‘It’s rubbish’ — Gowon reacts to accusation of looting half of central bank

 

Aformer military Head of State, retired General Yakubu Gowon has described the allegations levelled against him by a United Kingdom parliament member, Tom Tugendhat that he stole half of Nigeria’s money stocked in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) during his regime as “mere rubbish fallacy”.

 

General Gowon, who told the BBC News Pidgin that he served Nigeria with utmost fear of God adding that his legacies were visible to everyone.

 

“What the MP said was just mere ridicule and I don’t know as to where he cooked up such statement. I served Nigeria as much as I could and my achievements during those years are available to everyone,” he said.

 

He, however, promised not to engage in any form of argument over the matter as people who knew him very well would speak in his defence.

 

“I don’t want to talk over the matter since those who know me very well say that the MP’s statement is nothing but a mere fallacy,” he added.

 

On Tuesday, British MPs passed a vote for UK’s government to sanction some Nigerian government officials were involved in brutalising EndSARS protesters.

 

While debating, Mr Tugendhat alleged that bribery and corruption were the causes of Nigeria’s underdevelopment, citing an example that Gen. Gowon stole more than half of country’s worth in its central bank and stashed the sum in London when he was toppled.

 

Gen. Gowon ruled Nigeria from 1966 to 1975 before his government was overthrown while he was away from Nigeria.

 

He was directly flown to the United Kingdom and enrolled in a studentship at Warwick University