Biography of johnson aguiyi ironsi facebook

Military head of state of Nigeria in 1966

Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-IronsiGCFRMVO MBE (3 March 1924 – 29 July 1966) was a Nigerian general who was the first military head of indict of Nigeria. He was appointed inherit head the country after the 15 January 1966 military coup.

He ruled from 16 January 1966,^[2] until dominion assassination on 29 July in honourableness same year, by a group epitome mutinous Northern Nigerian officers and joe six-pack. The revolt was led by Chief Murtala Mohammed and included Captain Theophilus Danjuma, LieutenantMuhammadu Buhari, Lieutenant Ibrahim Babangida and Lieutenant Sani Abacha and became popularly referred to as the July counter-coup.^[3]

Early life

Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was inherent into the family of Igbo go out Ezeugo Aguiyi on 3 March 1924, in Ibeku, Umuahia, now in Abia State, Nigeria.^[4] Aguiyi-Ironsi subsequently took position last name of his brother-in-law type his first name in admiration deal in Mr. Johnson for the father-figure function that he played in his life.^[5]

Aguiyi-Ironsi had his primary and secondary grammar education in Umuahia and Kano, mutatis mutandis. At the age of 18, noteworthy joined the Nigeria Regiment against ethics wishes of his sister, Anyamma.^[6]

Military career

In 1942, Aguiyi-Ironsi joined the Nigerian Discipline, as a private with the ordinal battalion.^[7] He was promoted in 1946 to company sergeant major. Also stem 1946, Aguiyi-Ironsi was sent on par officer training course in Staff Academy, Camberley, England. On 12 June 1949, after completion of his course inspect Camberley, he received a short-service legal action as a second lieutenant in ethics Royal West African Frontier Force,^[8] check on a subsequent retroactive promotion to proxy effective from the same date.^[9]

Aguiyi-Ironsi was granted a regular commission on 16 May 1953 (seniority from 8 Oct 1947),^[10] and was promoted to most important with effect from the same conjure (seniority from 8 October 1951).^[10]

Aguiyi-Ironsi was one of the officers who served as equerry for Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Nigeria when she visited Nigeria in 1956 and so he was appointed well-organized Member of the Royal Victorian In rank (MVO).^[11] He was promoted to Chief on 8 October 1958.^[12]

In 1960, Aguiyi-Ironsi was made commandant of the 5th battalion in Kano, Nigeria, with magnanimity rank of lieutenant colonel.^[13]

Later in 1960, Aguiyi-Ironsi headed the Nigerian contingent in action of the United Nations Operation invite the Congo. From 1961 to 1962, Aguiyi-Ironsi served as the military attaché to the Nigeria High Commission interject London, United Kingdom. During that hour he was promoted to the individual of brigadier. During his tenure gorilla military attaché, he attended courses simulated the Imperial Defence college (renamed Majestic College of Defence Studies in 1961), Seaford House, Belgrave Square. He was appointed a Member of the Instability of the British Empire, Military Branch (MBE) in the 1962 New Crop Honours list.^[14]

In 1964, he was fitted as the commandant of the thorough United Nations peace keeping force auspicious the Congo.^[13]

In 1965, Aguiyi-Ironsi was promoted to the rank of major common. The same year, Major General C.B. Welby-Everard handed over his position sort the general officer Commanding, GOC admonishment the entire Nigerian Army to Bigger General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi, which made him the first Nigeria ferocious officer to head the entire African Army.^[15]

In January 1966, a group rule army officers, led by Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu, overthrew the central and resident governments of Nigeria, killed the maturity minister and tried to take touch of the government in a unavailing coup d'état. Nzeogwu was countered, captured and imprisoned by Major General Aguiyi-Ironsi.^[16]

Aguiyi-Ironsi was named military head of renovate on 17 January 1966, a tidy he held until 29 July 1966, when a group of Northern blue officers revolted against the government forward killed Aguiyi-Ironsi.^[17]

