₦airaland Forum

naijafox:
While Awolowo never trusted the Igbos, the north never trusted Awolowo and theYorubas. The northern oligarchy instigated crisis in Western Nigeria in the same manner President Obasanjo used the Uba brothers to instigate crisis in Anambra State. This crisis led to the trumped up charges leading to the trial and imprisonment of Awolowo . Reports has it that he was to be poisoned in prison before the military coup altered the state of affairs.

Awolowo was released from Calabar prison by Biafran leader Odumegwu Ojukwu and there was an agreement that while Ojukwu declares Biafra in the East, Awolowo would declare Oduduwa Republic in the West. The British establishment, sensing the dangers of Awolowo declaring Oduduwa Republic in the West, convinced Gowon and the north to checkmate Awolowo’s secessionist agenda by appointing him the Vice Chairman of Federal Executive Council. This strategy worked effectively and Awolowo was deceived that after Gowon’s tenure he would be given the opportunity of ruling Nigeria. Awolowo thus had to checkmate the Biafran dream to clear any obstacle to his ruling Nigeria while the north was looking for the right opportunity to throw him into the dustbin. In frustration, Awo resigned from Gowon’s cabinet when he realized he has been politically duped.


Awolowo quashed the Biafran dream while the northern establishment killed the Oduduwa dream and betrayed Awolowo’s presidential ambition thrice. This fact was aptly captured by a prominent Yoruba leader and Nigeria’s former minister of aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode while replying to a boastful statement by another prominent northern leader, Alhaji Usman Farouk on how the north dominated the Yoruba people and conquered the Niger Delta. According to Fani Kayode, "... the north literally begged Awolowo not to declare Oduduwa Republic and go the way of Biafra even though that was his original intention…Fourthly it was the support that the south west gave to the north that allowed Nigeria to win the war. Fifthly it was the lie that Gowon and the northern leaders fed to Awolowo that he would be made President of the country after the war and after being effectively being made de facto Prime Minister under Gowon during the war that got Awolowo to support them’’, invariably, the Igbos and Yorubas were effectively dribbled, divided, manipulated and overpowered.
Northerners were always wise when it came to politics

my brother what you said is all true but Awolowo was a greedy man. all he wanted is to be a President of Nigeria even before independence.

Lifestone:
It's naive for both Adekunle and Aguiyi not to have known that something sinister would soon happen expecially in Abeokuta and Ibadan axix.
It was well documented that the Northern officers led by Muritala and Danjuma have stopped taking orders from superiors who are ibos and resentments on the first coup were at the highest level. It was also obvious from the ease of the execution of the mutiny that both the Head of State and his host were careless about their personal safety given what was happening at that particular period.
The weakness of Aguiyi created the atmosphere for the revenge attacks on Ibo officers, his own personal death and the slaughter of Ibos in the north and altimately the civil war.
What Nigeria needed at that period in time was a leader who can stand firm, smart enough to heal the wounds of the January coup. For instance, why was there no immediate trial and execution of the coup plotters? Why was there no mass arrest of all participants both military and civilians? All these omissions among others led to the resentments that Aguiyi was simpathetic to the coup plotters, probably because they are mainly of the Igbo origin

Ironsi's handling of the January '66 coup plotters was typical Igbo man behaviour. If an Igbo man sees his fellow tribesman doing evil he will never condemn him, most especially when the victims/recipients of that evil are from other tribes, or he derives material benefit from his brother's criminal activity.

Even up till today Igbo people never fail to mobilise in support of their tribesmen in political office who are indicted for numerous heinous economic crimes.

naijafox:
While Awolowo never trusted the Igbos, the north never trusted Awolowo and theYorubas. The northern oligarchy instigated crisis in Western Nigeria in the same manner President Obasanjo used the Uba brothers to instigate crisis in Anambra State. This crisis led to the trumped up charges leading to the trial and imprisonment of Awolowo . Reports has it that he was to be poisoned in prison before the military coup altered the state of affairs.

Awolowo was released from Calabar prison by Biafran leader Odumegwu Ojukwu and there was an agreement that while Ojukwu declares Biafra in the East, Awolowo would declare Oduduwa Republic in the West. The British establishment, sensing the dangers of Awolowo declaring Oduduwa Republic in the West, convinced Gowon and the north to checkmate Awolowo’s secessionist agenda by appointing him the Vice Chairman of Federal Executive Council. This strategy worked effectively and Awolowo was deceived that after Gowon’s tenure he would be given the opportunity of ruling Nigeria. Awolowo thus had to checkmate the Biafran dream to clear any obstacle to his ruling Nigeria while the north was looking for the right opportunity to throw him into the dustbin. In frustration, Awo resigned from Gowon’s cabinet when he realized he has been politically duped.


