General Yakubu ‘Jack’ Gowon at 85

In the tumultuous and chequered history of the Nigerian nation, the name of General Yakubu ‘Jack’ Gowon, head of state and commander-in-chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, from August 1 1966 to July 29, 1975, serves as a reference point in our quest for national unity and reconciliation especially after the fratricidal civil war of 1967 to 1970.