Gowon, contested allegiances and the duty of remembering - Businessday NG

A disclosure first: I have not yet read General Yakubu Gowon's newly published memoir, My Life of Duty and Allegiance. The reflection that follows is drawn from the public presentation of the book in Abuja on 19 May 2026, from Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah's review, and from available press reporting. I write, therefore, as an analyst of the book’s moment, its framing, and, above all, its title.

At 92, General Yakubu Gowon has finally spoken at book-length. My Life of Duty and Allegiance, launched in Abuja before a Grade A gathering of former

A disclosure first: I have not yet read General Yakubu Gowon's newly published memoir, My Life of Duty and Allegiance. The reflection that follows is drawn from the public presentation of the book in Abuja on 19 May 2026, from Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah's review, and from available press reporting. I write, therefore, as an analyst of the book’s moment, its framing, and, above all, its title.

At 92, General Yakubu Gowon has finally spoken at book-length. My Life of Duty and Allegiance, launched in Abuja before a Grade A gathering of former