I Remember At Age Of 8,General Gowon Would Send Hand Written Letter To Yusuf Signed Uncle Joe-Sanusi

I Remember At Age Of 8,General Gowon Would Send Hand Written Letter To Yusuf Signed Uncle Joe-Sanusi

By: Our Reporter

The 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has recounted a touching childhood memory about former Nigerian Head of State Yakubu Gowon, portraying him as a compassionate leader who extended personal support to the family of a military officer killed during the 1966 coup.

Speaking during an interview on Signature TV, Sanusi reflected on his early years at St Anne’s Secondary School in Kaduna, where he attended school alongside Yusuf Pam, the son of the late Colonel Joseph Pam, one of the victims of the January 1966 Nigerian coup.

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria recalled that despite the demands of national leadership, Gowon took a personal interest in the wellbeing of Yusuf following the loss of his father. According to Sanusi, the former Head of State frequently sent handwritten letters to the young boy, signing them “Uncle Joe.”

“What I remember at the age of eight was that General Gowon, as Head of State, would send a handwritten letter to Yusuf signed ‘Uncle Joe.’ That is a window into the person you are dealing with,” Sanusi said.

The Emir noted that the gesture has remained vivid in his memory over the years because it revealed a caring and humane side of leadership during one of the most turbulent periods in Nigeria’s history. He suggested that Gowon’s actions reflected empathy and a sense of responsibility toward families affected by the political upheaval of the time.

Colonel Pam was among several prominent figures who lost their lives during the 1966 coup, a pivotal event that reshaped Nigeria’s political landscape and contributed to years of instability and conflict that followed.

I Remember At Age Of 8,General Gowon Would Send Hand Written Letter To Yusuf Signed Uncle Joe-Sanusi