Robert Adeyinka Adebayo
Encyclopedia
Robert Adeyinka Adebayo was the former Governor of the now defunct Western State of Nigeria,1966-1971.
He became Governor
after Late Col. Francis Adekunle Fajuyi
's death in the 1966 coup d'état.
, near Ado Ekiti, (present day Ekiti State), Nigeria
.
He attended Christ's school in Ado-Ekiti. He later completed the Officer Cadet
Training Course in Teshie, Ghana
from 1950 to 1952. After passing the War Office Examination for Commonwealth Cadets in 1952 as well as the West African qualifying examination in 1953, he was commissioned in the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) as the 23rd West African military officer with number WA23 and 7th Nigerian military officer with number N7 after completing the War Office
Cadet Training in Eaton Hall, England. He later attended the Staff College
course in Camberley (Surrey) in 1960 and the very prestigious, Imperial Defence College, London in late 1965 where he was the only African officer.
At the onset of war, the then Colonel
Adebayo, then the Governor of the then Western State ordered all bridges into the West be demolished to prevent the Biafran rebels from reaching Lagos
the then capital of Nigeria via the his state. The rebels went as far as Ore in present day Ondo
State about 100 kilometres from Lagos
.
After the war, he was appointed by the Head of State, General
Yakubu Gowon
, as the Chairman of the Committee
on the reconciliation and integration
of the Ibos (Biafrans) back into the Nigerian fold.
" revolt over taxation which was eventually resolved peacefully and harmoniously.
----
Robert Adeyinka Adebayo retired from the Nigeria Army as a Major General
in 1975.
Council of Elders
. His eldest son Otunba Niyi Adebayo
was a Governor of Ekiti State in Nigeria from 1999 to 2003. Another son, Adedayo Adebayo played rugby
for Bath and for the England
National team winning 6 International caps between 1996 and 1999. Another of his children, Leke Adebayo is an actor
, writer
and producer
in London and has appeared in and scripted various productions. Visiting Iyin Ekiti you can easily tell that two governors came from there, with its clean water, good roads, and modern amenities.
He became Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
after Late Col. Francis Adekunle Fajuyi
Adekunle Fajuyi
Francis Adekunle Fajuyi, BEM was the first military governor of the former Western Region, Nigeria. Originally a clerk, the late Lt. Colonel Francis Adekunle Fajuyi of Ado Ekiti joined the Army in 1943 as a Non Commissioned Officer, and he was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1951 for helping...
's death in the 1966 coup d'état.
Early life
Adeyinka Adebayo was born on the 9th, March 1928, in Iyin EkitiIyin Ekiti
Iyin-Ekiti is a town in Ekiti State, Nigeria, near to Ado. It is at an elevation of 457 mThe town was established between 1951 and 1954, when the Uyin people of the villages of Araromi, Okesale, Oketoro and Okelawe moved to the site, then sparsely occupied.Iyin now has eight primary and three...
, near Ado Ekiti, (present day Ekiti State), 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...
.
He attended Christ's school in Ado-Ekiti. He later completed the Officer Cadet
Cadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
Training Course in Teshie, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
from 1950 to 1952. After passing the War Office Examination for Commonwealth Cadets in 1952 as well as the West African qualifying examination in 1953, he was commissioned in the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) as the 23rd West African military officer with number WA23 and 7th Nigerian military officer with number N7 after completing the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
Cadet Training in Eaton Hall, England. He later attended the Staff College
Staff college
Staff colleges train military officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career...
course in Camberley (Surrey) in 1960 and the very prestigious, Imperial Defence College, London in late 1965 where he was the only African officer.
