Samuel Ogbemudia
Encyclopedia
Dr. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia is a Nigeria
n former army officer and politician. He was military Governor (1967–1975) of the Mid-West State
, later renamed Bendel State, part of which in turn became Edo State
. After the return to democracy in 1999, he became a power in the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP). In September 2009, Governor Adams Oshiomhole
of Edo state and others attended his 77th birthday celebration in Benin.
. As a youth he lived with his elder cousin, Mr. FS Uwaifo, a Benin-based businessman.
He attended Benin Baptist School (1941–1945), and then the government school, Victoria, in the Cameroons
(1945–1947). His secondary education was at the Western Boy's High School, Benin City (1947–1949).
He joined the Nigeria army in 1957, training at Teshie
, Ghana and at Netheravon
and Salisbury Plain
in England (1957). He attended the officer cadet school at Aldershot
, England in 1960, and was commissioned second lieutenant in 1961.
He attended the United States army special welfare school at Fort Bragg
, South Carolina
in 1962.
Ogbemudia served with the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Congo
for 16 months, and served in Tanzania
in 1964. He was appointed as an instructor to the Nigerian Military School
, Zaria
in 1964.
was deposed and killed in a counter-coup led by Lieutenant Colonel Murtala Mohammed
. Ironsi's chief of staff Yakubu Gowon
became head of state. Major Samuel Ogbemudia played an important role in the counter-coup by disarming his troops in Kaduna
.
In August that year he was transferred to the area command, Benin City, fighting with government forces in the Nigerian Civil War
.
Ogbemudia was appointed Military administrator of Mid-West state in September, 1967 following the liberation of state from the secessionist Biafra
n forces.
Promoted to Lt. Colonel, Ogbemudia was appointed Military Governor of the state on 26 October 1967.
A populist, dedicated to reconstruction after the war, he initiated improvements in the areas of sports, urban development, education, public transportation, housing and commerce.
He built the Ogbe sports stadium, now named the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium
, and in August 1973 he commissioned the three-story National Museum in Benin City
.
Other projects included the Agbede Mechanized Farm, Rural Electrification Board, Bendel Steel Structures, Bendel Pharmaceuticals, Bendel Boatyard, the University of Benin
and the Bendel Line.
In later years, people looked back on his governorship as a time when much was achieved, followed by stagnation in later administrations.
In July 1975, when Murtala Mohammed
became head of state, he retired the twelve military governors who had served under Yakubu Gowon
. The retirement of the governors found guilty of corruption was converted to dismissal. Among these was Brigadier General Samuel Ogbemudia, whom Murtala had appointed eight years earlier, and whom he replaced by Colonel George Agbazika Innih
. Ogbemudia was tried for abuses while in office, but acquitted.
During a brief return to civil rule, Samuel Ogbemudia was elected governor of Bendel State in Oct 1983 as candidate for the National Party of Nigeria
, replacing Ambrose Alli
of the Unity Party of Nigeria
. However, he lost his position in December that year when Muhammadu Buhari
became military ruler after a coup d'état that overthrew civilian President Shehu Shagari
.
General Sani Abacha
, military head of state from November, 1993 until his death in June, 1998, appointed Ogbemudia as minister for Labor and Productivity.
Samuel Ogbemudia was quoted as saying he would die for Abacha.
Ogbemudia supported a move to have Abacha stand for election, saying "The nation has made wonderful progress under General Abacha ... He is, no doubt, the only answer to Nigeria's progress and development".
(PDP) in Edo state, and a member of the party's Board of Trustees.
Ogbemudia and Chief Anthony Anenih
between them controlled PDP politics in Edo State for the next decade, at first working well together but later coming into open conflict.
In December 2004, Ogbemudia was said to have agreed that Anthony Anenih should nominate his choice of governor for Edo State. He said he did not want a situation where one senatorial district in the state had a permanent hold on the position of governor.
In November 2007, at an enlarged meeting of the PDP at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium
in Benin
, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia spoke strongly against proposals by Anthony Anenih to change existing zoning arrangement of offices, then walked out of the meeting.
In December 2006, Samuel Ogbemudia expressed support for the presidential bid of Dr Mohammed Buba Marwa
.
On 20 March 2008, a tribunal nullified the election of Oserheimen Osunbor
(PDP) as Edo State governor due to voting irregularities, and declared Professor Adams Oshiomhole
of the Action Congress
as the winner.
