Ekundayo B. Opaleye was Governor of

Ondo State Ondo State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Oǹdó) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast, Edo State to the east, Delta State to t ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

from August 1986 to December 1987 during the military regime of general Ibrahim Babangida.

Military career

Colonel Opaleye was a member of a Special Military Tribunal set up in 1986 to try officers accused of plotting a coup against Babangida in December 1985. In August 1986 he was appointed governor of Ondo State, holding office until December 1987. General Opaleye was appointed commander of the

OAU The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...

Neutral Military Organization Group (NMOG) set up in 1991 to enforce a cease fire between the

Tutsi The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic grou ...

-led

Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF–Inkotanyi, french: Front patriotique rwandais, FPR) is the ruling political party in Rwanda. Led by President Paul Kagame, the party has governed the country since its armed wing defeated government forces, winn ...

(RPF) and the

Hutu The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic or social group which is native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the prin ...

-dominated

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

n government. NMOG had the limited mandate of creating a buffer zone between the rebels and the government troops. In 1993 NMOG was integrated into the

United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 872 on 5 October 1993. It was intended to assist in the implementation of the Arusha Accords (Rwanda), Arusha Accords, sig ...

(UNAMIR). Major-general Opaleye played a big role in the conclusion of the ARUSHA talks that let to the Peace Agreement signed on August 4, 1993.

Later career

After retiring from the army, Opaleye was made an Owu Erunmu chief (Balogun Erunmu – Erunmu Owu's highest ranking war chieftain) by the Oluroko of Erunmu Owu, Honourable Chief Aremu Olugbolahan Ijaola. This makes him a traditional war chief in Erunmu, and by extension, a secondary cabinet member in the Owu Kingdom. He was involved in controversy when the Owu monarch, Oba Adegboyega Dosumu, appointed sixteen new Obas, whom the

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the ...

government refused to recognize. In October 2009 Opaleye said the Owu Kingdom would not reverse the appointments since they were not contrary to any laws.

References

Nigerian generals People from Ondo State Living people Yoruba military personnel Governors of Ondo State Year of birth missing (living people) {{nigeria-mil-bio-stub