Fifty years of Gowon’s overthrow(6), by Eric Teniola

From last week, continues the narrative of General Yakubu Gowon’s many achievements before his overthrow on July 30, 1975. Of particular reference is the establishment of many companies with significant Federal Government shareholdings. Unfortunately only few of these companies are still operating or existing today.  

In the domestic front, there were bodies like the National Bank for Commerce and Industry established on April 2, 1973; the National Insurance Cooperation of Nigeria established on July 1, 1969; the National Oil Corporation, now  NNPC established on April 1, 1971; the Nigerian Standard Organisation established on December 1, 1971; the Industrial Research Council of Nigeria established in June 1971; the Nigerians Enterprises  Promotion Board established February 22, 1972; and the Nigerian National Supply Limited established in January 1972. These are some of the initiatives established by General Yakubu Gowon.

Mention must be made of the Indigenisation Decree promulgated in December 1972 by General Gowon. By December 1974, the Capital Issues Commission had fixed prices for the ordinary shares of 24 companies. Ordinary shares totaling 54,051, 000 were transferred to Nigerians—13 companies in the manufacturing sector transferred 18,8331,000 ordinary shares: eight commercial companies transferred 31,987,000, while three services companies transferred 3,233,000 ordinary shares. 

However, the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, scheme was established by General Gowon on May 22, 1973 under Decree Number 24. The concept of the National Youth Service Corps was first broached in the Second Four-Year Development Plan, in which it was announced that the Federal Military Government planned to establish a youth corps organisation during the period covered by the Plan.

General Gowon, subsequently, announced in the course of his broadcast to the nation on the occasion of the 12th Independence Anniversary Celebration on October 1, 1972, that the proposed NYSC was meant “to transcend political, social, state and ethnic loyalties and to form the basis of fostering loyalty to the nation”. At the various university convocations, he disclosed that a lot of work had already been done on the project and invited the public, the students and university lecturers for discussions and suggestions on the scheme. 

The facts having been collected, the FMG subsequently announced that the scheme would begin at the end of the 1972/1973 academic session. The NYSC was thus created by Decree No. 24 of May 22, 1973 and launched by General Yakubu Gowon, on June 4, 1973, at the first meeting of the Directorate of the NYSC. 

The objectives of the NYSC include: to inculcate discipline in Nigerian youths by instilling in them a tradition of industry at work and of patriotic and loyal service to the nation in any situation they may find themselves; to raise their moral tone by giving them the opportunity to learn about higher ideals of national achievement and social and cultural improvement; to develop in them attitudes of mind acquired through shared experience and suitable training, which will make them more amenable to mobilisation in the national interest and to develop common ties among them and promote national unity.

Others are to encourage members of the services corps to seek, at the end of their corps service, career employment all over the country, thus promoting the free movement of labour, to induce employers partly through their experience with members of the Service Corps, to employ more readily qualified Nigerians irrespective of their States of Origin: and to enable Nigerian youths to acquire the spirit of self-reliance.

Under the decree, any Nigerian who is up to the age of 30 years, and who, at the end of the academic year, unless exempted under section 15 of the decree, has successfully completed his or her first degree at any university in Nigeria, shall be liable to be called upon to serve in the Service Corps. 

But graduates who have exceed the prescribed age may volunteer for service. 

To be concluded 

•Teniola, a former director at the Presidency, wrote from Lagos.

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