First, I cannot tell you how delighted I am to be here, at this august gathering, in the midst of the leading and guiding lights of our nation, in honour of a most distinguished diplomat, Ambassador Oladapo Fafowora, who is enriching our public discourse with the release of his memoirs.
He calls his book, Lest I Forget: Memoirs of a Nigerian Career Diplomat. But I call it a rare enrichment of our essence as Nigerians, with our collective institutional memory, courtesy of a career ambassador that worked very hard to the glory of his country, but that left the service not in the best of circumstances.
Despite that however, the ambassador has not ceased being Nigerian – as we all are, and a patriotic one at that, despite the challenges we face as a nation. He has not also ceased working hard to make our country better, as all patriots would do. But more on the author presently.
Right now, I would like to salute the fathers of our nation, present or represented here. On that platform proudly stands HE. Gen. Yakubu Gowon, GCFR, former Head of State and Commander-in-Chief; who most appropriately is chairman of this very important event.
Make no mistake, ladies and gentlemen: the Nigerian Civil War was unfortunate; and everyone was a victim of that war. For that we should accept the mutual sympathy and apologies of one another. But if there is one personality that history would record to have tried all efforts to keep Nigeria, our dear country as one, that person would be Gen. Gowon here. I still remember that famous acronym, in the heat of that unfortunate war: Go On With One Nigeria (GOWON). Your Excellency, thank you for guaranteeing that after all the destructive passion of the war years, we all are still gathered here – and proudly so – as Nigerians!
Even as a young man in power, Your Excellency, I remember you being quoted that the future belonged to the youth: that you did not fear the people who were older than you – you already knew what%2
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