David Ejoor (1932 – 2019)
•Soldier, patriot, gentleman
David Akpode Ejoor played significant roles in an era of military rule. He was Governor of the former Mid-Western Region, January 1966 – August 1967, first Nigerian Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), January 1969 – January 1971, and Chief of Army Staff, January 1971 – July 1975. A retired major-general of the Nigerian Army, Ejoor died on February 10 at the age of 87.
Born in Ovu, now in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, Ejoor, an Urhobo, attended Government College, Ughelli (GCU). He made history as one of the first Nigerian officer cadets to get Regular Commission into the Nigerian Army in the process of Nigerianising the officer corps in the early 1950s. Ejoor graduated from the prestigious Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, UK, in 1956.
By the time Nigeria gained its independence from Britain on October 1, 1960, Ejoor had become a Captain and “had the historic fortune of commanding the Army Guard at the dawn of independence.” This background perhaps explains Ejoor’s commitment to the unity of Nigeria.
Following his performance as a member of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force in the Congo from December 1960 to July 1961, he was promoted to the rank of Major. He was credited with “designing the Nigerian Army cap, badge and rank insignias.”
Nigeria’s first military coup on January 15, 1966, was a defining juncture in Ejoor’s career. He became an accidental political administrator. He was a Lieutenant-Colonel and Commander of the Army Battalion in Enugu at the time and helped to foil the coup. Ejoor was appointed Military Governor of the then Midwest Region, following the failure of the coup and the collapse of the civilian government. His position made him a member of the Supreme Military Council (SMC), the country’s highest ruling body.
The counter-coup of July 1966, which culminated in the Nigerian Civil War, 1967 – 1970, highlighted Ejoor’s vulnerability as a member of an ethnic minority. The July coup was a retaliatory rebellion led by Northern soldiers, mainly of Hausa/Fulani origin, largely against Igbo officers from the then Eastern Region. The Midwest Region, governed by Ejoor, had a substantial Igbo population, and was targeted by Igbo separatists in the crisis. Ejoor reportedly survived three assassination attempts by Igbo officers.
Ejoor, a fervent federalist, fled from his base in Benin, the capital of the Midwest Region, following an invasion by the secessionist army. Ejoor’s escape from Benin spawned various narratives. He is said to have rode a bicycle to Ebor-Orogun and eventually appeared in Lagos, the then federal capital – some accounts say he disguised as a woman. His escape illustrated the dangerous situation as well as his own ingenuity.
In wartime, Ejoor became a director at the Army Headquarters. He was involved in getting France, America and India to support the Federal Government during the war. He became a general in 1971, and attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in the UK. His rise to the position of Chief of Army Staff was testimony to his professional orientation. Reorganising the army after a divisive war required a sense of professionalism, and Ejoor is believed to have done well in restructuring the Nigerian Army.
It is striking that Ejoor’s military career came to an abrupt end when he was just 43, following the ouster of the then Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, by a coup in 1975. Interestingly, Gowon had been his junior at Sandhurst but became his boss as a result of ethnic politics.
Ejoor subsequently became President-General of the Urhobo Progress Union, which showed his cultural side. In 1982, President Shehu Shagari invited Ejoor to draft a defence policy for Nigeria, an indication of the respect he enjoyed as a retired top military man. He earned two Nigerian national honours, Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) and Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
Indeed, Ejoor’s life story provides further insight into Nigeria’s unresolved National Question.