Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that he has always admired former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon.

He compared Gowon to the late British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, whom he described as an unsung hero.

The politician noted that Churchill was initially overlooked but eventually received recognition with a “Man of the Century” award towards the end of his life.

He said that only few leaders are celebrated during their life time and Gowon is one of them.

Obasanjo stated this during the opening ceremony of a four-day International Conference of the African Biblical Leadership Initiative, held in Abuja.

He said, “Only a few leaders are appreciated in their lifetime. General (Gowon), I envy you because you are appreciated while still alive. That, too, is the grace of God in your life. You are like Winston Churchill. He fought in the night, on the sea, and for the British Empire. In the end, he was unrecognised, called a warmonger, and even voted out of Parliament.

“Yet, before he died, he was named ‘Man of the Century’ and appreciated.”

Obasanjo continued, “Many leaders may not be appreciated, including our Lord Jesus Christ and almost all his disciples. Many of them died in ways unbefitting of a leader. So, if a leader expects praise, adoration, or admiration from people, he will be sorely disappointed. But God takes care of leaders. Experts say there are 58 wars in the world today, with 92 countries involved, either directly or indirectly. That is half of the countries in the world. Yet, they say there is no Third World War. So what do we do?”