A Gomwalk
A review of “J. D. Gomwalk: A Man of Vision” by Anthony Goyol
Goyol, Anthony. J. D. Gomwalk: A Man of Vision. Jos-Plateau State, LECAPS Publishers, 1996.
The Plateau State Secretariat Complex, located in Jos, bears this tag in bold fonts: JOSEPH GOMWALK SECRETARIAT. There is a Joseph Gomwalk street in Jos and several other edifices, including The Nigeria Standard building and Joseph Gomwalk House (a nine-storey building), bearing this name—if not written, encoded in their history. I have seen the state secretariat before and the inscription, but it didn’t mean much to me until I read this biographical account of the person behind the name. It was a cumulative 13 hours reading experience filled with intrigue and delight, insight, wisdom and information; and a little despair. Many thanks to Chief Anthony Goyol for taking the painstaking effort to commit to textual memory the lifetime of one model son of the Middle Belt region of Nigeria.
The closing paragraph of the book reads:
“People of vision lay their lives on the line for the cause they believe in. . . . The worth of a great man is in his vision and the extent to which his vision survives the test of time. History has therefore confirmed J. D. Gomwalk as a man of vision” (pg. 323).
When I picked this book, I first questioned what it means for one to be called “a man of vision”. The quote just before this paragraph helped sum it up in one word: “Selfless”. A man of vision is someone who thinks less of himself and acts accordingly, more for the benefit of the people his decisions and actions will impact. The accounts across these pages support the description—and subtitle—adopted by Chief Goyol in rendering the account of this phenomenal fellow who was lived here since 1935.
Joseph Dechi Gomwalk was the tenth child of Rebecca and Pa Dechi Samuila, who was one time an evangelist. Gomwalk was born on 13 April 1935. In 1943, eight years old at the time, he was enrolled at a missionary school run by the Sudan United Mission. He spent three years at the SUM Elementary School in Amper and completed his programme there in 1946. He will later be enrolled at the Gindiri Middle School (currently known as Boys Secondary School, Gindiri). He was appointed Headboy of the school—the first. In 1954, He won the award for Best Student of the Year in Northern Nigeria, which earned him and students from other African countries a sponsored educational trip to England. He and fifteen others were members of the first graduating class of BSS, Gindiri in 1955. ‘His school scored 100% in the WAEC Examinations that year.’ Indeed a ‘high standard set by the pioneer students.’ In 1956, he was given admission at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria for a two-year course in the sciences. During that period the Boys’ High School Old Students Association was formed in 1957, appointing J. D. Gomwalk as its first president; this association evolved into Gindiri Old Students’ Association (GOSA) in 1967 and remains so to date. In 1958, he was given admission by the University of Ibadan to study Zoology, with specialised training in Parasitology. His education at the university was funded by the Northern Nigerian Government scholarship of which he was a beneficiary. ‘Joseph Gomwalk graduated from the University of Ibadan in 1961 with first-class Honours (B.Sc.) in Zoology, specialising in Parasitology.’ Given his outstanding performance, ‘the then Northern Nigerian Government offered him an appointment with the Ministry of Animal and Forest Resources as an entomologist.’ He resumed service on 20 June 1961.
The Nigeria Police Force had Gomwalk and Selcan Miner added to their number in 1966 following the appeal by the Northern Nigerian Government to have adequate representation in the force. Two men from each of the thirteen provinces of the Northern Government were demanded to meet that request. Gomwalk and Miner were the men ‘to fill the quota of Plateau Province in the Police Force.’
Joseph Dechi Gomwalk was the first black Divisional Officer for Mambilla Plateau. He was behind the construction of the road which links Gembu of Mambilla Plateau to the rest of Nigeria today.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria was divided into twelve states on 27 May 1967. Lieutenant-Colonel Yakubu Gowon made the announcement as the Head of State at the time. The record shows that Joseph Gomwalk and Jwamkur Gonji made the recommendation for the merging of Benue and Plateau Provinces which eventually became Benue-Plateau State, one of the twelve states created in 1967. In the same year, Military Governors were appointed to the twelve states created; Gomwalk was appointed Military Governor of Benue-Plateau State.
