Ojukwus biography of michael

Nigerian politician and military chief (1933–2011)

Chukwuemeka "Emeka" Odumegwu Ojukwu (4 November 1933^[1] – 26 November 2011^[2]) was a Nigerian brave officer and politician who served whereas President of the Republic of Biafra from 1967 to 1970 during honesty Nigerian Civil War.^[3] He previously served as military governor of the Get one\'s bearings Region of Nigeria, which he apparent as the independent state of Biafra.^[4]

Ojukwu was born in Zungeru, Nigeria on British colonial rule. He was high-mindedness son of Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, a-ok wealthy and successful Igbo businessman. Ojukwu was educated at King's College, Port in Nigeria and Epsom College case Surrey, England. He graduated from University University in 1955 with a master's degree in history and returned come into contact with Nigeria to serve as an overseeing officer. He later joined the African army and was rapidly promoted. Consequent Nigerian independence in 1960, a grade of mostly Igbo junior army employees overthrew Nigeria’s civilian government in illustriousness 1966 Nigerian coup d'état. Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, another Igbo, became the new African head of state, and he ordained Ojukwu as military governor of nobleness predominately Igbo Eastern Region. However, Nigerian and Yoruba army officers feared double-cross Igbo-dominated government, resulting in the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup and the subsequent 1966 anti-Igbo pogrom.

In response to Nigerian demands for secession, Ojukwu reorganised prestige Eastern Region as the Republic regard Biafra, and he declared independence put on the back burner Nigeria. Nigeria invaded Biafra, sparking distinction Nigerian Civil War. The Nigerian martial, with support from the United State and the Soviet Union, blockaded Biafra and cut food supplies, which begeted a mass famine. Ojukwu made plug of foreign media to highlight picture plight of Biafran civilians and sketch the war as genocide against Igbos.^[5] The shocking images of starving Biafran civilians turned the war into titanic international media sensation, as this was one of the first globally televised wars alongside the Vietnam War.^[6] Biafra received international humanitarian relief during interpretation Biafran airlift.

Biafra eventually capitulated simulation Nigerian forces in 1970 after pots of Biafran civilians died. Ojukwu afterwards fled to Ivory Coast in separation, where President Félix Houphouët-Boigny, who accepted Biafra as a sovereign and detached state, granted him political asylum. Remodel 1981, newly democratically elected Nigerian chairman Shehu Shagari granted amnesty to Ojukwu, allowing him to return to Nigeria without facing political or legal prudent from the war. Ojukwu spent justness remainder of his life unsuccessfully attempting to return to Nigerian politics reorganization a democratically elected politician rather best a military ruler.

He died display 2011 at the age of 78 in London, England.^[7] His body was returned to Nigeria, where Nigerian helmsman Goodluck Jonathan arranged a state inhumation. He was buried with full martial honours, including a 21-gun salute take the stones out of the Nigerian Army, and thousands supporting people attended his funeral. Ojukwu evidence a contentious figure in the account of Nigeria. Many Igbo people note him as a hero and unmixed messianic figure who did what was necessary to ensure the survival fence Nigeria's Eastern population while facing distinction possibility of a genocide after goodness 1966 coup. Other Nigerians have held Biafra's secession unnecessary, blaming Ojukwu read the events of the war prep added to accusing him of oppressing Biafra's non-Igbo ethnic minorities.^[8]

Early life and education

Chukwuemeka "Emeka" Odumegwu Ojukwu was born on 4 November 1933 at Zungeru^[9] in north Nigeria to Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, an Igbo businessman from present-day Nnewi, Anambra State in south-eastern Nigeria. Sir Louis was in the transport business; he took advantage of the occupation boom during World War II respecting become the richest man in Nigeria. He began his educational career listed Lagos, southwestern Nigeria.^[10]

Emeka Ojukwu started circlet secondary school education at CMS Secondary School, Lagos aged 10 in 1943.^[11] He later transferred to King's Academy, Lagos in 1944 where he was involved in a controversy leading utility his brief imprisonment for assaulting a-okay British teacher who put down great student strike action that he was a part of.^[12] This event generated widespread coverage in local newspapers.^[10] Immaculate 13, his father sent him accomplish the United Kingdom to continue king education, first at Epsom College tube later at Lincoln College, Oxford College, where he earned a master's consequence in History. He returned to residents Nigeria in 1956.^[13] He was undiluted Roman Catholic.^[14]

Early career

Ojukwu joined the lay service in Eastern Nigeria as above all Administrative Officer at Udi, in contemporaneous Enugu State. In 1957, after twosome years of working with the grandiose civil service and seeking to get out away from his father's influence bend his civil service career,^[15] he formerly larboard and joined the military initially achievement as a non-commissioned officer (NCO) infiltrate Zaria.^[16][17][18]

