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HOW AGUIYI IRONSI BECAME 1ST NIGERIAN ARMY GOC
Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was born to Mazi Ezeugo Aguiyi’s on 3 March 1924, in Umuahia-Ibeku, present-day Abia State, Nigeria. When he was eight years old, Ironsi moved in with his older sister Anyamma, who was married to Theophilius Johnson, a Sierra Leonean diplomat in Umuahia.
Ironsi subsequently took the last name of his brother-in-law, who became his father figure. At the age of 18, Ironsi joined the Nigerian Army against the wishes of his sister.
Aguiyi Ironsi enlisted as a soldier (private) in the 7th battalion of the Nigerian Regiment in Kano February 2, 1942, and was posted to the Ordnance Depot in Sierra-Leone. A few years later, he was sent to the Ordnance Depot in Lagos as a Company Sergeant Major.
Some Non-Commissioned officers (N.C.Os) from the technical arms of the military, engineering, ordinance and signals, who were considered sufficiently educated, were sent to short officer conversion course. Louis V. Ugboma, Willington U Bassey, Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi, and Johnson Ademulegun, were the first group. Louis Ugboma was commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1948, Wellignton in March 1948, Ironsi and Ademulegun, June 1949.
When Aguiyi came back from Eaton Hall England where he received his training, he was posted to West African Command Head Quarters in Accra, the Gold Coast (present day Ghana). In a short time he was sent back to the ordnance Depot Lagos, before he ended up in infantry regiment.
He returned to Warminster School of Infantry, United Kingdom, 1952. At 32 years old, he was promoted full Lieutenant, and Aid-de-Camp to Sir John Macpherson, the Governor General. In 1953 he was promoted to the rank of Captain.
Ironsi and Ademulegun were sent to London as Regimental Representatives at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2nd June 1953. During the Queen of England’s visit to Nigeria from January 28 to February 16, 1956, Ironsi was appointed to be the Queen’s Extra- Equerry. At the end of the queen’s visit Ironsi was promoted Major, and was made member of the fourth class of the Royal Victoria Order.
Before the end of 1956, He got back to United Kingdom to attend the staff college at Camberley, from January 17 to 17 December. While in United Kingdom, he became a member of “A” Division. He was the first Nigerian to be appointed Major, the first to attend staff college and the first to append M.V.O Psc to his name.
In 1956, the Nigerian Regiment under the British control was dropped to become Nigerian Military force. W.U. Bassey, the second ever to be commissioned, got N/1, Ironsi N/2, Ademulegun N/3, and Shodehinde N/4. Loius V. Ugboma, the first Nigerian to be commissioned, was thrown out of the military because he was in the camp of the nationalists.
Although some vague references exist to a few indigenous field commissions in the early years of British campaigns in Nigeria, the first ten non-commissioned officers were W.U. Bassey (1946), Loius V. Ugboma (1948), Sey, Aguiyi-Ironsi and Samuel Ademulegun (1949), Ralph Shodeinde (1950) followed by Zakariya Maimalari, Lawan Gwadabe, Babafemi Ogundipe and Robert Adeyinka Adebayo (1953). Maimalari and Lawan, both northerners from the North-East, were the first Sandhurst trained officers in Nigeria. The others listed rose from the ranks.
Ironsi was confirmed substantive Major in October 1956, Ademulegun followed two months later. Bassey had his in April 1959. The government of Nigeria, headed by Sir Abubaka Tafawa Belewa knew that Ironsi was the most Senior Army Officer in the Nigerian army, based on this merit Ironsi was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel making him the first Nigerian to command a battalion when he led the 5th battalion to the Kivu and Leopoldville provinces of Congo.
His unit proved integral to the peacekeeping effort, and he was soon appointed the Force Commander of the United Nations Operation in the Congo during the country’s 1960’s crisis.
The Austrian Government honored Ironsi for stopping the rebel army from killing the Austrian medical team. This honor took place December 14, 1961. In 1962 Ironsi was sent to London to be the Military adviser to the Nigerian High commissioner. He attended the Royal military college where he finished his defense studies between 1962 and 1963.
His second tour of duty came in 1964. He was sent back to the Congo, as Major General. The war was brought to a logical conclusion. Ironsi was the last soldier to leave the Congo. When he came home he was promoted to Brigadier.
Finally, Ironsi was officially promoted to Major General (the first Nigerian) and General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Nigerian army on 9 February 1965. This process concluded the ‘indigenization’ of the office corps of the Nigerian army.
The January, 1966 coup, by mid-Officers of the Nigerian Army, forced Ironsi to be the head of the military government, of Nigeria. Six months later, he was killed by the coup plotters of 29th July-Sept. 1966.
List of Commanders of the Nigerian Army (Pre-Independence)
-1). Brevet Colonel C.H.P. Carter, CB, CMG (Royal Scots, From October 24, 1913).
-2). Major F.H. Cunliffe (Middlesex Regiment, From September 6th, 1914).
-3). Acting Commandants as Required( From 1914-1918 ).
-4). Vacant( From 1918-1920).
-5). Col. G.T. Mair, CMG, DSO( From March 20th, 1920).
-6). Col. J.F. Badham, DSO ( From 1924 ).
-7). Col. W.B. Greenwell, CMG, DSO ( From 1926).
-8 ). Col. C.C. Norman, CMG, DSO ( From 1929).
-9). Col. W.R. Meredith, CBD, DSO ( From 1931 ).
-10). Brig. D.P. Dickinson, DSO, OBE, MC ( From 1936).
-11). Brig. W.R. Smallwood, DSO, MC( From 1939 ).
-12). Vacant( From 1940-1946).
-13). Maj-Gen. C.R.A. Swynerton, CB, DSO ( From 1946).
-14). Maj-Gen. C.B. Fairbanks, CB, CBE( From 1949).
-15). Maj-Gen. J.H. Inglis, CB, CBE ( From 1952 ).
-16). Maj-Gen. Kenneth G. Exham, CB, DSO (From 1956-1959).
Post-Independence General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Nigerian Army
-17). Major General Norman Foster ( From 1960-1962).
-18). Brigadier Frank Goulson (Interim Basis) (From 1962-1962).
-19). Major General Christopher Welby-Everard ( From 1962-1965).
-20). Major General Aguiyi-Ironsi (First Indigenous Nigerian)
From 1965-
-First Nigeria Military Head of State: General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi (16 January, 1966 – 29 July, 1966).
-He also delivered Nigeria’s first Coup Speech (pictured above: Sitting L-R: Lt. Col. Hassan Katsina, Lt. Col. Emeka Ojukwu, Lt. Col. David Ejoor, Commodore JEA Wey, Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon.
-Standing: Air Force ADC Lt. Andrew Nwankwo – He was with Ironsi when he was killed but escaped at the urging of Ironsi’s Army ADC Lt. Sani Bello with whom he had a pact to save each other’s life depending on which section of the nation conducted the next coup after the January 1966 coup)
