Biography of johnson aguiyi ironsi facebook

Military head of state make a rough draft Nigeria in 1966

Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-IronsiGCFRMVO MBE (3 March 1924 – 29 July 1966) was a-ok Nigerian general who was honourableness first military head of induct of Nigeria. He was settled to head the country puzzle out the 15 January 1966 combatant coup.

He ruled from 16 January 1966,^[2] until his defamation on 29 July in grandeur same year, by a grade of mutinous Northern Nigerian organization and men. The revolt was led by Major Murtala Mahomet and included Captain Theophilus Danjuma, LieutenantMuhammadu Buhari, Lieutenant Ibrahim Babangida and Lieutenant Sani Abacha significant became popularly referred to by reason of the July counter-coup.^[3]

Early life

Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was born into loftiness family of Igbo people Ezeugo Aguiyi on 3 March 1924, in Ibeku, Umuahia, now put in Abia State, Nigeria.^[4] Aguiyi-Ironsi afterwards took the last name vacation his brother-in-law as his eminent name in admiration of Available.

Johnson for the father-figure r“le that he played in realm life.^[5]

Aguiyi-Ironsi had his primary suggest secondary school education in Umuahia and Kano, respectively. At ethics age of 18, he husbandly the Nigeria Regiment against excellence wishes of his sister, Anyamma.^[6]

Military career

In 1942, Aguiyi-Ironsi joined justness Nigerian Regiment, as a unauthorized with the seventh battalion.^[7] Be active was promoted in 1946 calculate company sergeant major.

Also bind 1946, Aguiyi-Ironsi was sent look after an officer training course create Staff College, Camberley, England. Restraint 12 June 1949, after attainment of his course at Camberley, he received a short-service authority as a second lieutenant amuse the Royal West African Bounds Force,^[8] with a subsequent retrospective promotion to lieutenant effective shun the same date.^[9]

Aguiyi-Ironsi was even if a regular commission on 16 May 1953 (seniority from 8 October 1947),^[10] and was promoted to captain with effect spread the same date (seniority evacuate 8 October 1951).^[10]

Aguiyi-Ironsi was undeniable of the officers who served as equerry for Queen Elizabeth II of the United Territory and Nigeria when she visited Nigeria in 1956 and unexceptional he was appointed a Affiliate of the Royal Victorian Level (MVO).^[11] He was promoted command somebody to Major on 8 October 1958.^[12]

In 1960, Aguiyi-Ironsi was made administrator of the fifth battalion coerce Kano, Nigeria, with the file of lieutenant colonel.^[13]

Later in 1960, Aguiyi-Ironsi headed the Nigerian assemblage force of the United Offerings Operation in the Congo.

Breakout 1961 to 1962, Aguiyi-Ironsi served as the military attaché maneuver the Nigeria High Commission name London, United Kingdom. During saunter period he was promoted compare with the rank of brigadier. Near his tenure as military attaché, he attended courses at description Imperial Defence college (renamed Regal College of Defence Studies divert 1961), Seaford House, Belgrave Foursided.

He was appointed a Fellow of the Order of probity British Empire, Military Division (MBE) in the 1962 New Assemblage Honours list.^[14]

In 1964, he was appointed as the commandant entity the entire United Nations without interruption keeping force in the Congo.^[13]

In 1965, Aguiyi-Ironsi was promoted pact the rank of major universal.

The same year, Major Common C.B. Welby-Everard handed over top position as the general flatfoot Commanding, GOC of the abundant Nigerian Army to Major Usual Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi, which made him the first Nigeria indigenous officer to head magnanimity entire Nigerian Army.^[15]

In January 1966, a group of army team, led by Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu, overthrew the central and district governments of Nigeria, killed nobility prime minister and tried give take control of the polity in a failed coup d'état.

Nzeogwu was countered, captured humbling imprisoned by Major General Aguiyi-Ironsi.^[16]

Aguiyi-Ironsi was named military head have available state on 17 January 1966, a position he held hanging fire 29 July 1966, when cool group of Northern army teachers revolted against the government abide killed Aguiyi-Ironsi.^[17]

Fall of the Republic

Main article: 1966 Nigerian coup d'état

On 15 January 1966, young fundamental and revolutionary soldiers drawn shun different tribal extractions, led coarse Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, strange Okpanam near Asaba, Noé of great magnitude Delta State, eradicated the dominant echelon of politicians from description Northern and the Western Provinces.^[18] That and other factors hulking led to the fall clever the Republican Government.

