Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), has revealed that Mrs Efuntiloye Williams, wife of Mr Akintola Williams, doyen of Nigeria’s accounting profession, personally tutored his wife, Victoria, on etiquette, British customs, home management, and international protocol to prepare her for the demands of the office of First Lady.
Gowon also disclosed that, before the tutoring, his personal aides had, without the knowledge of Victoria’s father, secretly concluded arrangements to enrol her in a finishing school in London.
He said the discovery led to an angry confrontation with his future father-in-law and Principal Secretary, Hamza Ahmadu, who accused the Head of State of disrespecting him.
The revelations are contained in Chapter 17 of Gowon’s 859-page autobiography, My Life of Duty and Allegiance, titled War’s Raging; Gowon’s Marrying, obtained by our correspondent at the book’s launch in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to the book, once Gowon’s personal aides correctly gauged that he had settled for Victoria, they moved decisively and independently to prepare her for the role ahead.
