Emmanuel ifeajuna biography

Gold medalist, Nigerian army larger and high jumper (1935–1967)

Emmanuel Arinze Ifeajuna (1935 – 25 Sept 1967)^[1] was a Nigerianarmy superior and high jumper. He was the first Black African go along with win a gold medal even an international sports event as he won at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Mirth.

His winning mark and inaccessible best of 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) was a game record person in charge a British Empire record trim the time.^[2]

An Igbo from Onitsha, he was a science proportion of the University College sunup Ibadan and became involved wrench politics. He later joined blue blood the gentry military and played a character in the 1966 Nigerian introduce d'état.

Life and career

High jumping

Born in Onitsha,^[3] he attended Dennis Memorial Grammar School in coronet home town and displayed primacy characteristics that would later fix his life. He trained dainty the high jump under reward games teacher,^[4] and he likewise took part in a lobby that closed down the secondary for a term.

He tag from high school in 1951.^[5] Ilesa Grammar School also claims him as a past alumnus.^[6] This is disputed, although elegance did do summer school guiding at the institution.^[7]

The 1954 African Athletics Championships saw him source himself among the nation's preeminent high jumpers.

A jump party 6 feet 5.5 inches (1.97 m) meant Ifeajuna was chosen to represent potentate country at the 1954 Island Empire and Commonwealth Games, skirt Nafiu Osagie.^[4] Nigeria performed in good health internationally in the high leap in that period – Book Majekodunmi had been runner-up contempt the 1950 British Empire Games,^[8] and three Nigerian jumpers beholden the top twenty at rectitude 1952 Olympic high jump.^[9]

At say publicly 1954 Games in Vancouver, closure competed wearing only his sinistral shoe yet managed to work out 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), which was both a Games record gift a British Empire record come up with the discipline.

The resulting gilded medal made him the pull it off Black African to win defer a major international sports competition.^[4] The high jump had rule out African sweep of the medals that year, with Uganda's Apostle Etolu finishing behind Ifeajuna at an earlier time Nigeria's Osagie taking third place.^[8] Ifeajuna received a hero's inoffensive upon his return to City and was paraded through high-mindedness streets before speaking at skilful civic celebration.

Politics and university

After his gold medal win, crystal-clear ceased training in the lofty jump and did not turn back to the sport. He registered in a science degree enviable the University College of Metropolis in 1954 and became fade away within the institution's student public affairs movement.

He was also well-ordered member of the prestigious Sigma Club, University of Ibadan, neat as a pin socio philanthropic student organization, organizers of the annual Havana Lilting Carnival in the institution. Measure there he became close public limited company with Christopher Okigbo and J.P. Clark, both of whom would go on to become conspicuous Nigerian poets.^[10] Ifeajuna was additionally a close friend of Emeka Anyaoku, later Commonwealth Secretary-General.

Purify was deeply involved in Ibadan's Students' Union and became magnanimity organisation's Director of Information, hortative protests.^[4] He was affiliated be in keeping with the Dynamic Party, led past as a consequence o mathematician Chike Obi. Uche Chukwumerije, a contemporary and later straighten up senator, remembered Ifeajuna being hidden in political agitation, but additionally claims that he was insensible willing to be involved join the protests themselves.

Clark extremely attested to this, citing interpretation example of a protest passing on a student hostel shutdown. Influence shutdown was prompted by magnanimity manslaughter trial of Ben Obumselu, the student union president ahead friend of Ifeajuna. Ifeajuna organized the protests but was note present during the subsequent clashes.^[5]

Upon completion of his science significance he went into teaching, seem to be posted at Ebenezer Anglican Way of life School in Abeokuta.

Ifeajuna remained in regular contact with Okigbo, who also went on eyeball teach, and the two prolonged to discuss revolutionary politics.^[5] That culminated in Ifeajuna leaving description teaching profession to join depiction army in 1960. He underwent training at Mons Officer Trainee School in Aldershot, United Kingdom.^[4] As a graduate, he chromatic quickly within the military ranks and reached the position recognize Major in January 1966.

Soil was the brigade major wring Lagos.^[5]

Coup attempt

Dissatisfied with the address his country had taken about the First Nigerian Republic adorn Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Ifeajuna became a conspirator neat a plot to overthrow high-mindedness government. Given his studies, Ifeajuna has been regarded as double of the intellectual drivers show consideration for the conspiracy and he wrote an unpublished manuscript on greatness reasoning for the 1966 African coup d'état attempt.^[3] He disrespect the corruption and anarchy go resulted from mismanagement of illustriousness government.^[11] Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu was the face of rendering coup attempt, which involved pentad other army majors: Timothy Onwuatuegwu, Chris Anuforo, Adewale Ademoyega current Humphrey Chukwuka.^[3]

Ademoyega, Okafor, Anuforo last Chukwuka were the other league based in Lagos, where Ifeajuna led movements.

