Gen. Adebayo’s bombshell: North imposed Gowon on Nigeria as Head of State , insists he encouraged Igbo Leader Ojukwu to join the Army

General Adeyinka Adebayo (rtd) is the oldest retired senior mil¬itary officer in Nigeria today and the only one alive among the regional governors who governed be¬tween 1966 and 1970. He is the chairman, Yoruba Council of Elders and father of the first executive governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo. In this interview with CHARLES ADEGBITE, he explained how the then Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon (who was a junior officer under him) was sud-denly made his boss and Nigeria’s Head of State because of the thirst for power by the northern hegemony in 1966; how he convinced the late Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu to join the army. He then proffered solution to the numerous challenges currently facing the country and warned President Muhammadu Buhari against throwing away the reports of the last year national conference. Excerpts…
You had a successful career as a soldier, but what actually prompted you into joining the military at the time you did?
It was because one of my teachers in Iyin-Ekiti, my home town, Ekiti State, Mr. Olugboji, was transferred to Okuku, in Osun State, and I went with him.
Was it that he asked you to join the army, or you got fascinated by the army uniform or what?
It was just by luck.
Many youths and others will want to know who was the most senior between you, General Yakubu Gowon and General (now Chief) Olusegun Obasanjo before they later became the Commanders-in-chief?
I was senior to Gowon and Gowon was senior to Obasanjo. So, I was a senior to both of them.
Do they still give you the respect that you deserve as their senior in spite of the fact that each of them became the Commander-in-chief of the Armed forces lat-er?
Well, I was senior to them. I was senior to Gowon initially. I became the Chief of Staff, Military Headquarters, when Gowon was the Adjutant General in the Army Headquarters. Obasanjo was junior to both Gowon and my¬self.
Where were you at the time Nigeria was gaining her independence on Oc¬tober 1, 1960 and how did you feel that day?
Well, I was in England at that time. I had gone for a Staff College course in Kimberley, England, in April 1960. And I didn’t return to Nigeria until January 1961 after I have com¬pleted the course. It was this that led to my being promoted to the rank of a Major. I was then posted to the Military Headquarters as Staff Officer Grade 11.
That same year I became an international military officer when I served in the United Nations Organisation(UNO) Peacekeeping Force in Congo during the political imbroglio there. There, I was in charge of military intel¬ligence. And by the time I returned in 1962, I was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Col¬onel.
At that time, I was one of the six most senior officers in the entire Nigeria Army. Others were Lt. Col. Maimalari who was pro¬moted along with me. Lt. Col. Aguiyi Ironsi and Lt. Col. Samuel Ademulegun who were promoted to the rank of Brigadier.
When did you actually join the army?
I joined the army, the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF), which was the British West African Colonial Army, in 1948. The Nigeria Army, like the armies of Ghana, Gambia and Sierra Leone, was formed out of the RWAFF. The RWAFF was the pivot of the British colonialism in Nigeria (and other West Africa territories under the British im¬perial authority then) after it took over from the Royal Niger Company Frontier Force in January 1900.
You didn’t finish the explanation on what prompted you into joining the army after your secondary school, was it that you were not brilliant enough to go to university or what?
No! I said it was by luck. It happened that in 1944 I went to Lagos to live with my uncle in Apapa to enable me to finish my second¬ary school. I was initially schooling at the Christ School, Ado-Ekiti. And you need to know that out of all the pupils who sat for the entrance examination into the Christ School, Olajide Olatawura (who later became the Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria) and I were the only pupils who got above 60 per cent which was the minimum pass mark into the Christ School then in 1942. So, in 1944 when I got to my uncle’s place in Lagos, I continued my secondary education at Eko Boys High School, where I finished in 1947.
Let me say that some factors contributed to my joining the army. I had a cousin who was in the colonial army then. I used to fol¬low him to the military base in Apapa where I got familiar with military drills and parades. I easily developed interest in such drilling and parades because I was a good sports-man. It was my meeting with one Major B.C.B Bond, who was the then Commander of the Signal Squadron based in Apapa, that marked the beginning of my military career. He became fond of me and persuaded me to join the Army. So, with his encouragement I joined the Army on July 12, 1948.
Sir, on the day Colonel Adekunle Fa¬juyi died, how did you receive the news?
Well, it came to me as a surprise. He was already serving in the Apapa Unit. He was in the other ranks and I had already joined the Army. Because of my education I be¬came a potential officer while he was still in the ranks. He was a Chief clerk in that unit in Apapa. He wasn’t a potential officer yet. When Ironsi decided to have as many Ni¬gerians as officers, Fajuyi was lucky to be appointed as a potential officer. Because of my education I was already a potential officer before him. I was already commissioned by the Royal West Africa Frontier Force.
How did you receive news of your own appointment after the death of Adekunle Fajuyi?