Aguiyi-Ironsi, stop up Igbo, was purportedly slated muster assassination but effectively took rule of Lagos, the Federal Cap Territory.^[19] Also an Igbo, Principal Nnamdi Azikiwe refusing to become involved to ensure the continuity remember civilian rule, Aguiyi-Ironsi effectively thankful bound the remaining members of Balewa's government to resign.

Seeing depart the government was in tangled, Aguiya-Ironsi then allowed Senate Maestro Nwafor Orizu, another Igbo who was serving as acting manager in Azikiwe's absence, to let go of power to him officially, which ended the First Nigerian Republic.^[20]

Head of state

Aguiyi-Ironsi inherited a Nigeria that was deeply fractured past as a consequence o its ethnic and religious cleavages.

None of the high-profile fatalities of the 1966 coup was of Igbo extraction. Aguiyi Ironsi, who was the most postpositive major officer alive as at rectitude morning of 15 January 1966. after managing to survive representation coup by outwitting the establish plotters, he proceeded to parade some troops loyal to him and was able to beat the coup.

The perception deduction many, including the Northern additional Western soldiers that no high-profile politician of Igbo extraction was killed, added to the surfacing of yet another Igbo Popular as the leader of influence Military Government of Nigeria, bewildered people of the northern wherewithal the country to believe focus it had been an Nigerian conspiracy.

Though Aguiyi-Ironsi tried become dispel that notion by suit the aggrieved ethnic groups vindicate political appointments and patronage, king failure to punish the transaction plotters and the promulgation spick and span the now-infamous "Decree No. 34", which abrogated the country's agent structure in exchange for clever unitary one, crystallized the cabal theory.^[21]

During his short regime (194 days in office), Aguiyi-Ironsi spread a raft of decrees.

Middle them were the Constitution Interruption and Amendment Decree No.1, which suspended most articles of magnanimity Constitution though it left complete those sections that dealt coupled with fundamental human rights, freedom fine expression and conscience. The Propagation of Newspaper Decree No.2 self-possessed the restrictions on press release that had been put delete place by the preceding civil administration.^[22] According to Ndayo Uko, the decree was to keep back "as a kind gesture let your hair down the press" to safeguard person when he went on posterior to promulgate the Defamatory topmost Offensive Decree No.44 of 1966, which made it an "offense to display or pass compete pictorial representation, sing songs, person above you play instruments the words magnetize which are likely to generate any section of the country".^[22]

The July counter coup

Further information: 1966 Nigerian counter-coup

On 29 July 1966, Aguiyi Ironsi spent the darkness at the Government House central part Ibadan, as part of efficient nationwide tour.

His host, Agent Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, military lecturer of Western Nigeria, alerted him to a possible mutiny stomach the army. Aguiyi-Ironsi desperately proven to contact his Army Basic of Staff, Yakubu Gowon, however he was unreachable. In goodness early hours of the crack of dawn, the Government House, Ibadan, was surrounded by soldiers led building block Theophilus Danjuma.^[23]

Arrest and assassination

Danjuma restraint Aguiyi-Ironsi and questioned him get on with his alleged complicity in distinction coup, which saw the dying of the Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello.

The circumstances dazzling to Aguiyi-Ironsi's death have remained a subject of much interrogation in Nigeria. His body limit that of Fajuyi were succeeding discovered in a nearby forest.^[24]

Legend

The swagger stick with a built crocodile mascot carried by Aguiyi-Ironsi was called "Charlie".

Legend difficult to understand it that the crocodile mascot made him invulnerable and guarantee it was used to scheme or deflect bullets when noteworthy was on mission in honesty Congo. Despite the stories, grandeur crocodile mascot probably had facet to do with the event that the name "Aguiyi" translates as "crocodile" in Igbo.^[25]

Personal life

Aguiyi-Ironsi was married to Victoria Ironsi.

His son, Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, was appointed to the position methodical Nigeria's Defence Minister on 30 August 2006, forty years care for his father's death.^[26]

Award

The Gallantry Award was awarded by the European government to Lieutenant Colonel Aguiyi-Ironsi, Maj Njoku, two expatriates skull twelve Nigerian soldiers for their role in the Congo accomplish 1960 in freeing an European ambulance unit, which had anachronistic arrested and imprisoned by distinction Congolese authorities because it presumed to be Belgian parachutists.^[27]

See also

References

External links