Awolowo quashed the Biafran dream while the northern establishment killed the Oduduwa dream and betrayed Awolowo’s presidential ambition thrice. This fact was aptly captured by a prominent Yoruba leader and Nigeria’s former minister of aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode while replying to a boastful statement by another prominent northern leader, Alhaji Usman Farouk on how the north dominated the Yoruba people and conquered the Niger Delta. According to Fani Kayode, "... the north literally begged Awolowo not to declare Oduduwa Republic and go the way of Biafra even though that was his original intention…Fourthly it was the support that the south west gave to the north that allowed Nigeria to win the war. Fifthly it was the lie that Gowon and the northern leaders fed to Awolowo that he would be made President of the country after the war and after being effectively being made de facto Prime Minister under Gowon during the war that got Awolowo to support them’’, invariably, the Igbos and Yorubas were effectively dribbled, divided, manipulated and overpowered.
Northerners were always wise when it came to politics

I can't believe that there are still people who deny Awolowo's betrayal. I can understand why he did it as he thought that it would advance both himself and his people but there's one thing that backstabbers like him need to understand: if you stab one person's back then you shouldn't ever expect the next person to even show you theirs, meaning that the Northerners learnt from his treachery of Ojukwu and decided to never put him in a position to do the same to them.

Aaronzy:
bros u are just being tribalistic in ur comments, so IfeaJuna killing his mentor is not disloyalty...it's only dae northern counter coup dat is disloyalty
in summary, the counter coup was A REACTION TO AN INACTION AGAINST AN ILLEGAL ACTION!

Read all my comments on this thread and you will know that i am not being tribalistic. I am just trying to let people knw the selfishness and other motives of the coupists who brainwashed other junior officers and some Nigerians into believing that the coups is all about sanitazing the Nigerian government of corrupt leaders

specialadviser5:
True picture of Nigerian., igbos the first coup plotters, yoruba stood by igbo president to the point of death and hausas the betrayals.

The Betrayals Ko,The Betraying Ni.....

seunmsg:
Unfortunately, our Ibo brothers who are desperately trying to rewrite history keep denying the occurrence of this event because it does not conform to their bigoted narrative that Yorubas are coward.

Kudos to Col. Fajuyi for that act of real bravery, a true Ekiti man in all ramifications. He paid the ultimate price for his uncompromising loyalty.

Ironsi is no hero to the average Igbo. Ironsi was like Zik -both lacked foresight.
Tafawa Balewa refused one Nigeria, he had foresight


Only Igbo hero remains the one who had sense: Ikemba Ojukwu

Any Igbo today who still unable to understand that Nationhood can never come to Nigeria - that Igbo is like Zik and Ironsi - lacks foresight.

I wonder what they mean when they say Igbo coup

north overreacted to a coup. I dare anyone to counter

north did worse than overreacted to a coup. I dare anyone to counter

No course is worth the blood of anyone.

Cos even when you champion a good course, and decide to shed blood to make your point, you also mark yourself for judgement. The one that kills will ALWAYS be killed.

Ok

all the Igbo leaders of that time had national interests. when they make it look like some Igbo cabal sent it's generals[prove it] and base their anti Igbo statements on that, I wonder how some Yoruba races could have such thwarted logic. the Igbo fighting Yoruba section of these times are perhaps descended from like ancestors. hence I am certain that the northern aggressors along with the partnering western section will be picked out correctly[and the innocent passed over] during the great retribution. the biggest and most just ever witnessed on earth

naijafox:
While Awolowo never trusted the Igbos, the north never trusted Awolowo and theYorubas. The northern oligarchy instigated crisis in Western Nigeria in the same manner President Obasanjo used the Uba brothers to instigate crisis in Anambra State. This crisis led to the trumped up charges leading to the trial and imprisonment of Awolowo . Reports has it that he was to be poisoned in prison before the military coup altered the state of affairs.

Awolowo was released from Calabar prison by Biafran leader Odumegwu Ojukwu and there was an agreement that while Ojukwu declares Biafra in the East, Awolowo would declare Oduduwa Republic in the West. The British establishment, sensing the dangers of Awolowo declaring Oduduwa Republic in the West, convinced Gowon and the north to checkmate Awolowo’s secessionist agenda by appointing him the Vice Chairman of Federal Executive Council. This strategy worked effectively and Awolowo was deceived that after Gowon’s tenure he would be given the opportunity of ruling Nigeria. Awolowo thus had to checkmate the Biafran dream to clear any obstacle to his ruling Nigeria while the north was looking for the right opportunity to throw him into the dustbin. In frustration, Awo resigned from Gowon’s cabinet when he realized he has been politically duped.


