George Agbazika Innih (25 September 1938 – 15 August 2002) was a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

Army general and statesman. He was the military governor of Bendel and

Kwara Kwara State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Kwárà), is a state in Western Nigeria, bordered to the east by Kogi State, to the north by Niger state, and to the south by Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, while its western border makes up part of the internation ...

States.

Early years

George Agbazika Innih was born on September 25, 1938, at Agenebode,

Etsako East Etsako East is a local government council in Edo State, Nigeria with its headquarters at Agenebode. It has an area of 1,133 km and a population of 145,996 at the 2006 census. The postal code A postal code (also known locally in various E ...

Local Government Area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

(LGA) of

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

. He was educated at Catholic school,

Akure Akure is a city in south-western Nigeria. It is the capital and largest city of Ondo State. The city had a population of 403,000 as at the 2006 population census. History Pre 1914 Rock engravings dating back to the Mesolithic period, hav ...

, the Government school in

Warri The city of Warri is an oil hub within South-South Nigeria and houses an annex of the Delta State Government House. Warri City is one of the major hubs of the petroleum industry in Nigeria. Warri and her twin city, Uvwie are the commercial c ...

, the Holy Cross Catholic school in

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...

and

Edo College Edo College is a secondary grammar school in Benin City, Nigeria, the oldest in the Mid-Western Region. It was established in February, 1937 and started as the Benin Middle School with forms, I, II and III. In April 1937, the school, with a total ...

, Benin City.

Military career

He joined the army, and was trained at

Mons Officer Cadet School Mons Officer Cadet School was a British military training establishment for officer cadets in Aldershot from 1942 to 1972, when it was closed and all officer training concentrated at Sandhurst. Until 1960, it was known as the Mons Officer Cadet ...

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

, England (1962), then at the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

, England (1962–1964) and 1972. He was appointed platoon commander, 4th Infantry Battalion,

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...

(1964–65), deputy military secretary, Supreme Headquarters,

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

, Colonel General Staff 3rd Marine Commando (1968–69) and brigade commander, 5 Infantry Brigade,

Onitsha Onitsha ( or just ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city located on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. A metropolitan city, Onitsha is known for its river port and as an economic hub for commerce, industry, and education. ...

1974–74. After the coup of 29 July 1975, by Brigadier

Murtala Mohammed Murtala Ramat Muhammad (8 November 1938 – 13 February 1976) was a Nigerian general who led the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup in overthrowing the Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi military regime and featured prominently during the Nigerian Civil War ...

, he was made military governor of Bendel State, since split into

and Delta State. Soon after taking control, he dissolved the executive council and the boards of statutory corporations, suspended all contract awards, and set up committees to review finances and projects undertaken by his predecessor

Samuel Ogbemudia Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia (17 September 1932 – 9 March 2017) was a Nigerian army officer and politician. He was military Governor (1967–1975) of the Mid-Western Region, Nigeria, Mid-West State, later renamed Bendel State, part of which in ...

. Several serving officers were retired from service. On 13 February 1976, General Murtala Mohammed was killed in a failed coup and his second-in-command, his chief of staff Lt-Gen.

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its pres ...

, was appointed as head of state. In March, Obasanjo redeployed Colonel Innih to Kwara state, replacing him with Navy captain Hussaini Abdullahi. Innih served in Kwara State as military governor until 1978. He was Quarter Master General of the

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is governed by the Nigerian Army Council (NAC). The Chief of Army Staff is the highest ranking military officer of the Nigerian Army. History Formation The Nigerian ...

(1978–79) and general officer commanding, I Infantry Division, Nigerian Army (1979–80), when he retired.

Subsequent career

Innih became the president of Retired Officers of Nigerian Armed Forces Organization (RANAO). He was chairman/managing director of Niger Valley Agro Industries Limited, chairman / managing director of Tamsaks Nigeria Limited and chairman of Bridgestone Finance Limited. He was honored with the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR). The

University of Ilorin University of Ilorin, also known as Unilorin, is a federal government-owned university in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. It was established by a decree of the federal military government in August, 1975. The establishment aimed to implement one o ...

awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Law in 1998. He died in 2002.

References

Nigerian generals 1938 births 2002 deaths Governors of Kwara State Graduates of the Mons Officer Cadet School Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Officers of the Order of the Federal Republic {{Nigeria-politician-stub