In an interview in November that year, as a prominent member of the PDP board of trustees Ogbedmudia said he would have preferred a PDP member to have won. However, he accepted the tribunal result, and described Oshiomhole as a man of strong character. He spoke critically of earlier governors, such as Chief Lucky Igbinedion
.
In July 2009, Sam Ogbemudia was leader of a PDP faction that was supporting Prof. Julius Ihonvbere as candidate for the Edo State governorship in 2011. A rival faction led by Tony Anenih favoured Senator Odion Ugbesia
as candidate.
In October 2009, Samuel Ogbemudia failed to attend the unity rally of the party in Edo state organised by Anthony Anenih.
A month later, Dr. Sam Ogbemudia praised Oshiomhole's accomplishments in his first year of office, leading to speculations of a possible political alliance between the two men.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n former army officer and politician. He was military Governor (1967–1975) of the Mid-West State
Mid-Western Region, Nigeria
The Mid-Western Region was a division of Nigeria from 1963 to 1991, from 1976 being known as the Bendel state.It was formed in June 1963 from Benin and Delta provinces of the Western Region, and its capital was Benin City...
, later renamed Bendel State, part of which in turn became Edo State
Edo State
Edo State is an inland state in central southern Nigeria. Its capital is Benin City. It is bounded in the north and east by Kogi State, in the south by Delta State and in the west by Ondo State.-History:...
. After the return to democracy in 1999, he became a power in the Peoples Democratic Party
Peoples Democratic Party
The Peoples Democratic Party is a political party in Guyana which plans to contest the 2011 presidential elections. The party promotes adoption of the US dollar, land redistribution, and increased firearms ownership....
(PDP). In September 2009, Governor Adams Oshiomhole
Adams Oshiomhole
Adams Aliyu Eric Oshiomhole is a labor leader who ran for Governor of Edo State in Nigeria in April 2007 on the Action Congress platform. The election was flawed...
of Edo state and others attended his 77th birthday celebration in Benin.
Early years
Samuel Ogbemudia was born on September l7, l932 in Benin CityBenin City
Benin City, is a city and the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria. It is a city approximately twenty-five miles north of the Benin River. It is situated 200 miles by road east of Lagos...
. As a youth he lived with his elder cousin, Mr. FS Uwaifo, a Benin-based businessman.
He attended Benin Baptist School (1941–1945), and then the government school, Victoria, in the Cameroons
Cameroons
British Cameroons was a British Mandate territory in West Africa, now divided between Nigeria and Cameroon.The area of present-day Cameroon was claimed by Germany as a protectorate during the "Scramble for Africa" at the end of the 19th century...
(1945–1947). His secondary education was at the Western Boy's High School, Benin City (1947–1949).
He joined the Nigeria army in 1957, training at Teshie
Teshie
Teshie is a city in Ghana in the Greater Accra Region. Fort Augustaborg, built by the Danes in 1787, is located in Teshie and was occupied by the British from 1850 to 1957. The national Officer Cadet Training School and Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre are also located here...
, Ghana and at Netheravon
Netheravon
Netheravon is a village and civil parish on the River Avon, about north of the town of Amesbury in Wiltshire.-Notable people:The writer Frank Sawyer , although born in Bulford, spent most of his life in Netheravon as river keeper River Avon and died on the banks of the river near the parish church...
and Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
in England (1957). He attended the officer cadet school at Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
, England in 1960, and was commissioned second lieutenant in 1961.
He attended the United States army special welfare school at Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
in 1962.
Ogbemudia served with the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
for 16 months, and served in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
in 1964. He was appointed as an instructor to the Nigerian Military School
Nigerian Military School
The history of the Nigerian Military School Zaria dates back to 1954 when the Boys-Company of Nigeria was established under the auspices of Nigerian Regiment Training centre of the Royal West African Frontier Force . The school was established along with three others in the British Colonial West...
, Zaria
Zaria
Zaria may refer to:*Zaria, a city in Kaduna State, Nigeria*Zaria , or Zoria, the Slavic goddess of beauty*Countess Zaria of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van Amsberg, a member of the Dutch royal family...
in 1964.
