Nowamagbe Omoigui (28 March 1959
– 18 April 2021)
was a Nigerian military historian and cardiologist.
Early life and education
Nowa Omoigui attended Corona primary school, St Saviors Primary School, and St Mary's Primary School, all in
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
, Nigeria.
For his secondary education, Nowa Omoigui studied at the Federal Government College, Warri, and
King's College, Lagos
King's College, Lagos (KCL) is a secondary school in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. It was founded on 20 September 1909 with 10 students on its original site at Lagos Island, adjacent to Tafawa Balewa Square. The school admits only male student ...
.
For his undergraduate education, he studied at the
University of Ibadan
The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 19 ...
where he graduated with an
MBBS with distinction.
Interest in History
An autobiographical statement from the Uhrobo Historical Society for Nowa Omoigui reads:
:::"My amateur interest in History, Political Science and Strategic studies dates back to the sixties. My father was a federal civil servant. As a three-year-old, I lived in the same neighborhood (MacDonald Avenue) as Chief Anthony Enahoro and the late Senator Dalton Asemota (my mother's uncle) in Ikoyi, Lagos. Events relating to the Treasonable Felony Trial
f Obafemi Awolowo and Anthony Enahoro, among others creation of the Midwest Region and the funeral of Senator Asemota were closely followed by my parents and many discussions were held in my presence, major elements of which, strangely, I still recall! As a seven year old, my family and I were awakened in the early hours of January 15, 1966, by our neighbor on Milverton Road (a British police officer) to tell us about the first coup. During the civil war I was the victim of a number of Biafran air-raids (which I never forgot)."
Nowa Omoigui gained unique and first hand insights (via relationships built with Nigerian military personnel) into many key events associated with Nigeria's military via a
National Youth Service Corps
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a program set up by the Nigerian government during the military regime to involve Nigerian graduates in nation-building and the development of the country. There is no military conscription in Nigeria, ...
posting with the Nigerian Army's Brigade of Guards in 1983.
Nowa Omoigui was a member of the
South Carolina Military History Club and was an amateur gun and military aircraft enthusiast.
Writings, Analysis, and Insights
Nowa Omoigui's publications can be found on his website https://nowaomoigui.com
Nowa Omoigui wrote extensively about key events about Nigeria's history and
Military coups in Nigeria
Since Nigerian independence in 1960, there have been five military coup d'états in Nigeria. Between 1966 and 1999, Nigeria was ruled by a military government without interruption, apart from a short-lived return to democracy under the Second N ...
: the
1966 Nigerian coup d'état
The 1966 Nigerian coup d'état began on 15 January 1966, when mutinous Nigerian soldiers led by Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and Emmanuel Ifeajuna killed 22 people including the Prime Minister of Nigeria, many senior politicians, many senior Army of ...
, the
Nigerian counter-coup of 1966, the
Nigerian Palace Coup of 1975, the
abortive 13 February 1976 coup, the
Nigerian Military Coup of 31 December 1983, the
palace coup of 1985, the Vatsa Coup Conspiracy of 1985, the
1990 Gideon Orkar Coup attempt among many others.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Omoigui, Nowa
20th-century Nigerian historians
Nigerian cardiologists
King's College, Lagos alumni
University of Ibadan alumni
Historians of Nigeria
1959 births
2021 deaths
21st-century Nigerian historians