GOWON, General (Dr.) Yakubu (rtd.)(GCFR)

1963; Lieutenant-Colonel, 1963; Adjutant- General, Nigerian Army, 1963-65; Chief of Staff, Nigerian Army, 1966; member, Fed eral Executive Council and Supreme Mili tary Council, 1966; Head of Federal Mili tary Government and Commander-in-Chief ofthe Armed Forces, 1966-75; Major-Gen eral, 1967; General, 1971; Chairman, Organisation of Africa Unity, 1973-74; cofounder, ECOWAS (with General Eyadema of Togo and full cooperation of all the lead ers of West African countries), 1975;deposed by military coup d'etat while in Kampala attending the Organistion of African Unity summit meeting, 1975; exile in the United Kingdom, 1975-81; returned to the country in 1983; founder, The Yakubu Gowon Cen tre for Development Studies, Jos; Visiting Professor, Political Science, University of Jos, Plateau State; Chairman, Base Devel opments Limited, Kano, Kano State; Chair man, Commonwealth Human Ecology Foun dation, London; chairman, Industrial and General Insurance Company Limited; Chair man, National Oil Chemical and Marketing Company; Chairman, Sarafoam; Initiator, Nigeria Prays', 1997-Date; Political Party: Member/Presidentialaspirant, defunct Social Democratic Party; Traditional Title: Aare Ajagunla Ife; National Honour: Officer of the Federal Republic; Grand Commander of the Federal, 1996; Foreign Decorations: Highest national honours byAlgeria, Repub lic of Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Central Afri can Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, TheGambia , Guinea, Kenya. Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal. Somalia, Sudan, Togo and Zaire (Congo); Honorary Degrees/ Awards: Doctor of Laws, University of Ibadan; Doctor of Laws, Ahmadu BcllctUniversity, Zaria: Doctorof Laws, University of Lagos; Doctor of Laws, University of Ife; Doctor of Laws, Rivers State University for Science and Technology, Port Harcourt; Doctor of Laws, Shaw University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; D.GH, University of Cambridge, England, 1975; Doctor of Sci ence, University of Benin, Edo State; Doctor of Letters, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State; Hobbies: Hockey, squash, ten uis, photography, guematography, pen-draw- :ng;Official Address: Yakubu Gowon Cen- ,re for National Unity and International Copcrajion, Abuja; Tel/Fax: 01 -264-51771, 19-314-4158; Telephone: 09-314-0613; 114-6043; E-mail: [email protected]. Or: 1, Luggard Road, P.M.B. 2718, Jos; Telephone: 073-461814; Home: 11, Nasarawa Road. GRA, Jos, Plateau State.