You see, Ironsi decided because of my closeness to him. Because of my appoint¬ment in the Army headquarters, as the Chief of Army Staff, he decided to appoint me as the next Governor of the Western Region then. And it was very embarrassing that Ironsi decided that I should take over the governor¬ship of the Western Region after the death of Fajuyi, which I did. Though I was senior to Fajuyi, I had to take over.
Since you were the Chief of Staff in the military headquarters, what happened during the first coup and the counter coup that led to your being a governor and not part of the leadership at the na¬tional level of the new government?
Well, I became Chief of Staff under Ironsi when he was the Commander in Chief and head of the army. And when he also died I was still the Chief of Staff. And the Senior officer that took over from him decided to re¬tain me as Chief of Staff of the Army which I continued.
You have witnessed all the major po¬litical crises in Nigeria: the operation “Wet tie”, Biafra war, South-South mili¬tancy, the June 12 and the current Boko Haram insurgency; which one do you think threatened Nigeria’s existence the most?
Well, all the crises that were threatening, we were able to get rid of them one by one during that period. And luckily I was able by virtue of my appointment, to take part in all these various operations and I was hap¬py that I served the commander of the army then, Ironsi, very seriously and honestly. And again, they got rid of him. Although I was se¬nioer to Gowon because when I was Chief of Staff, Gowon was Adjutant General under me, Ojukwu was Quartermaster-General under me. And then politics more or less en¬tered into the army because of the areas those of us ahead then came from. I came from the Yoruba race, Gowon from the North, Ojuk¬wu was from the East. And luckily for Ojuk¬wu, I encouraged him to join the army. That was when we started having Nigerians with degree into the army.
I met Ojukwu when I was the ADC to (Governor General) Sir James Robertson, Ojukwu was in Umuahia when my boss, Robertson visited Umuahia which was part of Eastern Region then. I met Ojukwu and we discussed at the cocktail party given to my boss, Robertson. And then he decided to come to the Army. When we left Umuahia, he continued to get in touch with me on the phone. That encouraged him. And I was able to convince him to join the Officers’ Corps of the Nigerian Army. So, he was serving the army as a young officer under me. As I said, he became Quartermaster-General when Gowon was Adjutant General. Then the question of getting Gowon into the top hierarchy, when the civilians started to show interest in the army politically arose. The northerners felt Ironsi, having been the Head of State, was not from the North and that they were the largest in the Army then.
The Igbo?
No. The North. They decided that a north¬erner should be the Head of State, and they decided that Gowon who was the most se¬nior Northerner then should be the Head of State. And then, the Yoruba were not in the majority in the Army. So, Gowon was more or less forced to be the Head of State which I couldn’t argue with, even though I was se¬nior to him and that was how Gowon became Head of State.
Does that mean you were the most se¬nior in the army after the death of Agu¬iyi-Ironsi?
Well, I wasn’t the most senior after Ironsi. I was the most senior at the Headquarters, Ogundipe was senior to me. Shodeinde was also senior to me but they were commanding units outside the army headquarters. Due to my closeness to the Head of State then, and more or less, to the politicians as well; this was because the politicians were more inter¬ested in the leadership and governance than us, the military. They decided that they will want northerner to be the next Head of State. And that was how Gowon became the first military head of state from the North.
If you look at the fact that the leader¬ship of the three arms of government in Nigeria today are fully concentrated in the North with the entire South playing the second fiddle, what do you have to say as a critical stakeholder?
It’s very unfortunate that as at now most of the heads of the three arms of government are from the North. It wasn’t done politically by the president. The Senate, by virtue of its past experience and other issues chose Saraki as the President of the Senate and Judiciary which has nothing to do with electoral sys¬tem but by virtue of their positions in the Judiciary, the head naturally came from the North.
Some people believe there is a power game going on among the Northern el-ements, lamenting that during former Presidents Obasanjo and Jonathan’s administrations, the leadership of the three arms of government were not concentrated in the South, what do you have to say on this?
They were lucky; both Obasanjo and Jon¬athan were lucky. There are people working along with them in those areas who were from the North. …They are only lucky they were the heads of state.
But were there no issue of federal character arrangement and all these considerations?
They were not thinking openly of federal character then. And nobody was thinking the president must come from the North, the president of the senate must come from the North, the speaker of the House must come from the North. They were lucky naturally to have come from the North. Ok? It is now that people are thinking about it.
Are you saying that the marginalization of the South wasn’t deliberate or a kind of cal¬culative step by the North?
Initially, it wasn’t deliberate but later on unfortunately it became deliberate.
What do you think would have been responsible for this?
Well, in any government one will like to work with anyone close to you. Those you can trust or who you think can work with you, traditionally and loyally.
With the alleged concentration of power in the North and petroleum ministry put un¬der Buhari, people feel the whole economic and political powers are being unjustly held unto by the North, what do you say on this?
