Background
He was born on March 9, 1928, at lie Ife, his parents came from Kkiti, a part of Yoruba country.
He was born on March 9, 1928, at lie Ife, his parents came from Kkiti, a part of Yoruba country.
He was educated locally and at the Christ's School, Ado Ekiti and Eko Boys' High School. He was not destined for an academic career, he left school at 19 and enlisted, serving in the ranks, mostly in the Signals, until he was selected for Eaton Hall, Chester, where he was commissioned on December 5, 1953.
In 1957 as a captain, he became aide-de-camp to Sir James Robertson, the Governor General of Nigeria, and he began to make the close military friend ships that have lasted throughout his career.
After a Company Commander’s course at Warminster in 1959, he visited a number of military institutions throughout the world and served with the UN Peace Keeping Force in the Congo (Zaire) between 1961 and 1963. On his return, he moved rapidly to commanding officer of the Second Battalion and was the first Nigerian to become Chief of Staff ol the Nigerian Army in January 1964. He held this post until December 1965, when he went for a course at the Imperial Defence College and was there when the military coups occurred in Nigeria. Returning home on administrative business, he was posted to the Western Region as Military Governor in succession to Colonel I'ajuyi who had been killed.
At that time he was the most senior military officer, but he accepted General Cowon’s leadership, while trying his best to solve the Biafran crisis (once flying for talks with Ojukwu) counselling the use of force “only as a last resort". He remained as Governor of the West during the war and became unpopular with some for dealing fairly with a number of crises among workers and cocoa farmers.
He headed the Commission after the war to investigate the conduct of all officers who fought for Biafra, readmitting into the army many not involved in the mutiny or convicted of sadistic-behaviour. On April 1, 1971, he was posted to head the Defence Academy at Kaduna and promoted Major-General.
Son of a retired railway official with a burning military ambition and a good natured bonhomie that has won him wide friendship in the officers' mess. The second most senior officer in the Nigerian army after General Gowon. Starting in the ranks, he was commissioned in 1953 and was the first to rise to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel within nine years. A moderate, as the Biafran crisis loomed, he worked unsuccessfully for a peaceful solution before the outbreak of war.