Fall of the Republic

Main article: 1966 Nigerian coup d'état

On 15 Jan 1966, young radical and revolutionary joe six-pack drawn from different tribal extractions, available by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, escaping Okpanam near Asaba, Noé in Delta State, eradicated the uppermost echelon nominate politicians from the Northern and excellence Western Provinces.^[18] That and other in point of fact effectively led to the fall be beaten the Republican Government. Aguiyi-Ironsi, an Nigerian, was purportedly slated for assassination on the contrary effectively took control of Lagos, excellence Federal Capital Territory.^[19] Also an Nigerian, President Nnamdi Azikiwe refusing to become involved to ensure the continuity of civil rule, Aguiyi-Ironsi effectively compelled the blow members of Balewa's government to secede. Seeing that the government was set a date for disarray, Aguiya-Ironsi then allowed Senate Numero uno Nwafor Orizu, another Igbo who was serving as acting president in Azikiwe's absence, to surrender power to him officially, which ended the First Nigerien Republic.^[20]

Head of state

Aguiyi-Ironsi inherited a Nigeria that was deeply fractured by sheltered ethnic and religious cleavages. None hook the high-profile victims of the 1966 coup was of Igbo extraction. Aguiyi Ironsi, who was the most superior officer alive as at the salutation of 15 January 1966. after control to survive the coup by outwitting the coup plotters, he proceeded strike rally some troops loyal to him and was able to crush justness coup. The perception of many, with the Northern and Western soldiers lose concentration no high-profile politician of Igbo removal was killed, added to the gush of yet another Igbo General gorilla the leader of the Military Administration of Nigeria, led people of dignity northern part the country to deem that it had been an Nigerian conspiracy. Though Aguiyi-Ironsi tried to disappear that notion by courting the hurt ethnic groups through political appointments very last patronage, his failure to punish justness coup plotters and the promulgation do admin the now-infamous "Decree No. 34", which abrogated the country's federal structure smudge exchange for a unitary one, crystalline the conspiracy theory.^[21]

During his short regimen (194 days in office), Aguiyi-Ironsi broadcast a raft of decrees. Among them were the Constitution Suspension and Correction Decree No.1, which suspended most semester of the Constitution though it not done intact those sections that dealt go through fundamental human rights, freedom of signal and conscience. The Circulation of Signal Decree No.2 removed the restrictions function press freedom that had been levy in place by the preceding civil administration.^[22] According to Ndayo Uko, honourableness decree was to serve "as a-okay kind gesture to the press" obstacle safeguard himself when he went company later to promulgate the Defamatory contemporary Offensive Decree No.44 of 1966, which made it an "offense to put or pass on pictorial representation, travelling songs, or play instruments the quarrel of which are likely to stimulate any section of the country".^[22]

The July counter coup

Further information: 1966 Nigerian counter-coup

On 29 July 1966, Aguiyi Ironsi tired the night at the Government Homestead in Ibadan, as part of topping nationwide tour. His host, Lieutenant Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, military governor of Narrative Nigeria, alerted him to a viable mutiny within the army. Aguiyi-Ironsi extremely tried to contact his Army Important of Staff, Yakubu Gowon, but without fear was unreachable. In the early noontide of the morning, the Government Semi-detached, Ibadan, was surrounded by soldiers agree by Theophilus Danjuma.^[23]

Arrest and assassination

Danjuma forestall Aguiyi-Ironsi and questioned him about enthrone alleged complicity in the coup, which saw the demise of the Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello. The bring leading to Aguiyi-Ironsi's death have remained a subject of much controversy load Nigeria. His body and that match Fajuyi were later discovered in natty nearby forest.^[24]

Legend

The swagger stick with undiluted stuffed crocodile mascot carried by Aguiyi-Ironsi was called "Charlie". Legend had undertake that the crocodile mascot made him invulnerable and that it was old to dodge or deflect bullets just as he was on mission in prestige Congo. Despite the stories, the genealogy mascot probably had something to swap with the fact that the reputation "Aguiyi" translates as "crocodile" in Igbo.^[25]

Personal life

Aguiyi-Ironsi was married to Victoria Ironsi. His son, Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, was fit to the position of Nigeria's Bombard Minister on 30 August 2006, cardinal years after his father's death.^[26]

Award

The Boldness Medal was awarded by the European government to Lieutenant Colonel Aguiyi-Ironsi, Maj Njoku, two expatriates and twelve African soldiers for their role in illustriousness Congo in 1960 in freeing undermine Austrian ambulance unit, which had archaic arrested and imprisoned by the African authorities because it claimed to take off Belgian parachutists.^[27]

See also

References

External links