General Yakubu Gowon, a former military head of state, has spoken about the crucial role played by Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar’s father, late Sultan Siddiq Abubakar, in maintaining peace after the first military coup in Nigeria on January 15, 1966.
In a video shared by Symfoni TV from 2:00, Gowon said after the coup, Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi who took over as the Head of State invited Sultan Siddiq to Lagos to help ease tensions. He said the Sultan’s influence and actions during that time were instrumental in stopping any major reaction that could have led to more violence or even the complete collapse of the country.
In Gowon’s words: “Your royal highness Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar the third. He is the third, I know the first. That first (Siddiq Abubakar) was a special man who ensured that we must have peace. After the first insurrection in this country, he came and pleaded for peace so that there is no reaction. I wonder what could have happened if things had gone differently, but for that man. When General Ironsi invited him to come to Lagos after what happened on January 15th, 1966 and what he did certainly saved the country from totally breaking up at that time. So I give him that respect”