Adekunle Fajuyi

Adekunle Fajuyi
Military Governor of Western Nigeria
In office
15 January – 29 July 1966
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byRobert Adeyinka Adebayo
Personal details
Born26 June 1926
Ado Ekiti, Nigeria
Died29 July 1966(1966-07-29) (aged 40)
Ibadan
Political partyNone (Military)

Francis Adekunle Fajuyi MC BEM (26 June 1926 – 29 July 1966) was a Nigerian soldier of Yoruba origin and the first military governor of the former Western Region, Nigeria.[1][2][3]

Originally a teacher and clerk, Fajuyi, a native of Ado Ekiti, joined the army in 1943, and as a sergeant in the Nigeria Signal Squadron, Royal West African Frontier Force, was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1951 for helping to contain a mutiny in his unit over food rations.[4] He was trained at the Eaton Hall Officer Candidate School in the United Kingdom from July 1954 until November 1954, when he was short-service commissioned.[5] In 1961, as the 'C' Company commander with the 4 battalion, Queen's Own Nigeria Regiment under Lt. Col. Price, Major Fajuyi was awarded the Military Cross for actions in North Katanga and extricating his unit from an ambush.[6] On completion of Congo operations, Fajuyi became the first indigenous commander of the 1st battalion in Enugu, a position he held until just before the first coup of January 1966, when he was posted to Abeokuta as garrison commander. When Major General Ironsi emerged as the new C-in-C on 17 January 1966, he appointed Fajuyi the first military governor of the Western Region.[7]

  1. ^ Frederick Forsyth (2015). Biafra Story: The Making of an African Legend. Pen and Sword. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-4738-6099-5.
  2. ^ I. A. Akinjogbin (2002). Milestones and concepts in Yoruba history and culture: a key to understanding Yoruba history. Olu-Akin Publishers, 2002. p. 120. ISBN 9789763331392.
  3. ^ Beatrice Akpu Inyang Eleje (July 2012). Roots, My Love, My Destiny. iUniverse, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4759-3467-0.
  4. ^ London Gazette: 1 June 1951 Issue 39243, Page 3087
  5. ^ London Gazette: 21 January 1955, Issue 40389, Page 500
  6. ^ London Gazette 19 December 1961 Issue 42545, Page 9289
  7. ^ "53 years of Counter Coup: How Fajuyi and Ironsi were killed". PM News Nigeria. Retrieved 11 July 2024.