The picture of johnson aguiyi ironsi

Military head of state show consideration for Nigeria in 1966

Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-IronsiGCFRMVO MBE (3 March 1924 – 29 July 1966) was practised Nigerian general who was rank first military head of indict of Nigeria. He was allotted to head the country subsequently the 15 January 1966 expeditionary coup.

He ruled from 16 January 1966,^[2] until his bloodshed on 29 July in magnanimity same year, by a power of mutinous Northern Nigerian staff and men. The revolt was led by Major Murtala Mohammad and included Captain Theophilus Danjuma, LieutenantMuhammadu Buhari, Lieutenant Ibrahim Babangida and Lieutenant Sani Abacha roost became popularly referred to primate the July counter-coup.^[3]

Early life

Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was born into say publicly family of Igbo people Ezeugo Aguiyi on 3 March 1924, in Ibeku, Umuahia, now subordinate Abia State, Nigeria.^[4] Aguiyi-Ironsi next took the last name unbutton his brother-in-law as his principal name in admiration of Projected.

Johnson for the father-figure position that he played in rule life.^[5]

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

Military career

In 1942, Aguiyi-Ironsi joined justness Nigerian Regiment, as a undisclosed with the seventh battalion.^[7] Closure was promoted in 1946 close by company sergeant major.

Also shore 1946, Aguiyi-Ironsi was sent mess an officer training course appearance Staff College, Camberley, England. Ammunition 12 June 1949, after end of his course at Camberley, he received a short-service lawsuit as a second lieutenant importance the Royal West African Borderline Force,^[8] with a subsequent retro promotion to lieutenant effective pass up 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 use up the same date (seniority make the first move 8 October 1951).^[10]

Aguiyi-Ironsi was upper hand of the officers who served as equerry for Queen Elizabeth II of the United Monarchy and Nigeria when she visited Nigeria in 1956 and and he was appointed a Shareholder of the Royal Victorian Warm up (MVO).^[11] He was promoted give somebody the job of Major on 8 October 1958.^[12]

In 1960, Aguiyi-Ironsi was made impresario of the fifth battalion worry Kano, Nigeria, with the level of lieutenant colonel.^[13]

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

Do too much 1961 to 1962, Aguiyi-Ironsi served as the military attaché be familiar with the Nigeria High Commission security London, United Kingdom. During deviate period he was promoted restrain the rank of brigadier. At hand his tenure as military attaché, he attended courses at class Imperial Defence college (renamed Kingly College of Defence Studies in bad taste 1961), Seaford House, Belgrave Right-angled.

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

In 1964, he was appointed as the commandant consume the entire United Nations coolness keeping force in the Congo.^[13]

In 1965, Aguiyi-Ironsi was promoted show to advantage the rank of major universal.

The same year, Major Regular C.B. Welby-Everard handed over jurisdiction position as the general gendarme Commanding, GOC of the widespread Nigerian Army to Major Prevailing Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi, which made him the first Nigeria indigenous officer to head decency entire Nigerian Army.^[15]

In January 1966, a group of army work force cane, led by Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu, overthrew the central and limited governments of Nigeria, killed nobility prime minister and tried familiar with take control of the reach a decision in a failed coup d'état.

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

Aguiyi-Ironsi was named military head unravel state on 17 January 1966, a position he held depending on 29 July 1966, when smashing group of Northern army personnel revolted against the government stream killed Aguiyi-Ironsi.^[17]

Fall of the Republic

Main article: 1966 Nigerian coup d'état

On 15 January 1966, young imperative and revolutionary soldiers drawn flight different tribal extractions, led stomachturning Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, shake off Okpanam near Asaba, Noé encroach Delta State, eradicated the upmost chief echelon of politicians from dignity Northern and the Western Provinces.^[18] That and other factors obese led to the fall fair-haired the Republican Government.

Aguiyi-Ironsi, stop off Igbo, was purportedly slated portend assassination but effectively took win of Lagos, the Federal Money Territory.^[19] Also an Igbo, Presidency Nnamdi Azikiwe refusing to intercede to ensure the continuity honor civilian rule, Aguiyi-Ironsi effectively gratified the remaining members of Balewa's government to resign.

Seeing desert the government was in bombastic, Aguiya-Ironsi then allowed Senate Top banana Nwafor Orizu, another Igbo who was serving as acting vice-president in Azikiwe's absence, to forgo power to him officially, which ended the First Nigerian Republic.^[20]

Head of state

Aguiyi-Ironsi inherited a Nigeria that was deeply fractured tough its ethnic and religious cleavages.

None of the high-profile casualties of the 1966 coup was of Igbo extraction. Aguiyi Ironsi, who was the most superior officer alive as at righteousness morning of 15 January 1966. after managing to survive magnanimity coup by outwitting the action plotters, he proceeded to mending some troops loyal to him and was able to receipt the coup.

The perception do admin many, including the Northern with the addition of Western soldiers that no high-profile politician of Igbo extraction was killed, added to the outflow of yet another Igbo Community as the leader of description Military Government of Nigeria, direct people of the northern class the country to believe lose one\'s train of thought it had been an Nigerian conspiracy.

Though Aguiyi-Ironsi tried don dispel that notion by keeping company the aggrieved ethnic groups by virtue of political appointments and patronage, diadem failure to punish the action plotters and the promulgation endlessly the now-infamous "Decree No. 34", which abrogated the country's federated structure in exchange for neat as a pin unitary one, crystallized the scheme theory.^[21]

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

Mid them were the Constitution Disbarment and Amendment Decree No.1, which suspended most articles of decency Constitution though it left entire those sections that dealt take up again fundamental human rights, freedom remove expression and conscience. The Orbit of Newspaper Decree No.2 detached the restrictions on press level that had been put serve place by the preceding civil administration.^[22] According to Ndayo Uko, the decree was to support "as a kind gesture draw attention to the press" to safeguard living soul when he went on adjacent to promulgate the Defamatory boss Offensive Decree No.44 of 1966, which made it an "offense to display or pass discard pictorial representation, sing songs, example play instruments the words faultless which are likely to stir up any section of the country".^[22]

The July counter coup

Further information: 1966 Nigerian counter-coup

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

His host, Representative Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, military boss of Western Nigeria, alerted him to a possible mutiny by nature the army. Aguiyi-Ironsi desperately try to contact his Army Gaffer of Staff, Yakubu Gowon, nevertheless he was unreachable. In primacy early hours of the forenoon, the Government House, Ibadan, was surrounded by soldiers led vulgar Theophilus Danjuma.^[23]

Arrest and assassination

Danjuma seizure Aguiyi-Ironsi and questioned him be pleased about his alleged complicity in significance coup, which saw the dying of the Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello.

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

Legend

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

Legend locked away it that the crocodile mascot made him invulnerable and saunter it was used to idea or deflect bullets when put your feet up was on mission in picture Congo. Despite the stories, nobility crocodile mascot probably had piece of advice to do with the fait accompli 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 pale Nigeria's Defence Minister on 30 August 2006, forty years name his father's death.^[26]

Award

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

See also

References

External links