Military rule
In January, 1966, a coup d'état overthrew the civilian government of Nigeria. In July 1966 the military ruler Major General Johnson Aguiyi-IronsiJohnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was a Nigerian soldier. He served as the Head of State of Nigeria from January 16, 1966 until he was overthrown and killed on July 29, 1966 by a group of northern army officers who revolted against the government.- Early life :Thomas Umunnakwe...
was deposed and killed in a counter-coup led by Lieutenant Colonel Murtala Mohammed
Murtala Mohammed
General Murtala Ramat Mohammed born was a military ruler of Nigeria from 1975 until his assassination in 1976.-Role during 1960s coups:...
. Ironsi's chief of staff Yakubu Gowon
Yakubu Gowon
General Yakubu "Jack" Dan-Yumma Gowon was the head of state of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975. He took power after one military coup d'etat and was overthrown in another...
became head of state. Major Samuel Ogbemudia played an important role in the counter-coup by disarming his troops in Kaduna
Kaduna
Kaduna is the state capital of Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria. The city, located on the Kaduna River, is a trade center and a major transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction. The population of Kaduna is at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census...
.
In August that year he was transferred to the area command, Benin City, fighting with government forces in the Nigerian Civil War
Nigerian Civil War
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War, 6 July 1967–15 January 1970, was a political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra...
.
Ogbemudia was appointed Military administrator of Mid-West state in September, 1967 following the liberation of state from the secessionist Biafra
Biafra
Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south-eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra . The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious...
n forces.
Promoted to Lt. Colonel, Ogbemudia was appointed Military Governor of the state on 26 October 1967.
A populist, dedicated to reconstruction after the war, he initiated improvements in the areas of sports, urban development, education, public transportation, housing and commerce.
He built the Ogbe sports stadium, now named the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium
Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium
Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Benin City, Nigeria. Originally known as Ogbe Stadium, it is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Bendel Insurance FC. The stadium has a capacity of 20,000 people....
, and in August 1973 he commissioned the three-story National Museum in Benin City
Benin City
Benin City, is a city and the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria. It is a city approximately twenty-five miles north of the Benin River. It is situated 200 miles by road east of Lagos...
.
Other projects included the Agbede Mechanized Farm, Rural Electrification Board, Bendel Steel Structures, Bendel Pharmaceuticals, Bendel Boatyard, the University of Benin
University of Benin (Nigeria)
The University of Benin - also known as UNIBEN - is one of the country's major universities.-History:The university was founded in 1970 by the military government of Samuel Ogbemudia.It teaches in a broad range of subjects, including a medical school...
and the Bendel Line.
In later years, people looked back on his governorship as a time when much was achieved, followed by stagnation in later administrations.
In July 1975, when Murtala Mohammed
Murtala Mohammed
General Murtala Ramat Mohammed born was a military ruler of Nigeria from 1975 until his assassination in 1976.-Role during 1960s coups:...
became head of state, he retired the twelve military governors who had served under Yakubu Gowon
Yakubu Gowon
General Yakubu "Jack" Dan-Yumma Gowon was the head of state of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975. He took power after one military coup d'etat and was overthrown in another...
. The retirement of the governors found guilty of corruption was converted to dismissal. Among these was Brigadier General Samuel Ogbemudia, whom Murtala had appointed eight years earlier, and whom he replaced by Colonel George Agbazika Innih
George Agbazika Innih
George Agbazika Innih was a Nigerian Army General and Statesman. He was the Military Governor of Bendel and Kwara States.-Early years:...
. Ogbemudia was tried for abuses while in office, but acquitted.
During a brief return to civil rule, Samuel Ogbemudia was elected governor of Bendel State in Oct 1983 as candidate for the National Party of Nigeria
National Party of Nigeria
The National Party of Nigeria was the dominant political party in Nigeria during the Second Republic .-Formation:The party's beginning could be traced to private and sometimes secret meetings among key Northern Nigerian leaders after the proscription of political parties in 1966 by the military...
, replacing Ambrose Alli
Ambrose Alli
Ambrose Alli was the governor of the defunct Nigerian state of Bendel , from 1979 to 1983. He was the first civilian governor....
of the Unity Party of Nigeria
Unity Party of Nigeria
The Unity Party of Nigeria was a Nigerian political party that was dominant in western Nigeria during the second republic. The party revolved around the political leadership of Obafemi Awolowo, a sometimes polemical but effective administrator. However, the party's main difference with its...
