Former federal permanent secretary and elder statesman, Philip Asiodu has disclosed that he was removed from Nigeria’s oil sector immediately after the overthrow of former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, in the 1975 military coup that brought Murtala Muhammed to power.
Asiodu made the revelation during an interview on The Legacy Series while reflecting on the political changes and administrative reshuffling that followed the transition from Gowon’s administration to the new military government led by Murtala Muhammed.
According to him, the new leadership insisted that he should no longer oversee matters relating to the oil sector, despite his previous involvement in managing one of Nigeria’s most strategic economic resources during the Gowon era.
“As soon as they did the coup against Gowon, he insisted I must leave oil,” Asiodu said during the interview.
He explained that after his removal from oil-related responsibilities, he was reassigned to another government ministry under the new administration.
“So they moved me to what they call Ministry of Housing and Environment,” he added.
The July 1975 coup marked a major turning point in Nigeria’s political history. Gowon, who had ruled Nigeria since 1966, was removed from office while attending an international summit in Uganda. The new administration under Murtala Muhammed later embarked on reforms within the military, civil service and other sectors of government…….See More
Leave a Reply