History
1975 COUP: Why Joe Garba announced Gowon’s ouster
On July 29, 1975, some young Army officers staged a coup against General Yakubu Gowon’s military government, this month, on 29th July 2020, the coup will be 45 years after, but the success of the Nigerian military coups is mostly attributed to the person who announced it through the Radio.
Nigerian Tracker takes a look at how young Nigerian Army officers drafted Colonel Joe Nanven Garba to announce Nigeria’s first bloodless military coup that took place on July 29, 1975.
Colonel Joe Nanven Garba was among top military officers who are guarding the Head of state General Yakubu Gowon, he led the elitist Brigades of Guard, and Brigades of Guard are troops of soldiers who are responsible in protecting Nigeria’s seat of power whether during the military or civilian administrations.
Joe Garba
Colonel Joe Garba as the commandant Brigade of Guards must or may have the confidence of the Head f military government General Yakubu Gowon.
The military use to deploy some tactics before successfully executing a very sensitive matter like coup making by way of putting their lives at risk.
Even if a coup is executed there is the need for them to go through the Radio and announced it so that the plan is successfully carried out.
As the event of July 29 1975 continued to unfold, Young Army officers who then wanted to change General Yakubu Gowon after reneging on his promise to hand over power to civilians on 1st October 1974 prompted the military coup that brought General Murtala Muhammad to power.
So the risk of getting to Radio station to announce the change of Government is a very serious business, so the trio of Lieutenant –Colonel Shehu Musa Yardua, Colonel Abdul Muhammad and Joe Garba himself decided that for the coup to have acceptance, lets Joe Garba go over Radio Nigeria in Lagos and make the announcement.
53 years after Creating States: The Challenges(Opens in a new browser tab)
Analysts say the reason behind drafting Colonel Joe Nanven Garba and commandant Brigade of Guards is for the coup to be sealed and cemented on the side of General Yakubu Gowon.
Another reason was that Garba as General Yakubu Gowon’s kinsman and his commandant Brigade of Guards will not be expected to partake in the coup that will bring General Yakubu down.
The July 29, 1975, coup that ousts Gowon from power was among coups that were popular among Nigerians because after Nigeria’s civil war, Gowon’s three Rs of rehabilitation reconstruction was almost finished, what Nigerians are waiting from the young soft-spoken General was to fulfill his promise and hand-over power to civilians.
So on his downfall on the 9th anniversary of a coup that brought General Yakubu Gowon to power the scenario surprised Nigerians to the core.
Like Joe Garba another prominent Nigerian that made a name in storming radio stations was former Head of state late General Sani Abacha, he was the one who announced President Shagari’s overthrow, that of General Muhammad Buhari and also announced himself taking over from Chief Ernest Shonekan.
Major General Joe Nanven Garba was retired by President Shehu Shagari as Major General and died in the year 2001 in Abuja.
He was a student of a prominent sir Ahmadu Bello ally and a great Northern Nigerian Ambassador Yahaya Kwande.