. However, he lost his position in December that year when Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari was a military ruler of Nigeria and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections...
became military ruler after a coup d'état that overthrew civilian President Shehu Shagari
Shehu Shagari
Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, Turakin Sakkwato served as the President of Nigeria's Second Republic , after the handover of power by General Olusegun Obasanjo's military government....
.
General Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
, military head of state from November, 1993 until his death in June, 1998, appointed Ogbemudia as minister for Labor and Productivity.
Samuel Ogbemudia was quoted as saying he would die for Abacha.
Ogbemudia supported a move to have Abacha stand for election, saying "The nation has made wonderful progress under General Abacha ... He is, no doubt, the only answer to Nigeria's progress and development".
Democratic period
After the restoration of democracy in 1998/1999, Ogbemudia was one of the founders of the Peoples Democratic PartyPeoples Democratic Party
The Peoples Democratic Party is a political party in Guyana which plans to contest the 2011 presidential elections. The party promotes adoption of the US dollar, land redistribution, and increased firearms ownership....
(PDP) in Edo state, and a member of the party's Board of Trustees.
Ogbemudia and Chief Anthony Anenih
Anthony Anenih
Anthony Akhakon Anenih is a Nigerian politician who was appointed Minister of Works and Housing in 1999.-Background:Anthony Akhakon Anenih was born in Uzenema-Arue in Uromi on 4 August, 1933. In 1951 he joined the Nigeria police force in Benin City. Working at home, he obtained secondary school...
between them controlled PDP politics in Edo State for the next decade, at first working well together but later coming into open conflict.
In December 2004, Ogbemudia was said to have agreed that Anthony Anenih should nominate his choice of governor for Edo State. He said he did not want a situation where one senatorial district in the state had a permanent hold on the position of governor.
In November 2007, at an enlarged meeting of the PDP at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium
Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium
Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Benin City, Nigeria. Originally known as Ogbe Stadium, it is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Bendel Insurance FC. The stadium has a capacity of 20,000 people....
in Benin
Benin City
Benin City, is a city and the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria. It is a city approximately twenty-five miles north of the Benin River. It is situated 200 miles by road east of Lagos...
, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia spoke strongly against proposals by Anthony Anenih to change existing zoning arrangement of offices, then walked out of the meeting.
In December 2006, Samuel Ogbemudia expressed support for the presidential bid of Dr Mohammed Buba Marwa
Mohammed Buba Marwa
Mohammed Buba Marwa is a retired Nigerian army officer who served as governor of Borno State, and then Lagos State during the military administrations of Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha.-Birth and education:...
.
On 20 March 2008, a tribunal nullified the election of Oserheimen Osunbor
Oserheimen Osunbor
Professor Oserheimen Osunbor was elected Senator for the Edo Central constituency of Edo State, Nigeria at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, running on the People's Democratic Party platform...
(PDP) as Edo State governor due to voting irregularities, and declared Professor Adams Oshiomhole
Adams Oshiomhole
Adams Aliyu Eric Oshiomhole is a labor leader who ran for Governor of Edo State in Nigeria in April 2007 on the Action Congress platform. The election was flawed...
of the Action Congress
Action Congress
The Action Congress of Nigeria , formerly known as Action Congress , is a classical liberal Nigerian political party formed via the merger of the Alliance for Democracy, the Justice Party, the Advance Congress of Democrats, and several other minor political parties in September 2006. The party...
as the winner.
In an interview in November that year, as a prominent member of the PDP board of trustees Ogbedmudia said he would have preferred a PDP member to have won. However, he accepted the tribunal result, and described Oshiomhole as a man of strong character. He spoke critically of earlier governors, such as Chief Lucky Igbinedion
Lucky Igbinedion
Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion was the governor of Edo State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party .-Background:Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion was born on 13 May 1957....
.
In July 2009, Sam Ogbemudia was leader of a PDP faction that was supporting Prof. Julius Ihonvbere as candidate for the Edo State governorship in 2011. A rival faction led by Tony Anenih favoured Senator Odion Ugbesia
Odion Ugbesia
Elder Magnus Odion Ugbesia is a Nigerian politician who was elected to the National Senate in 2007 representing the Edo Central constituency of Edo State for the People's Democratic Party .-Background:...
as candidate.
In October 2009, Samuel Ogbemudia failed to attend the unity rally of the party in Edo state organised by Anthony Anenih.
A month later, Dr. Sam Ogbemudia praised Oshiomhole's accomplishments in his first year of office, leading to speculations of a possible political alliance between the two men.