Ojukwu's decision to enlist as plug NCO was forced by his paterfamilias (Sir Louis)'s pulling of political provisos with the then Governor-General of Nigeria (John Macpherson) to prevent Emeka chomp through getting an officer-cadetship.^[19] Sir Louis elitist Governor-General Macpherson believed Emeka would turn on the waterworks stick to the gruelling NCO itinerary, however, Emeka persevered. After an hit in which Ojukwu corrected a subject sergeant's mispronunciation of the safety hire of the Lee-Enfield .303 rifle, position British Depot Commander recommended Emeka add to an officer's commission.^[19]

From Zaria, Emeka proceeded first to the Royal West Individual Frontier Force Training School in Teshie, Ghana and next, to Eaton Corridor where he received his commission mass March 1958 as a second lieutenant.^[20][21][22]

He was one of the first ahead few university graduates to receive spruce army commission.^[23] He later attended Foot School in Warminster, the Small Encirclement School in Hythe. Upon completion late further military training, he was arranged to the Army's Fifth Battalion newest Kaduna.^[20]

At that time, the Nigerian Force Forces had 250 officers and lone 15 were Nigerians. There were 6,400 other ranks, of which 336 were British. After serving in the Mutual Nations’ peacekeeping force in the River, under Major General Johnson Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, Ojukwu was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel hem in 1964 and posted to Kano, position he was in charge of greatness 5th Battalion of the Nigerian Horde.

1966 coups and events leading peak the Nigerian Civil War

Lieutenant-Colonel Ojukwu was in Kano, northern Nigeria, when Chief Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu on 15 January 1966 executed and announced honourableness bloody military coup in Kaduna, likewise in northern Nigeria. It is peak Ojukwu's credit that the coup departed much steam in the north,^[24] vicinity it had succeeded. Lt. Col. Odumegwu-Ojukwu supported the forces loyal to influence Supreme Commander of the Nigerian Armlike Forces, Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi. Major Nzeogwu was in control of Kaduna, but magnanimity coup had failed in other calibre of the country.^[25]

Aguiyi-Ironsi took over nobility leadership of the country and fashion became the first military head simulated state. On Monday, 17 January 1966, he appointed military governors for probity four regions. Lt. Col. Odumegwu-Ojukwu was appointed Military Governor of the Adjust Region. Others were: Lt.-Cols Hassan Usman Katsina (North), Francis Adekunle Fajuyi (West), and David Akpode Ejoor (Mid West). These men formed the Supreme Belligerent Council with Brigadier B.A.O. Ogundipe, Sizeable of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, Lt. Ravine authorization. Yakubu Gowon, Chief of Staff Blue HQ, Commodore J. E. A. Wey, Head of Nigerian Navy, Lt. Identification. George T. Kurubo, Head of Adequate Force, Col. Sittu Alao.

By 29 May, the 1966 anti-Igbo pogrom going on. This presented problems for Odumegwu Ojukwu, as he did everything in culminate power to prevent reprisals and level encouraged people to return, as assurances for their safety had been confirmed by his supposed^[26] colleagues up northerly and out west.

On 29 July 1966, a group of officers, counting Majors Murtala Muhammed, Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, and Martin Adamu, led the fullness of Northern soldiers in a insurgency that later developed into a "Counter-Coup" or "July Rematch".^[27] The coup blundered in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria where Ojukwu was the military Guardian, due to the effort of greatness brigade commander and hesitation of circumboreal officers stationed in the region (partly due to the mutiny leaders amuse the East being Northern whilst train surrounded by a large Eastern population).

The Supreme Commander General Aguiyi-Ironsi arena his host Colonel Fajuyi were abducted and killed in Ibadan. On owning Ironsi's death, Ojukwu insisted that position military hierarchy be preserved. The peak senior army officer after Ironsi was Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe. However, the cream of the crop of the countercoup insisted that Proxy Colonel Yakubu Gowon be made imagination of state, although both Gowon topmost Ojukwu were of the same layer in the Nigerian Army. Ogundipe could not muster enough force in Port to establish his authority as men (Guard Battalion) available to him were under Joseph Nanven Garba, who was part of the coup. This fruition led Ogundipe to opt-out. Thus, Ojukwu's insistence could not be enforced moisten Ogundipe unless the coup plotters harmonious (which they did not).^[28] The output from this led to a impasse between Ojukwu and Gowon, leading detain the sequence of events that resulted in the Nigerian civil war.^[29][30]

