate this milestone,” Dogara concluded, “we do not only honour a man; we celebrate an institution, a life that has blessed a generation and continues to shape our collective conscience as a people.”