After his tor*ture and exe*cut*ion by soldiers led by Major Theophilus Danjuma, Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigeria’s first military Head of State, was buried in a shallow grave by his executors, who abandoned his remains in an unmarked grave.

With the whereabouts of the Head of State unknown, the Military Governor of the Eastern Region, Lieutenant Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, called on the most senior surviving officer, General Babafemi Ogundipe, to assume control and stabilize the situation. However, General Ogundipe fled the country. Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon was declared Head of State.

Ojukwu, refused to recognize Gowon’s authority or attend any meeting with him until the fate of General Aguiyi-Ironsi was formally clarified.

Eventually, Gowon confirmed that Aguiyi-Ironsi had been murd*er*ed. Following this confirmation, his remains were exhumed from the shallow grave and reburied in a cemetery in Ibadan, marking his second burial.

Lieutenant Colonel Ojukwu rejected this burial as humiliating and unacceptable. He insisted that, as a former Head of State and a Major General of the Nigerian Army, Aguiyi-Ironsi deserved a full state burial with military honours, and that, as an Igbo man, he should be laid to rest among his ancestors. The Federal Government refused this demand, but Ojukwu insisted on it.

This impasse formed part of the tensions preceding the Aburi meeting in Ghana between Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon and Lieutenant Colonel Ojukwu. Following the meeting, the remains of General Aguiyi-Ironsi were released to Ojukwu in his capacity as Military Governor of the Eastern Region.

Consequently, on 27 January 1967, General Aguiyi-Ironsi was accorded a dignified state funeral with full military honours in his hometown of Ibeku-Umuahia, where he was laid to rest for the third and final time.

In 1982, Mr. Audu Innocent Ogbeh served as Nigeria’s Federal Minister of Communications, a role he held until 1983. His appointment came at a time when Nigeria’s communications sector was central to national administration and connectivity, and it crowned a steady rise through academia and public service.

Early Life and Education

Audu Innocent Ogbeh was born on 20 July 1947 in Otukpo, Benue State. He received his secondary education at St. Michael’s Aliade, Benue State (1962–1966), before proceeding to King’s College, Lagos, where he completed his Higher School Certificate (1967–1968).
He earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, in 1972, and later obtained a Master’s degree (M.Litt) from the University of Toulouse, France.

Academic Career

Ogbeh began his professional life in academia. From 1972 to 1976, he was a lecturer at the Institute of Education, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. In 1977, he was appointed Head of the Department of Humanities at the Murtala College of Arts, Science and Technology, Makurdi, reflecting his growing reputation as an educator and administrator.

Entry into Politics and Legislative Service

In 1979, Ogbeh transitioned into politics and was elected Deputy Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, a position he held until 1982. His performance in the legislature paved the way for his elevation to the federal cabinet.

Federal Minister of Communications (1982–1983)

Ogbeh’s tenure as Minister of Communications placed him at the helm of a strategic sector responsible for postal services and telecommunications during Nigeria’s Second Republic period. Though brief, his service marked a key chapter in his public career.

Later National Roles

Beyond the 1980s, Audu Ogbeh remained a prominent national figure. He served as Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from 2001 to January 2005, overseeing the party during a critical phase of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. He later returned to the federal cabinet as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (2015–2019), where he focused on agricultural reform and rural development.

Personal Life

Mr. Audu Innocent Ogbeh is married and has four children.

A photograph from 1982 captures him during his time as Federal Minister of Communications, symbolising a career that bridged education, legislation, party leadership, and federal governance.

Source:

Ayatutu Media

Full Name: Alhaji Adegoke Gbadamosi Adelabu
Birth Name: Gbadamosi Adegoke Akande

Date of Birth: 3 September 1915
Place of Birth: Ibadan, present-day Oyo State, Nigeria

Nickname: “The Lion of the West” — a title earned for his fearless, combative, and charismatic political style

Education:

St. David’s School, Kudeti, Ibadan (1925–1929)

Government College, Ibadan (from 1936)

Yaba Higher College (admitted on scholarship)

Intellectual Reputation:
Adelabu was renowned for his exceptional oratory, sharp intellect, and ideological boldness, making him one of the most formidable politicians of his generation.

Popular Alias:
Known among his largely non-literate supporters as “Penkelesi” — a Yorubanised version of “peculiar mess”, a phrase he frequently used in speeches, which became inseparably associated with him.

Political Affiliation:
A leading member of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) under Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe during the colonial era.

Political Rivalry:
He was a fierce and ideological opponent of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the Western Region, making Western Nigerian politics highly competitive and polarized in the 1950s.

Colonial-Era Persecution:
Adelabu is widely regarded as one of the most persecuted opposition politicians of the colonial period, having faced about 18 court cases, many believed to be politically motivated.

Corporate Achievement:
He made history as the first African General Manager of the United Africa Company (UAC), a major British trading firm, marking a significant breakthrough for Africans in colonial corporate leadership.

Death:

Date: 25 March 1958

Place: Ode-Remo, Ijebu Province (present-day Ogun State)

Cause: Fatal motor accident involving his Volkswagen Beetle, alongside a Lebanese business associate and two relatives

Age at Death: 43 years old — two years before Nigeria’s independence

Family:
At the time of his death, Adelabu had 12 wives and 15 children, reflecting the social norms of his era.

Aftermath of Death:
His sudden and tragic death sparked widespread riots and unrest across Ibadan, underscoring his immense popularity and political influence among the masses.

Historical Significance:
Adelabu remains one of the most charismatic, controversial, and intellectually formidable politicians in Nigerian pre-independence history, often remembered as a symbol of radical opposition politics and mass mobilisation.

Source:

Nigerian political history archives

Ibadan colonial-era political records

Biographical accounts on Adegoke Adelabu

Yoruba political history documentation