Awolowo quashed the Biafran dream while the northern establishment killed the Oduduwa dream and betrayed Awolowo’s presidential ambition thrice. This fact was aptly captured by a prominent Yoruba leader and Nigeria’s former minister of aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode while replying to a boastful statement by another prominent northern leader, Alhaji Usman Farouk on how the north dominated the Yoruba people and conquered the Niger Delta. According to Fani Kayode, "... the north literally begged Awolowo not to declare Oduduwa Republic and go the way of Biafra even though that was his original intention…Fourthly it was the support that the south west gave to the north that allowed Nigeria to win the war. Fifthly it was the lie that Gowon and the northern leaders fed to Awolowo that he would be made President of the country after the war and after being effectively being made de facto Prime Minister under Gowon during the war that got Awolowo to support them’’, invariably, the Igbos and Yorubas were effectively dribbled, divided, manipulated and overpowered.
Northerners were always wise when it came to politics

I am Yoruba but i dont support people based on tribal affiliations. We have heard two different stories of how Gowon was who released Awolowo and another story of how Ojukwu released Awolowo.

If by what you have narrated here then i believe the story of Gowon released him. Why? Because how can an Eastern Governor release a Federal prisoner even if he was released by Ojukwu how was it was possible for him to go down to Lagos and he was received by Gowon. To me that was not possible. So i choose to believe Gowon released him.

Nationhood can never come to Nigeria because of the differences in the value systems of the three most populous ethnic groups in Nigeria.

And without commonly shared value systems among the groups that make up a country, it's being politically naive to expect nationhood for such a country. That's Ironsi's and Zik's fault.

Without nationhood for a country, hardly any meaningful peace and development.

Because nationhood refused to come to Nigeria is reason why oil money is got from the southsouth and southeast but expensive government development projects end up in the north, and sometimes, in the southwest.


So long the political status quo remains, nothing is gonna change.

Fajuyi respect and continue to rest in peace.

sainty2k3:
I think your problem is that u are either too young or not yet born when this things happened . and this thread was going on smoothly until u brought your ethnic bigotry

Sorry bro but ethnic bigotry has always been what Nigerian history is about. Do you think Fajuyi would have been killed if he had been a Northerner?

I can't fathom. did Nzeogwu et. al wipe off northern officers without expecting some dire consequences? If I could go back in time, I would.. just to check the mindset and motive of every actor in those perilous times. I hate all these stories, too many contrasting. ojukwu, banjo, ifeajuna, nzeogwu, all dead. Was there really wide spread corruption in the 60's that prompted these actions? We tend to deny and suppress Nigerian history, little wonder the country is stagnant.Mistrust, tribalism is still very present. the loss of 3m lives in the war is extremely unfortunate..how do you kill off a people because you want to bring them back? it just doesn't make sense. so many things don't add up. was banjo really a saboteur? God! lack of technology didn't help us at all. The biafran war is a painful experience no country should go through again, but the conditions capable of triggering such occurrences are still very much present. May God help us all! #NoToTribalism.

ziddy:
Ironsi's handling of the January '66 coup plotters was typical Igbo man behaviour. If an Igbo man sees his felllw tribesman doing evil he will never condemn him, most especially when the victims/recipients of that evil are from other tribes, or he derives material benefit from his brother's criminal activity.

Even up till today Igbo people never fail to mobilise in support of their tribesmen in political office who are indicted for numerous heinous economic crimes.

You have spoken well like a true Nigerian. It is tradition all over the world that you execute coup plotters. We can even see that from the recent Turkey coup. Just because they were your tribesmen, you sent them down to the East to serve jail term which am sure they released them.

If he had executed them as the Law required he would probably still be alive. I keep saying it that in the order of tribalism among the major tribes, The Hausa- Fulanis come first followed closely by Igbos,thats why they keep crying placards in support of their corrupt sons and daughters finding excuses for them where there is none and blaming the Yorubas for been behind their kinsmen corruption cases.

. Then Ironsi came down. Meanwhile soldiers were coming in through the main door. Before they saw the Head of State, they told my brother, ‘Give us Ironsi, we want Ironsi. Give us Ironsi, we want Ironsi.’ Then my brother said to them, ‘No, you cannot take him, he is my guest. Why didn’t you take him in Lagos or elsewhere? You cannot take him here. If you are taking him, then you are taking me along.’ At that time, Ironsi was already coming down. The soldiers then went to him and picked him up.
That was how the two of them were taken away from the Government House. The soldiers seized the police vehicle that came to drop those on morning shift and took the two of them in it

How long do Yorubas think they could continue repeating these lies?

Woman, your Husband didn't die protecting Ironsi, he couldn't protect Ironsi even if he wanted, He died because he was implicated in the January coup and secondly he was the one pushing for Nzeogwu and co to be allowed to go Scot free.

