Lawrence Onoja
Encyclopedia
Major General Lawrence Anebi Onoja was the military governor of Plateau State
, Nigeria
from 1986 to July 1988 and then of Katsina State
until December 1989 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida
.
He later became Principal Staff Officer to General Sani Abacha
, before being arrested for alleged involvement in a coup attempt. He retired from the army in 1998, and after the return to democracy in May 1999 with the Nigerian Fourth Republic
entered into politics.
local government in Benue State
of Idoma
origins.
He attended St. Francis College, Otukpo
and then Government College in Lafia
, Nasarawa State
(1962–1966).
He joined the army in 1966 as a cadet officer.
Onoja attended the Nigerian Defence Academy
, Kaduna
and the Mons Officer Cadet School
, Aldershot
, England
.
Onoja was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in October 1968.
While in the army, Onoja attended Cameron University
, Oklahoma
and Oklahoma State University, earning a degree in Political Science.
He later obtained an M.Sc. in Political Science from the University of Jos
, and a PhD in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Jos.
Onoja held various appointments including Defence Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy in Cairo
, Egypt
.
Onoja was Principal Staff Officer to General Ibrahim Babangida
before being appointed military governor of Plateau State in July 1988.
In April 1988 he was forced to shut down the University of Jos
following student disturbances.
As military governor in Katsina State Onoja was noted for his honesty.
In March 1989 he announced that a US $20 million dollar loan from Saudi Arabia was being negotiated for the Zobe Dam
agricultural irrigation project.
He was then appointed General Officer Commanding 3rd Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army, Jos, and General Staff Officer in the Presidency of General Sani Abacha
.
In 1998 he was arrested for allegedly being involved in a plot to depose Abacha, but was set free when no charges were brought against him.
Onoja retired from the army in 1998 as a Major General.
In 2003 he was a board member of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
Onoja was a Governorship aspirant in the 2003 Benue State elections on the United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP) platform.
He competed against incumbent David Mark
in the People's Democratic Party
(PDP) primaries to be candidate for Senator in Benue South in December 2006.
In the bitter fight, Onoja went as far as signing an advertorial in a national newspaper that support former Benue governor George Akume
.
The contest was close, with Mark gaining 1,719 votes and Onoja 1,605.
Although Mark did not gain the 2/3 majority required by the PDP, Onoja accepted the result.
In April 2009, President Umaru Yar'Adua named Onoja as Chairman of the National Institute for Sports.
In 2009, the Idekpa Community of Ohimini
local government area in Benue State
honored Onoja with the chieftaincy title of Ooyame K’Idekpa, or "Achiever Par Excellence". They also urged him to run for Senate in 2011.
Plateau State
Plateau State is the twelfth largest state of Nigeria, and is roughly located in the center of the country. It is geographically unique in Nigeria because its boundaries totally surround the Jos Plateau, having the Jos Plateau totally in its central and northern part...
, Nigeria
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...
from 1986 to July 1988 and then of Katsina State
Katsina State
Katsina State is a state in northern Nigeria. Its capital is Katsina, and its governor is Ibrahim Shema, a member of the People's Democratic Party...
until December 1989 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
.
He later became Principal Staff Officer to 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....
, before being arrested for alleged involvement in a coup attempt. He retired from the army in 1998, and after the return to democracy in May 1999 with the Nigerian Fourth Republic
Nigerian Fourth Republic
The Fourth Republic is the republican government of Nigeria. Since 1999 it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Second Republic, which was in place between 1979 and 1983 and suffers many of the same problems, such as multiple...
entered into politics.
Background
Onoja was born on 10 August 1948 at Idekpa Okpiko, OhiminiOhimini
Ohimini is a Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Idekpa-Okpiko.Ohimini was created out of the present Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.Major districts under Ohimini local Government are,Onyagede which share boundary with Kogi state has the...
local government in Benue State
Benue State
Benue is a state in the Middle-Belt region of Nigeria with a population of about 2.8 million in 1991. Tiv, Idoma, and Igede are spoken predominantly. There are other ethnic groups as well. These include Etulo and Abakwa...
of Idoma
Idoma
The Idoma are an ethno-linguistic group that primarily inhabit lower and western areas of Benue State, Nigeria, and kindred groups can be found in Cross Rivers and Nasarawa States in Nigeria. The Idoma are closely related to the Igbo people. The Idoma language is classified in the Akweya subgroup...
origins.
He attended St. Francis College, Otukpo
Otukpo
Otukpo is a town in Benue State, Nigeria located in the middle belt. Otukpo is the headquarters of the Otukpo Local Government Area. It was the headquarters of the former Idoma Province, and remains an important town in Idomaland, the area mainly populated by the Idoma speaking tribe, though with...
and then Government College in Lafia
Lafia
Lafia is a town in central Nigeria. It is the capital city of Nasarawa State and has a population of 330,712 inhabitants according to the 2006 census results .It is the largest town in Nasarawa state.- History :...