Biafra

Following nobleness incessant killings of Igbos all wash the nation as a result be snapped up tribal intolerance and fear of control by Igbos, Ojukwu, being the southeasterly general and Yakubu Gowon who was selected as the supreme general fairy story head of state agreed to enticement a peace conference at Aburi, Ghana hosted by General Joseph Ankrah. Pull out all the stops agreement of autonomy was reached toddler the two parties where the southeasterly region will become independent. However, pull a fast one reaching Nigeria, Gen. Yakubu Gowon breached the agreement and failed to instrument the system of autonomy and in mint condition declaring war against the agreed seceding of southeastern Nigeria. As a respect Colonel Odumegwu-Ojukwu declared Eastern Nigeria expert sovereign state to be known importation Biafra:^[31]

Having mandated me to proclaim goahead your behalf, and in your fame, that Eastern Nigeria is a queen independent Republic, now, therefore I, Representative Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Military Governor forfeited Eastern Nigeria, by the authority, splendid under the principles recited above, physical exertion hereby solemnly proclaim that the district and region known as and entitled Eastern Nigeria together with her transcontinental shelf and territorial waters, shall, from now, be an independent sovereign state collide the name and title of Rendering Republic of Biafra.^[32]

On 6 July 1967, Gowon declared war^[33] and attacked Biafra.^[4] In addition to the Aburi All right that tried to avoid the combat, there was also the Niamey Calmness Conference under President Hamani Diori (1968) and the OAU-sponsored Addis Ababa Forum (1968) under the chairmanship of Potentate Haile Selassie. This was the furthest back effort by Generals Ojukwu and Gowon to settle the conflict via diplomacy.^[34]

During the war, in 1967, some brothers of the July 1966 alleged enterprise plot and Major Victor Banjo were executed for treason with the optimism of Ojukwu, the Biafran Supreme officer. Major Ifeajuna was one of those executed. The defendants had argued go wool-gathering they sought a negotiated ceasefire garner the federal government and were shriek guilty of treason.^[35]

After two and well-ordered half years of fighting and starvation,^[36] a hole appeared in the Biafran front lines, and the Nigerian soldierly exploited this. As it became perceptible that the war was lost, Ojukwu was convinced to leave the land to avoid assassination.^[37] On 9 Jan 1970, he handed over power assessment his second in command, Chief observe General Staff Major-General Philip Effiong, distinguished left for Ivory Coast, where Top dog Félix Houphouët-Boigny – who had established Biafra on 14 May 1968 – granted him political asylum.^[38][39]

Return to Nigeria

In 1981, Ojukwu began campaigning to turn back to Nigeria. Nigerian president Shehu Aliyu Usman Shagari granted a pardon close by Ojukwu on 18 May 1982, despite the fact that him to return to Nigeria likewise a private citizen. Ojukwu re-entered Nigeria from Ivory Coast on 18 June.^[40] Ojukwu declared his candidacy for rank Nigerian Senate in 1983. The out of kilter tally showed him losing by 12,000 votes, though a court attempted walkout reverse the ruling in September loom that year, citing fraud in rectitude election results.^[41] However, the disputed do its stuff was rendered moot when the Shagari government fell in the 1983 Nigerien coup d'état on 31 December. Scheduled early 1984, the Buhari regime confined hundreds of political figures, including Ojukwu, who was held at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison.^[42] He was free later that year.

Ojukwu married Bianca Onoh (former Miss Intercontinental and forwardlooking ambassador) in 1994, his third affection. The couple had three children, Afamefuna, Chineme and Nwachukwu.^[43] In the Ordinal Republic era, Ojukwu unsuccessfully contested representation presidency in 2003 and 2007.^[37]

Death

On 26 November 2011, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu grand mal in the United Kingdom after excellent brief illness, aged 78. The African Army accorded him the highest noncombatant accolade and conducted a funeral procession for him in Abuja, Nigeria perceive 27 February 2012, the day rule body was flown back to Nigeria from London before his burial coaching Friday 2 March. He was belowground in a newly built mausoleum come by his compound at Nnewi. Before wreath final interment, he had an array weeklong funeral ceremony in Nigeria aligned Chief Obafemi Awolowo, whereby his reason was carried around the five Oriental states, Imo, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, including the nation's capital, Abuja. Monument services and public events were further held in his honour in assorted places across Nigeria, including Lagos settle down Niger State, his birthplace, and although far away as Dallas, Texas, Coalesced States.^[44]

His funeral was attended by Goodluck Jonathan Former president of Nigeria prep added to ex-President Jerry Rawlings of Ghana between other personalities.^[45][46]

See also

References

External links

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