WeLl in all this I blame the 1st coup plotters. Blame for not punishing them.

sainty2k3:
I think your problem is that u are either too young or not yet born when this things happened . and this thread was going on smoothly until u brought your ethnic bigotry

Can you please tell us the yoruba nation's response to the murder of Fajuyi.

ilovetheline:
all the Igbo leaders of that time had national interests. when they make it look like some Igbo cabal sent it's generals[prove it] and base their anti Igbo statements on that, I wonder how some Yoruba races could have such thwarted logic. the Igbo fighting Yoruba section of these times are perhaps descended from like ancestors. hence I am certain that the northern aggressors along with the partnering western section will be picked out correctly[and the innocent passed over] during the great retribution. the biggest and most just ever witnessed on earth

See i term it igbo coup and yes i am Yoruba. It is you who refuse to accept logical reasoning into your brain. How is it possible for the coup plotters to accuse the then Politicians of Corruption and when they decided to flush them out they left out Micheal Okpara the then Eastern Premier.How come Azikwe decided to take his vacation at that period(Ifeajuwa was Zik's cousin). So it was only the Leaders of the North (Balewa, Bello), West (Akintola)and Mid-West (Okotie-Eboh) that were corrupt and deserved death. See if you have decided to lie to logical reasoning because of tribal affiliation then you are just a dead man alive.

Fajuiyi was marked for death by the July coup plotters. He was even more wanted than Ironsi.
He was in support of Nzeogwu and co actions, and he did all within his limits to protect them from Ironsi prosecution when the coup failed.

This lie of trying to make a martyr of Fajuiyi to avoid answering the question of why Yorubas never challenged the North for murdering a Yoruba military governor in Yorubaland will never be accepted as the truth, no matter how long Yorubas repeat this lie. Cause we know the truth, and the truth remains that Fajuiyi a Yoruba military governor was murdered in Yorubaland by Northern soldiers for his sins, which includes being in support of the Jan Coup and shading the Jan Coup plotters from prosecution when the coup failed.

Fajuyi didn't do an extraordinary thing by insisting that the northern coupists take him along with his guest who was also HoS, Ironsi.

If Fajuyi kept quiet and northern coupists take away only Ironsi away to be killed, he could have portrayed the Yoruba as worse traitors than they are regarded now.


Don't see reasons for all the fuss about Fajuyi insisting that he must go with his guest, Ironsi.


Blame Ironsi for Fajuyi's death on the grounds that Ironsi had no foresight as a soldier.

Ironsi couldn't even read that the Hausa/Fulani/Tiv/Kanuri then believed that the last coup was an Igbo coup meant to kill off northern leaders. Ironsi continue one Nigeria business as usual, while northern region was asking for Araba - Separation from and dissolution of Nigeria.

kettykin:
If Aguiyi-Ironsi didn’t depend on the advice of Fajuyi if he did not even trust his assurance, he would have lived.
Another lesson learnt here is that the day any President meets for peace with yoruba obas becomes his last in power ask Goodluck Jonathan

You have a dark heart, a typical wicked flatron Ibo man. Gosh...Imagine this ugandan blaming Fajuyi. You are part of the people that make me hate you Iboes. Spits on your face.

Princehojay:
The counter-coup of 1966 led by Northern officers was a reaction to the January putsch which was staged by mostly Igbo officers. Northern soldiers were not happy with the murder of their revered leader and Northern Nigeria premier, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and the Prime Minister, Tafawa Balewa. They also did not like the killings of four most senior soldiers, Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari, Colonel Kur Mohammed, Lt-Col Abogo Largema and James Pam, which they saw as ethnic cleansing.

The coup which was led by the late Lt-Col. Murtala Muhammed (who later became head of state) and many northern military officers, started like a mutiny at midnight on July 28, 1966 and it resulted in the murder of Nigeria’s first military Head of State, General Aguiyi Ironsi, who was visiting the Western Region. He was killed along with his host, Lt-Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, the then military governor of the region.

After addressing an assembly of traditional rulers on July 28, Ironsi decided to spend the night in the Ibadan State House with members of his entourage. But his captors seized the opportunity to circle the official quarters to take him and when the plea to spare him by Fajuyi, his host, failed, the governor insisted that both of them should be taken instead.

In this interview with KAMARUDEEN OGUNDELE, the younger sister to late Lt.-Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, Mrs. Remi Ajayi, who was with him on the day of the coup, shares her memory

Where were you on the night that Colonel Fajuyi was killed?

I was with him on the night of the incident. I was with him throughout the six months he was in the Government House in Ibadan as governor. That night, there was a cocktail party for all the Obas (monarchs) who came to Ibadan for a meeting and the Head of State, General Aguiyi Ironsi, was in attendance. I was watching them from where I was upstairs. After the meeting, everybody departed. Around 4am, I heard gunshots. It was strange to me because I had not heard gunshots before. I just closed my ears and went back to sleep. When I woke up, I went to the kitchen to greet the staff and to collect my meal. Then the staff asked if I heard gunshots. Then I remembered the noise I heard in my sleep, so I said oh! that was a gunshot. I quickly ran into my brother’s room because I thought he had been killed. On getting to his room, I saw him sitting quietly on a chair; that was unlike him. Nevertheless, I was very happy to see him. I rushed towards him and said to him, ‘Brother, I’m happy to see you, I heard there were gunshots in the night. I was afraid something bad had happened to you.’ Then he asked me,
‘Why are you walking about in the house? Aren’t you going to work today?’ I said to him, ‘ I am not going to work. I don’t know what is going on.