Now I’m happy that Buhari is the Presi¬dent. When he was the Head of State under the army, he did extremely well. He did his job loyally and honestly for the entire people of the country. And he did extremely well. I’m happy myself because he once worked under me when we were commanding the Nigeria Army peace operations in the Congo. He was a junior then and he was a good offi¬cer and he did extremely well with honesty, faithfulness, loyalty. He was a good officer. He did his job seriously, honestly and loyally to the best of his knowledge and in the in¬terest of the country. He did extremely well. And being the president now, he will do as he did before, possibly better than before.
Do you think there is a need for him as the President to do a kind of reorgan-isation to restore people’s confidence, especially now that INEC is also headed by a northerner?
If the man on top can do that, well he will put everything in order. Buhari who luckily had been the military Head of State before and he did well, honestly, sincerely and well. If he can do again what he did before and amend the problems and put the situation right we will all be happy. And luckily, a lot of senior people on top seem to trust him and understand him. They seem to believe him that he will do better than what people who he took over from did.
People expect Buhari to do extremely well more than he did before.
As President of Yoruba Council of El¬ders, how did you feel about the death of Mama H.I.D Awolowo?
I felt it very badly because I was so close to Chief Awolowo when I was the Governor of the Western Region. It was very unfortunate that he could not become the president of the country at all. And when Awolowo died, because he did extremely well, I kept close to the family. And Mama Awolowo before, she died, did extremely well. And you can see how people were commending her after death.
Can her death have any effect on Yoruba unity?
No, no, no. Mama did her best for the Yoruba and the country. You can hardly get any female one that will behave like Mama. Yoruba leaders need to come together and show leadership. Mama did extremely well even when Chief Awolowo was no more alive. You can see the visits to the Awolowo family after the death of Mama.
Who do you think should be Yoruba leader, who would command respect of all the Yoruba and serve as rallying point?
It will be very difficult for somebody like me to point to a particular person who should be the leader of the Yoruba. The Yoruba themselves should look among the people on top and choose whoever they think is the best among the leaders, without actually bringing politics into it. What Yoruba need is to come together and work together.
Among the army generals in Nigeria today, you happen to be the oldest per¬son and the only one so far whose son had become a governor. How do you feel having this kind of successor?
Well luckily my son who became governor was also lucky for having me as a father. He grew up as a serious citizen of this country and he was elected as governor of Ekiti State. And he did extremely well. If he continues to behave the way he has been behaving, he has a great future. Luckily for him, he has me as a father and I will continue to be.
What will be your advice for Mr. Pres¬ident if you see him, looking at the situ-ation in the country now?
Well, my advice for him will be for him to bring all the leaders of various organisations together. First of all, bring them individual¬ly and then bring them together with other groups so that they can rub minds with one another. And the same thing with the presi¬dent; one should not think of where he comes from alone, he should be faithful to the en¬tire country. If you think only about where you come from and you are not defending the interest of the big nation, we won’t have any serious and happy country. He should be thinking about the whole country always.
Which type of heads are you saying he should bring together; political heads, ethnic nationalities heads, religious or what?
Well politically they should come together first. Ethnic wise they should come together.
Are you suggesting having a confer¬ence in that case or what?
Political heads first. Political leaders should come together. And before coming together openly at the national level they should first meet in their various states and take a decision.
Buhari is the Head of State. Let him bring them together and discuss with them. Let them discuss and take a decision
There was a National Conference which was organised by former Presi¬dent Jonathan and I believe that you as the leader of the Yoruba Council of El¬ders you have your own input during the conference; what do you have to say on that conference especially now that some people were agitating for another conference, do you think there is a need for it?
I don’t mind if they say they want to have another conference, provided they make use of the decision of the first meeting which Jona¬than called as a basis for discussion. I’m not going to go against the interest of the country.
But looking at the power being fully concentrated in the North now, don’t you think that they may want to use it to their own advantage?
No. In the interest of the country, what was decided in the last conference is useful, if we can add more to that to make it more useful it will be a good thing.
Looking at the economy of the country now, the issue of the Naira not doing well, what do you think we should do to get out of the woods?
The President and the leaders from each area should come together and possibly meet some elders who are not politicians to discuss. Or the President should bring old honest pol¬iticians together to agree on certain matters. I think with politicians from the states putting their heads together to be one, we will move forward.
That means you are calling for a con¬ference…?
The conference is good, but at the same time you can have another conference that will be better than the last conference. This should come from elder statesmen, honest people, re¬spected people in the society. Let them come together and take decisions that the president can use with the other people. He shouldn’t leave it to the politicians alone.
What do you have to say on kidnapping and state of insecurity in the country, looking at the case of an elder statesman, Chief Olu Falae who was abducted from his farm a couple months ago?
Get the leaders together, okay? Taking a de¬cision on what to do, the President should get the military people to his side so that the mili¬tary men can partake on what is going on and discuss with him on what to do.
The Sun Exclusive