Former President Goodluck Jonathan has asserted that true leadership is ultimately revealed during periods of severe crisis rather than stable times.
Jonathan made the remarks while reflecting on how a young General Yakubu Gowon steered Nigeria through a devastating civil war.
He praised Gowon’s commitment to national unity, specifically highlighting his famous postwar declaration of “No victor, no vanquished.”
“That philosophy laid the foundation for healing, reconstruction and reintegration,” Jonathan stated regarding the post-civil war era.
According to Jonathan, the former head of state will be remembered for his enduring policies and major infrastructural developments.
He singled out the National Youth Service Corps, established in 1973, as one of Gowon’s most significant national legacies.
“The NYSC was created to reorient young Nigerians and foster national unity by enabling them to live and work in different parts of the country,” Jonathan explained.
He added, “Although we have not fully achieved that vision, because some politicians still speak as though Nigeria were in the pre-1914 era, the initiative was a bold and far-sighted policy.”