What is happening to you?’ Then he said to me, ‘Okay, if you are not going to work, then don’t roam about the house. Go and stay in your room.’
Then, I left him, but I didn’t go to my room. I was worried because of the way he looked. I saw him and Ironsi, they went to his office to make a call in pyjamas. As they were coming, I dodged. After that, I heard Ironsi saying to him (Fajuyi) that, ‘Francis, but you told me I was safe in your territory yesterday.’ Then he replied, ‘Yes, I thought you were safe. I didn’t know anything. I didn’t hear anything. But don’t worry, the two of us will stay together. Go and dress up and I will dress up. Anything that will happen will happen to the two of us.’ Ironsi then went into his room and my brother went to his room too. Before long, they dressed up and they were in the sitting room downstairs in their military uniform. My brother was there before Ironsi and he was pacing up and down in the room. Then Ironsi came down. Meanwhile soldiers were coming in through the main door. Before they saw the Head of State, they told my brother, ‘Give us Ironsi, we want Ironsi. Give us Ironsi, we want Ironsi.’ Then my brother said to them, ‘No, you cannot take him, he is my guest. Why didn’t you take him in Lagos or elsewhere? You cannot take him here. If you are taking him, then you are taking me along.’ At that time, Ironsi was already coming down. The soldiers then went to him and picked him up.

That was how the two of them were taken away from the Government House. The soldiers seized the police vehicle that came to drop those on morning shift and took the two of them in it. That was how it happened. I wanted to go to the house of the Secretary to the Government, Pa Odumosu, in company with my elder brother, Sunday, who arrived the previous night to collect money for his farms. As the two of us were going towards the gate, soldiers sprang up from the bush using their guns to direct us and shouting, ‘go back, go back.’ We were terrified. Soldiers were on top of trees, hiding in the ground, they were everywhere.

Do you remember the person that led the coupists?

I don’t know. But I remember that when my brother heard the gunshots, he sent messages to the guard house and the aid de camp, but they were all not there. They were all Hausa because my brother loved working with the Hausa, including the driver.

Could that mean they were aware of the coup?

Yes, I think they were aware and they did not tell him.

Does that mean he was betrayed?

I should think so because, why didn’t they tell him when they got information about the coup?

What was the altercation between your brother and the coupists when they wanted to take him and Ironsi away?

He insisted the soldiers must take him along with Ironsi.

What was the relationship between the two of them?

I would say it was cordial because Ironsi came that night in a helicopter, he could have gone back to Lagos in a helicopter. But my brother assured him he was safe.

How was the relationship between you and your brother?

We were very close. He loved me so much! I was the only one living with him in the Government House. No wives, no children. The children were in school. He was very kind to me. He was very honest to a fault and loved people who are very honest. He was very honourable and didn’t abuse his office. I remember a time his immediate elder sister visited us in the Government House. She decided to register a company so that she would be getting contracts from the government. The private secretary to my brother helped her to get that done. After she registered the company, she wanted to leave and return later to lobby for contracts. That fateful afternoon, she sat in the sitting room upstairs and showed me the certificate of registration. I congratulated her but warned her not to let my brother know about it. She asked me why. She insisted on showing him. When the governor returned later that day, they exchanged pleasantries and he sat with us. My sister went ahead to show him the certificate of registration thinking the governor would approve of it. To her surprise, my brother’s mood changed. He asked, ‘What is this? Is this why you came from Ado Ekiti to this place? Do you want to soil my name? The thing we want to eradicate, you want me to have a hand in it? You will be going about getting contracts from the ministries? No way, you cannot do that!’ Then he tore the paper and went upstairs. My sister broke down in tears. She was very bitter. If he could do that to his immediate elder sister, then you will know he was an upright man. In another instance, the Head of Service and Secretary to the Government, Pa Odumosu said while bringing the remains of my brother home for burial, that he had never seen such honest man in his life. He recalled that some British men came to have a meeting with them because they wanted to site an industry in Ibadan. He said at a point, the British requested to see my brother privately, so he was asked to leave. They wanted to bribe him, he collected the money from them and sent them away. He then called Pa Odumosu in and narrated what happened to him. He told him that the people wanted to bribe him. He said he collected the money from them because it was part of our money. He then instructed him to pay the money into the government’s treasury. Pa Odumosu said he was so surprised because he didn’t know about the money. There are several instances.

Let’s talk about the first coup in 1966. What role did your brother play?