Career
Adeyinka Adebayo became an Officer in 1953- He was the first Nigerian to be an aide-de-campAide-de-campAn aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to a British Governor-GeneralGovernor-GeneralA Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
(the last British Governor-General of Nigeria- Sir James Robertson-1957 - First Nigerian General Staff Officer, Grade 2 (Intelligence) at the United Nations Headquarters in 1961
- First National General Staff Officer, Grade 2 Nigerian Army Headquarters 1961 - 1962
- First Nigerian to be appointed General Staff Officer Grade 1 1962 - 1963
- Commander, Nigerian Contingent in the Congo, 1963
- He served as staff officer in the United Nations Peacekeeping force during the Congo crisis,1961–1963
- Chief of Staff, Nigerian Army Headquarters Feb 1964 - Nov 1965 [He was the first indigenous Chief of Staff of the Nigerian Army]
- Chairman, Organinization of African Unity (OAU) Defence Planning Committee 1963 - 1965
- Head of Nigerian Delegation to the OAU Summit in Ethiopia, November 1966
- Military governor, Western Nigeria, 1966 to 1971
- Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy 1971 - 1972
- Ceremonial Military Duties 1972 - 1975
- Retired from the Nigerian Army in July 1975 with the rank of Major-General
- One of the Founders of and Vice Chairman of the National Party of NigeriaNational Party of NigeriaThe 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...
(NPN) 1979 - 1983
Biafra War
Adebayo advised against the use of force in resolving the Biafran crisis.In one of the most prescient and articulate quotations of the war, he declared:
'I need not tell you what horror,what devastation and what extreme human suffering will attend the use of force. When it is all over and the smoke and dust have lifted, and the dead are buried,we shall find, as other people have found,that it has all been futile, entirely futile,in solving the problems we set out to solve'.
At the onset of war, the then Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Adebayo, then the Governor of the then Western State ordered all bridges into the West be demolished to prevent the Biafran rebels from reaching Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
the then capital of Nigeria via the his state. The rebels went as far as Ore in present day Ondo
Ondo
Ondo is the name of:* Ondo , a style of Japanese folk music* Ondo, Hiroshima, a town in Japan* Ondo City in Nigeria* Ondo State in Nigeria* Ondo Phone in Europe...
State about 100 kilometres from Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
.
After the war, he was appointed by the Head of State, General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
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...
, as the Chairman of the Committee
Committee
A committee is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly—which when organized so that action on committee requires a vote by all its entitled members, is called the "Committee of the Whole"...
on the reconciliation and integration
Social integration
Social integration, in sociology and other social sciences, is the movement of minority groups such as ethnic minorities, refugees and underprivileged sections of a society into the mainstream of societies...
of the Ibos (Biafrans) back into the Nigerian fold.
Farmers Revolt
Major General Adebayo was the Governor during the infamous farmers' "AgbekoyaAgbekoya
The Agbekoya Parapo Revolt of 1968-1969, popularly known as Agbekoya or the Egbe Agbekoya Revolt, was a peasant revolt in Nigeria's former Western region, home to the majority of the country's Yoruba population...
" revolt over taxation which was eventually resolved peacefully and harmoniously.
----
Robert Adeyinka Adebayo retired from the Nigeria Army as a Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in 1975.
Later life
Adebayo is currently the Chairman of the YorubaYoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
Council of Elders
Council of Elders
Council of Elders may refer to:In politics:* Global Elders, a humanitarian group referred to in media as the Council of Elders.* Council of Elders of the Bundestag , a joint deliberative body...
. His eldest son Otunba Niyi Adebayo
Niyi Adebayo
Niyi Adebayo, alias Otunba, is a Nigerian politician and traditional aristocrat. He served as Governor of Ekiti State from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2003 and represents the Alliance for Democracy .-References:...
was a Governor of Ekiti State in Nigeria from 1999 to 2003. Another son, Adedayo Adebayo played rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
for Bath and for the 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...
National team winning 6 International caps between 1996 and 1999. Another of his children, Leke Adebayo is an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
in London and has appeared in and scripted various productions. Visiting Iyin Ekiti you can easily tell that two governors came from there, with its clean water, good roads, and modern amenities.