Okhai Michael Akhigbe (29 September 1946 – 13 October 2013) was a Vice admiral of the

Nigerian Navy The Nigerian Navy (NN) is a branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is among the largest navies on the African continent, consisting of several thousand personnel, including those of the Coast Guard. History The Nigerian Navy owes its origin to ...

who served as ''de facto''

Vice President of Nigeria The vice president of Nigeria is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the federal government of Nigeria, after the president of Nigeria, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. Officially styled vice president ...

(as Chief of General Staff) under military head of state General

Abdusalami Abubakar Abdulsalami Abubakar (; born 13 June 1942) is a Nigerian statesman and retired Nigerian Army general who served as the ''de facto'' President of Nigeria from 1998 to 1999. He was also Chief of Defence Staff between 1997 and 1998. He succeede ...

from June 1998 to May 1999, when the military government was terminated and replaced with the

Fourth Nigerian Republic The Fourth Republic is the current republican government of Nigeria. Since 1999, it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Second Republic, which was in place between 1979 and ...

. He previously served as Chief of Naval Staff, the highest-ranking officer of the Nigerian Navy from 1994 to 1998; Military

Governor of Lagos State The governor of Lagos State is the head of government of Lagos State in Nigeria. The governor leads the executive branch of the Lagos State Government. This position places its holder in leadership of the state with command authority over the ...

from 1986 to 1988; and Military

Governor of Ondo State This is a list of governors and administrators of Ondo State. Ondo State was created from part of Western State on 17 March 1976. See also * States of Nigeria *List of state governors of Nigeria References * * *{{cite web , url=http://allafr ...

from 1985 to 1986.

Early life

Akhigbe was born on September 29, 1946, in Fugar, Aviawu clan in Etsako Central Local Government Area 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 ...

. and was educated at Afenmai Anglican Grammar School, Igarra from 1961 to 1965.

Military career

He attended the

Nigerian Defence Academy The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) is a military university based in Kaduna, Nigeria that trains officer cadets for commissioning into one of the three services of the Nigerian Armed Forces: the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. The duration of t ...

, Royal Naval School of Maritime Operations Dryad, Southwick UK, Command and Staff College Jaji, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies Kuru, University of Poitiers, Rouan, France, and the International Defense Management Program at the Naval Postgraduate School, in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. He was the Principal Welfare Officer of the

Flagship NNS Aradu, Military Governor of

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 ...

and Ondo States, Director, Naval Plans, Naval Headquarters, Flag Officer commanding the Easter Naval Command and Chief of Naval Staff.

Chief of General Staff

In 1998 he became the Chief of General Staff and Vice President of Nigeria. Admiral Okhai Michael Akhigbe is remembered for his numerous services to his community and nation, especially his role during the transition from military to civilian rule in 1999 when he was the Chief of General Staff to Gen.

Later career

Akhigbe was an Attorney with specialization in Maritime Law. He was also a seasoned businessman with substantial investments in real estate. He died in the US on 28 October 2013.

Honours

He was awarded the honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), in 1998 and an honorary doctorate by the University of Benin in 2003. His military decorations include Force Service Star, Meritorious Service Star, and Defense Service Star.

Community development

Akhigbe brought

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

to the Fugar community. He brought the administrative headquarters of Etsako Central Local Government Area of

Nigeria to Fugar City. He was the single most important factor in the rehabilitation of the Teacher's college Ekiti, later called Ondo State College of Education. Admiral Akhigbe, then a Commodore and military Governor of old Ondo State approved the appointment of USAID-HARVARD trained educationist, Dr Sam Adebayo Adewuya as the Sole Administrator of the college with the sole command of returning the dilapidated college to functional level within three years. The college has since evolved into the University of Education,

Ekiti State Ekiti State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkìtì) is a state in southwestern Nigeria, bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the northeast by Kogi State, to the south and southeast by Ondo State, and to the west by Osun State. Named for the Ekiti peo ...

TUNEDIK.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akhigbe, Mike Vice presidents of Nigeria 2013 deaths 1945 births Governors of Lagos State Governors of Ondo State Nigerian Navy admirals Nigerian Defence Academy alumni 20th-century Nigerian politicians Chiefs of Naval Staff (Nigeria)