He didn’t play any role. It was in January of that year. He was here in Ado Ekiti spending his holiday when he got signals that he should report in barracks in Lagos. He immediately left for Lagos. As he told us, when he got to Lagos, it was late in the night, so he couldn’t go to the barracks. He decided to check in a hotel with his driver and orderly. In the morning, when his orderly went out to buy newspapers, he saw soldiers everywhere in Lagos. He quickly ran back to him to tell him of the development. He informed him that the military had taken over everywhere. My brother quickly got up and dressed up for the barracks. When he got to the barracks, he met Ironsi and other soldiers having a meeting. Then Ironsi said to him, ‘Oh Francis you are here. Come, come, come.’ That was when he joined them. That was where they appointed four military governors.

Does that mean the coup had taken place before he went to the barracks?

Yes, the coup took place in the night when he was still in the hotel.

In what way did his death affect the family?

It affected us so much. There was no help from anybody. For somebody to lay down his life for the nation and his family and children were completely forgotten like that; that was very bad. It affected me personally in a great way because it was 10 days to the time I was to travel to the United States for further studies. I had just gained admission into the university. I had already got my passport but I couldn’t go again. I just took some courses in Ibadan because he was the one who trained me through secondary school. My father only paid my fees in the first year in secondary school. When my brother came home on holiday and saw that I did very well in my examinations in Christ School, he was very happy. He gave me one pound to go and buy something for myself. He held me by the hand and took me to our father. He said, ‘Baba, thank you for training my sister.’ He prostrated for him. He said he was happy that our father even in his old age knew the value of education and could send me to a secondary school. He told our father that, henceforth, he would be responsible for my education. One of our sisters tried to stop him because we are not of the same mother. But he said, ‘No, it doesn’t matter. After all we are of the same father. She is brilliant. Whether we are of the same mother or not, we have the same blood.’ That was how he took me along with him.

How long did it take the family to get information about his death?

That day, they killed him with Ironsi. We heard that they took them to Mile 12 in Iwo road, Ibadan. They took them into the bush. When the news got to town that they had abducted Fajuyi and his whereabouts was not known, some farmers said they heard gunshots in the bush. The police launched investigation into the report. They then discovered the shallow grave where they buried him and Ironsi. They then took the bodies to the barracks.

Do you think he had the chance of survival if he had not insisted on going down with Ironsi?

Of course, they didn’t want to take him. They didn’t want to kill him because he was a friend of the Northerners. They loved him. I’m sure of that. Before that coup, the soldiers working with him warned him. They had wanted to stage the coup before that time. He begged them not to shed blood again. He appealed to them to stop the plot. He said in the first one that took place, many people lost their lives. He said it was enough. He asked them to convince their leaders not to do it. But that time, they didn’t tell him. Maybe they felt he would have dissuaded them from carrying it out. They might also have thought that, if he heard about it, he wouldn’t allow Ironsi to stay that night. He would have asked Ironsi to go back to Lagos and come the next morning for the next meeting.

What kind of husband and father was he?

He had three wives and they bore him children. He was a good father and husband. He loved his children very well. He wanted his children around him. His death left a huge vacuum in the family. He was the pillar of the family and everybody missed him.

How were you and the children able to continue with your education?

God made it possible. Their mothers struggled to give them education. In my own case, I went to civil service training school for secretarial studies. I trained as a secretary and started working as a secretary in the ministry. The wives were working. Two of them were traders while one was a teacher.

At what time was the Fajuyi Park created in his honour?

It was when he was buried here. The then Ewi of Ado gave this land for him to be buried here. That day, they immortalised him. The government then beautified the place. The then Military Governor, General Adeyinka Adebayo, who took over, beautified the place and successive governments from the old Ondo State had also done their own bit.

Did his family suffer from accommodation problem after his death?

He had houses so they were not homeless. There was no problem of such.

Is there anything you think the government should have done for the family?

They should have taken responsibility for his children’s education to the university level. Let me say we appreciate the Afenifere, the former Lagos Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, they tried. The house my brother built in Ado was old; they demolished it and built another one for us.

You were close to him, how was his childhood like and what fond memory of him do you have?

He was my senior with about 20 years. When he was 40 years, I was 20.

Whenever he came home on holiday, we used to enjoy with him a lot. He would bring old gramophone and everybody would gather round him and he would play. He was a very jovial person. It was very unlike him that morning when I saw him sitting quietly on the day of the coup. He used to talk to me as if we were mates. He was free with me. He would be chasing me about the Government House telling me he would knock my head. You can imagine a whole governor playing with his kid sister that way.

What would you say is your personal regret about his death?

I should have gone to America for studies, I know my life would have been better if he were alive. He would have improved my life.

How did your father receive the news of his death?

His sudden death eventually led to the death of our father. He was very sad. My brother was kind and generous to everybody. Our father never went out again after his death and he died shortly after.