Benue-Plateau State comprised diverse ethnic groups. One significant issue Gomwalk had to tackle first was the tendency for sectionalism to prevail against meaningful progress and collective development in the state. He took decisive steps to nip that threat in the bud: (a) Administrative structures were formally given tribal names; he renamed the structures after the divisional headquarters to which the tribes belonged (b) All twelve divisions in the state had representatives in government offices (c) Divisional Officers were posted to serve in Divisions other than theirs. Other such actions can be marked across his eight years of service to the State.
Economic independence was part of his major concerns for the state. The establishment of the Benue-Plateau Marketing Board is of great significance here. He did ‘not see any sense . . . in being a member of the Marketing Board that would sit in Kaduna and decide for a Tiv farmer in Gboko how much he should sell his farm produce.’ He met opposition but was not deterred. This was complemented by road constructions which were targeted at aiding farmers’ transportation of their produce.
Education, across all levels, had Governor Gomwalk’s utmost commitment. For example, the workforce in the state civil service was regularly enrolled on courses to ensure effectiveness in their service to the state. The number of primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions of learning increased on a yearly basis. The general education of the populace was also taken into consideration by the creation of home economics, health and sanitary education programmes for the general public. The University of Jos—which began as the Jos Campus of the University of Ibadan—bears the imprint of Gomwalk’s government. Before the establishment of the Jos Campus of the University of Ibadan, the Benue-Plateau State had written to the Ahmadu Bello University in 1969 to explore ‘the possibility of setting up a centre specialising in African History and Culture in Jos.’ The University of Ibadan, Jos Campus was opened officially on 11 March 1972 with 82 students (32 females and 57 males) and Professor E. A. Ayandele from Ibadan as the Acting Principal. The Jos Campus of the University of Ibadan became autonomous in October 1975 with Professor Gilbert Onuaguluchi as the first Vice-Chancellor.
‘In October 1948, the present University of Ibadan opened its doors as a college of the University of London’ (pg. 132).
Communication is vital to governance and administration. It mattered that the very least of the project undertaken by his government was clearly communicated to every member of the state. This attitude led to the creation and establishment of the sixth oldest newspaper in Nigeria, The Nigeria Standard, in 1972 and the Benue-Plateau Television in 1974 which became NTA Jos in 1977 when it was taken over by the Federal Government. ‘The governor saw it as a means through which ideas and news could be disseminated and the culture of the various ethnic groups projected. The purpose was to foster the much-desired unity through eradicating ignorance and to prevent misunderstanding among the various ethnic groups in the state’ (pg. 154).
There was a Jos City Bus Service during his term. He established the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB) which is to ensure organised and controlled development of the capital city of the state, Jos.
Other monumental edifices in Jos bear the imprint of this one-of-a-kind leader in Nigeria’s history, including the Central Bank Branch, Jos Plaza Hotel, Abattoir, Government College, etc. A curious traveller, most of these edifices, especially the Plateau State Secretariat Complex are benefits of ‘Governor Gomwalk’s tours to Europe.’
How about his actions during the Nigerian civil war? He ensured the properties of the Igbo residents in the state were safeguarded for their reclamation by the rightful owners after the war and also ensured certain costs were paid accordingly.
His life ended on 15 May 1976, when alongside six others, including Lieutenant-Colonel Bukar Suwa Dimka was sentenced to death by a military tribunal following a series of coups, on 31 July 1975, and two others on 13 February 1976. The details of the event are too broad to cite.
A portion of his interview with New Nigerian in 1970 merits mention; of a relevant take up to this day:
“What we now need in the country are people who have acquired enough experience and are prepared to use it in the service of the nation.”
J. D. Gomwalk should be studied—by every public servant, every governor of Plateau State, and every other Nigerian leader. He deserves mention in our history books. We need more narratives of people like this to foster national development.
WHAT MORE AREAS DO YOU WISH WERE MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE? Kindly share your thoughts in the comment box.
Thank you for reading, jolly good Fellow.
Great insight on JD Gomwalk
Of course, Nigerians won't forget J.D. Gomwalk in a hurry. Nigerians can't forget his prominence during the Yakubu Gowon regime. Nigerians won't forget his achievements. But this book gives more achievements than we ever knew, more projects than we ever knew, more information than we ever knew, and thanks for reviewing a book about a man we cannot afford to forget in a hurry.