A Career Forged in Nigeria’s Military Turning Point COLONEL Ibrahim Taiwo, who died on 13 February 1976 during a failed coup attempt in Lagos, belonged to a generation of Nigerian officers whose careers were deeply intertwined with the country’s turbulent post-independence politics. His trajectory—from logistics officer to state administrator—mirrors the transformation of the military from […]
By GREG NWOKO A Career Spanning Nigeria’s Military Evolution The career of Major General Raymond Matthew Dumuje mirrors the transformation of Nigeria’s armed forces from colonial-era units to a modern national military. Dumuje, an indigene of the Udu clan in Delta State, belonged to the early generation of Nigerian officers who rose through the ranks during […]
IKHIDE R IKHELOA Soldier of Fortune: Early Years and Formation BORN on 8 November 1938 in Kano, Murtala Ramat Muhammed emerged from the elite Barewa College, Zaria, into a generation of young officers who would shape Nigeria’s post-independence history. Trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he was commissioned in 1961 and quickly developed a […]
By ALIYU ALIYU The First Lady Who Broke the Silence Before It Was a Trend A Precedent Nigeria Forgot WHEN Aisha Buhari stunned the nation with televised grievances about her marriage to President Muhammadu Buhari, the moment felt unprecedented. It was not. Over a decade earlier, Oluremi Obasanjo had already cracked open the sanctified walls of […]
Calabar Roots and the Making of a Multicultural Statesman JOSEPH Edet Akinwale Wey was born on 6 March 1918 in Calabar, a coastal town that shaped his identity long before it shaped his career. His heritage was emblematic of the Nigeria that would emerge decades later—interwoven, multilingual, and plural. With a Yoruba father from Ogbomosho […]
Birth of Privilege, Burden of Legacy BORN in Lagos in 1927, Abimbola da Rocha Afodu Omololu-Mulele entered a world of affluence but also expectation. Her lineage was not merely prestigious—it was historically catalytic. As the granddaughter of Candido João da Rocha, a colossus of Lagos commerce and philanthropy, Abimbola inherited more than a famous surname. […]