Since he was the rallying point, after his death, how has the family fared?

We are one, we love one another and we care for one another.

Source:- http://punchng.com/july-1966-counter-coup-fajuyis-aides-knew-coup-betrayed-sister/

There is no betrayal of Fajuyi. He was not the target, he became victim because he had honor.

His guards knew Ironsi was coming and they wanted him dead. They owe no duty to tell Fajuyi that.

Ironsi himself had Northerners for guards. Why didnt his guards tell him their plan that he was being targeted. If there was betrayal thats where it lays,at the footstep of the target...Ironsi!

pazienza:
Fajuiyi was marked for death by the July coup plotters. He was even more wanted than Ironsi.
He was in support of Nzeogwu and co actions, and he did all within his limits to protect them from Ironsi prosecution when the coup failed.

This lie of trying to make a martyr of Fajuiyi to avoid answering the question of why Yorubas never challenged the North for murdering a Yoruba military governor in Yorubaland will never be accepted as the truth, no matter how long Yorubas repeat this lie. Cause we know the truth, and the truth remains that Fajuiyi a Yoruba military governor was murdered in Yorubaland by Northern soldiers for his sins, which includes being in support of the Jan Coup and shading the Jan Coup plotters from prosecution when the coup failed.

Mr Oga stop spreading false lies all around. Your story was never reported anywhere. Please give us a link to your side of the story or maybe you just confusing another Yoruba name for his.

seunmsg:
https://www.nairaland.com/3177965/mythbuster-version-coup-jan-15th

Open the above link and educate yourself on the treachery of the Ibo coup plotters. Stop defending what you don't understand.

Why call 1966 coup Igbo coup? I think this is simply military coup. Why not call babagida and buhari's coup Hausa coup?

pazienza:
. Then Ironsi came down. Meanwhile soldiers were coming in through the main door. Before they saw the Head of State, they told my brother, ‘Give us Ironsi, we want Ironsi. Give us Ironsi, we want Ironsi.’ Then my brother said to them, ‘No, you cannot take him, he is my guest. Why didn’t you take him in Lagos or elsewhere? You cannot take him here. If you are taking him, then you are taking me along.’ At that time, Ironsi was already coming down. The soldiers then went to him and picked him up.
That was how the two of them were taken away from the Government House. The soldiers seized the police vehicle that came to drop those on morning shift and took the two of them in it

How long do Yorubas think they could continue repeating these lies?

Woman, your Husband didn't die protecting Ironsi, he couldn't protect Ironsi even if he wanted, He died because he was implicated in the January coup and secondly he was the one pushing for Nzeogwu and co to be allowed to go Scot free.

Just listen to yourself, who will believe your story when the bereaved family is talking

naijafox:
While Awolowo never trusted the Igbos, the north never trusted Awolowo and theYorubas. The northern oligarchy instigated crisis in Western Nigeria in the same manner President Obasanjo used the Uba brothers to instigate crisis in Anambra State. This crisis led to the trumped up charges leading to the trial and imprisonment of Awolowo . Reports has it that he was to be poisoned in prison before the military coup altered the state of affairs.
Awolowo was released from Calabar prison by Biafran leader Odumegwu Ojukwu and there was an agreement that while Ojukwu declares Biafra in the East, Awolowo would declare Oduduwa Republic in the West. The British establishment, sensing the dangers of Awolowo declaring Oduduwa Republic in the West, convinced Gowon and the north to checkmate Awolowo’s secessionist agenda by appointing him the Vice Chairman of Federal Executive Council. This strategy worked effectively and Awolowo was deceived that after Gowon’s tenure he would be given the opportunity of ruling Nigeria. Awolowo thus had to checkmate the Biafran dream to clear any obstacle to his ruling Nigeria while the north was looking for the right opportunity to throw him into the dustbin. In frustration, Awo resigned from Gowon’s cabinet when he realized he has been politically duped.
Awolowo quashed the Biafran dream while the northern establishment killed the Oduduwa dream and betrayed Awolowo’s presidential ambition thrice. This fact was aptly captured by a prominent Yoruba leader and Nigeria’s former minister of aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode while replying to a boastful statement by another prominent northern leader, Alhaji Usman Farouk on how the north dominated the Yoruba people and conquered the Niger Delta. According to Fani Kayode, "... the north literally begged Awolowo not to declare Oduduwa Republic and go the way of Biafra even though that was his original intention…Fourthly it was the support that the south west gave to the north that allowed Nigeria to win the war. Fifthly it was the lie that Gowon and the northern leaders fed to Awolowo that he would be made President of the country after the war and after being effectively being made de facto Prime Minister under Gowon during the war that got Awolowo to support them’’, invariably, the Igbos and Yorubas were effectively dribbled, divided, manipulated and overpowered.
Northerners were always wise when it came to politics

Since you Igbos are never tired of trying to rewrite history, we will also never be tired of discrediting your lies and setting the records straight.