, Nasarawa State
Nasarawa State
Nasarawa State is a state in central Nigeria. Its capital is Lafia.-History:Nasarawa was created on 1 October 1996 by the Abacha government from the Plateau State.-Geography:...
(1962–1966).
He joined the army in 1966 as a cadet officer.
Onoja attended the Nigerian Defence Academy
Nigerian Defence Academy
The Nigerian Defence Academy at Kaduna is the only Military University in Nigeria.The NDA was established in January 1964 as a reformation of the British run Royal Military Forces Training College , which had been renamed the Nigerian Military Training College on independence...
, 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...
and the Mons Officer Cadet School
Mons Officer Cadet School
The Mons Officer Cadet School was a British military training establishment in Aldershot.1942 saw the RMC move to Mons Barracks where it became 161 OCTU. Cadets underwent a three month training programme prior to the Commisioning Passing Out Parade. Those passing out slow marched up the steps from...
, 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
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Onoja was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in October 1968.
While in the army, Onoja attended Cameron University
Cameron University
Cameron University is a four-year, state-funded university located in Lawton, Oklahoma, that offers more than 50 degrees through two-year, four-year and graduate programs. The degree programs emphasize the liberal arts, science and technology and graduate and professional studies...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and Oklahoma State University, earning a degree in Political Science.
He later obtained an M.Sc. in Political Science from the University of Jos
University of Jos
The University of Jos, abbreviated as Unijos, is a federal university in Jos, Plateau State, central Nigeria. The school offers courses in law, medicine, pharmacy, natural sciences, social sciences, the built environment as well as arts and humanities....
, and a PhD in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Jos.
Onoja held various appointments including Defence Adviser at the Nigerian Embassy in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Onoja was Principal Staff Officer to General Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
before being appointed military governor of Plateau State in July 1988.
Military Governor
As Plateau State governor, in an effort to defuse tension between Christians and Moslems, Onoja (a Christian) announced that all public places of worship would be destroyed.In April 1988 he was forced to shut down the University of Jos
University of Jos
The University of Jos, abbreviated as Unijos, is a federal university in Jos, Plateau State, central Nigeria. The school offers courses in law, medicine, pharmacy, natural sciences, social sciences, the built environment as well as arts and humanities....
following student disturbances.
As military governor in Katsina State Onoja was noted for his honesty.
In March 1989 he announced that a US $20 million dollar loan from Saudi Arabia was being negotiated for the Zobe Dam
Zobe Dam
The Zobe Dam is in Dutsin-Ma local government area of Katsina State in the north of Nigeria. It is an earth-fill structure with a height of 19 m and a total length of 2,750 m.The dam has a storage capacity of 179 Mca and irrigation potential of 8,000 hectares....
agricultural irrigation project.
Later career
After leaving office as governor of Katsina, Onoja was appointed director of the Faculty of Joint Studies in the Command and Staff College, Jaji, and then in 1991 became principal officer to the Chief of Defence Staff and Minister of Defence.He was then appointed General Officer Commanding 3rd Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army, Jos, and General Staff Officer in the Presidency of 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....
.
In 1998 he was arrested for allegedly being involved in a plot to depose Abacha, but was set free when no charges were brought against him.
Onoja retired from the army in 1998 as a Major General.
In 2003 he was a board member of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
Onoja was a Governorship aspirant in the 2003 Benue State elections on the United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP) platform.
He competed against incumbent David Mark
David Mark
David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark is the President of the Senate of Nigeria and Senator for the Benue South constituency of Benue State. He is a member of the People's Democratic Party ....
in the People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...
(PDP) primaries to be candidate for Senator in Benue South in December 2006.
In the bitter fight, Onoja went as far as signing an advertorial in a national newspaper that support former Benue governor George Akume
George Akume
George Akume is a Nigerian politician, a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party . He was governor of Benue State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007 and was then elected to the Senate....
.
The contest was close, with Mark gaining 1,719 votes and Onoja 1,605.
Although Mark did not gain the 2/3 majority required by the PDP, Onoja accepted the result.
In April 2009, President Umaru Yar'Adua named Onoja as Chairman of the National Institute for Sports.
In 2009, the Idekpa Community of Ohimini
Ohimini
Ohimini is a Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Idekpa-Okpiko.Ohimini was created out of the present Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.Major districts under Ohimini local Government are,Onyagede which share boundary with Kogi state has the...
local government area in Benue State
Benue State
Benue is a state in the Middle-Belt region of Nigeria with a population of about 2.8 million in 1991. Tiv, Idoma, and Igede are spoken predominantly. There are other ethnic groups as well. These include Etulo and Abakwa...
honored Onoja with the chieftaincy title of Ooyame K’Idekpa, or "Achiever Par Excellence". They also urged him to run for Senate in 2011.