1, Ojukwu never ordered the release of Awolowo. He was released on the orders on Yakubu Gowon.

2, Awolowo had no such agreement of declaring Oduduwa republic with Ojukwu at any time before the war started. If you have any proof of such agreement, kindly present it.

3, Awolowo accepted to serve in the Gowon government in order to stabilise the country. Nigeria was about to go into a very expensive civil war and there was the need for a well experienced and respected administrator to manage the finances and economy of the country. Awolowo accepted the position with the understanding that he would resign once the country is stabilised and true to his words, he resigned in 1971 when stability returned to the country. Saying he resigned when he realised he was duped is absolute nonsense. Awo was far more intelligent than that.

4, If anybody was duped by the north, it had to be Azikiwe. He refused the proposal to have a separate country from the north, he refused the proposal to insert regional right of secession into the independent constitution, he even refused to form a government with Awowolo where he would have been the prime minister and instead, he formed a government with the North and accepted the powerless role of a ceremonial president. Today, his offspring are trying to rewrite history, they are mischievously blaming Awolowo for their failures to achieve Biafra. SHM!

bakynes:
See i term it igbo coup and yes i am Yoruba. It is you who refuse to accept logical resaoning into your brain. How is it possible for the coup plotters to accuse the then Politicians of Corruption and when they decided to flush them out they left out Micheal Okpara the then Eastern Governor.How come Azikwe decided to take his vacation at that period(Ifeajuwa was Zik's cousin). So it was only the Leaders of the North (Balewa, Bello), West (Akintola)and Mid-West (Okotie-Eboh) that were corrupt and deserved death. See if you have decided to lie to logical reasoning because of tribal affiliation then you are just a dead man alive.

The way I see it, logically speaking, the coup was an Awo coup.
These are why:

1, The Coup plotters said that the ultimate aim of the coup was to install Awo as the president.

2, Awo until January 1966 coup was the only other man in recorded Nigerian history to have attempted to overthrow a seating government, he was found guilty of treason and imprisoned for that.

3, Awo is the person who has the most rational motive to want Akintola, Saraduna and Ahmadu Bello dead. The three of them rendered him politically useless and he would have rotted in prison ala Abiola style, if the Jan Coup didn't happen. Akintola, Balewa and Bello all ended up dead in the January coup, coincidence? I don't think so.

4, Any iota of doubt of Awo's capability of staging a hostile take over had been obliterated by his failed attempt to usurp IBB, that ultimately led to his demise.

gartamanta:
Agu-Iyi Ironsi could have returned to Lagos with the same Helicopter he came with but Fajuyi assured him of his safety and he stayed. No doubt that Fajuyi deserves commendation for standing by his Boss till the end. But the tragedy of Fajuyi's death is that it exposed the Yoruba nation as a people who suffer from a perennial fear of the North. A Yoruba man and Governor of the Western Region is kidnapped and slaughtered but Yorubas did nothing. To this day, not one Yoruba man has ever called out the Northerners for killing Fajuyi. General Danjuma who killed Fajuyi is still highly regarded by Yorubas. 20 years later, again the Northerners kidnapp and slaughter MKO in a repeat performance. What did the Yorubas do? Nothing just as in the case of Fajuyi. Yoruba subservience to the North is so bad that the Yorubas will actually attack anyone who stands up the North such as Ojukwu, FFK and even Fayose. A [i][/i]fine Yoruba Solidier like Fajuyi was killed but his death was drowned out because it was Notherners that did the killing. If it had been Igbos who killed Fajuyi, that's when the Yorubas would have known how to talk.

You know nothing bro Igbo actually killed Brigadier Ademulegun in Kaduna by Patrick Ezeogwu n notging happened. So enough of this victim shit u guys are crying all the time.

At every point in history Yorubas always stand the right course. You guys both igbos n Hausa are so sentimental. You alwayd blame Yoruba in. Every of ur mistake. We supported Jonathan first time n buahri first time. We have always being fait to u guys.

Both Hausa n Igbo are both sentimental n tribalist. The only thing is that Hausa are so smarter n igbos are not smart when their sentiment rise up. They are reckless and always make the same mistake over and over again..

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expect result.
If they are that smart they would have easily become president n do whatever they want. But no they wnt peopl that will just give them secession just by crying to united nation. Awon mumu.

Ironsi made mistake they couldnt control their power.

Infeanyi n ezeogwu made calulated mistake they couldnot achieve anything they lost
Ojukwu did the same thing they couldnt achieve anything they loss
They did the same thing durin Jonathan they couldnt win anything they lost and in all their loss they blame no one not even themselves but Yoruba . and someone will tell me that they are smart. Thats delusion . they always lie to themselves. They blame others for their misfortunes. *Spits*