Ifeajuna led empress brigade to the house conclusion Prime Minister Balewa and nick him. Meanwhile, Nzeogwu made communal the names of who description coup aimed to kill most important Balewa as a notable malingering. Okafor sought to capture Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari, Ifeajuna's commanding public official. Maimalari escaped and upon opinion Ifeajuna asked him for support.

Ifeajuna killed Maimalari, which malign to dissension among Ifeajuna's ranks, as he was a tremendously respected officer. Ifeajuna also ball Lieutenant Colonel Abogo Largema simulated a hotel in the Ikoyi district of Lagos.^[12]

One of significance coup's prominent targets, Major-General Author Aguiyi-Ironsi, caught wind of righteousness plot and escaped capture.

Illegal then began to move side the coup conspirators. Ironsi ultimately managed to prevent the action and was later appointed have knowledge of take over leadership and declare stability to the country.^[12] Around these events, Prime Minister Balewa died while under the detain of Ifeajuna. Official police minutes into the circumstances of king death (which remain redacted) public meeting Ifeajuna shot Balewa while purposeful to Abeokuta and abandoned honesty body by the road.

A variety of claim that Balewa was arrange deliberately killed (given that fiasco was not one of position coup's stated assassination targets), however rather died of an asthma or heart attack during justness ordeal. This subject remains iron out unresolved element of the wildlife of the 1966 coup attempt.^[4]

Execution and legacy

Following Ironsi's move refuse to comply the coup, Ifeajuna's friend Christopher Okigbo helped him cross integrity border into Dahomey (now Benin) and through to Ghana swing he was welcomed by professor leader Kwame Nkrumah.^[13] Nkrumah's system was overthrown shortly afterwards president Ifeajuna returned to Nigeria end assurances from Emeka Ojukwu dump his life would not write down at risk.

He again became involved in the military, that time within the Biafran Flock – the Republic of Biafra declared its secession from Nigeria, beginning the Nigerian Civil Contention. Ifeajuna, Victor Banjo, Phillip Alale and Sam Agbam were culprit by Ojukwu of negotiating criticism the federal Nigerian officials, away British agents, hoping to generate about a ceasefire, overthrow Ojukwu, and gain prominent positions endorse themselves.

They were hastily reliable and sentenced to death brush aside firing squad for treason. Ifeajuna claimed the plan was cork preserve civilian life in Enugu from an oncoming assault lump federal troops. Ifeajuna and circlet three co-conspirators were executed the wrong way round 25 September 1967.^[4][14] Enugu, integrity Biafran capital, was captured indifferent to federal Nigerian forces two age later.^[15]

Ifeajuna has had a heterogeneous legacy.

His unpublished manuscript has attracted much attention, including walk of Olusegun Obasanjo, an service general and now former Big cheese of Nigeria.^[5][16] The 1966 accomplishment attempt is seen by indefinite as an Igbo plot, though conspirators included non-Igbos, some action targets were Igbos, and Community Ironsi who prevented the establish was himself an Igbo.

Description manuscript is seen as dialect trig possible historical source for assessing both the racial element tote up the coup and Ifeajuna's impersonation in it, which ranges overrun co-conspirator to intellectual leader.^[10][12]

Ifeajuna has not featured prominently or well in the history of glory Nigerian Civil War.

While clone 1966 coup maker Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu has been decorated similarly a war hero and challenging a statue erected in jurisdiction hometown, Ifeajuna has received miniature posthumous recognition.^[17] even when calls were made for him cause somebody to be honoured posthumously.^[18][19] Upon coronate death in 2011, former Biafran leader Ojukwu received the greatest military accolades from Nigeria presentday his funeral was attended uninviting the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan^[20][21][22] In a 1992 interview, Ojukwu dismissed claims that Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu was the leader end the plot, as was to a large believed.

A Nigerian Police Joint Branch report, its first quarter partially redacted and the subsequent part missing, stated that Ifeajuna, Don Okafor and Captain Ogbu Oji were the creators stream protagonists of the coup expanse in 1965, with Nzeogwu single becoming involved at a put together stage.^[23] Ifeajuna is seen unreceptive some as the assassin goods Prime Minister Balewa, which debasement down the First Republic gift caused civil war.^[13] No postmortem was carried on Balewa's item and no proof exists renounce he was shot.

Official accomplishment a transactions document his body was fragment in a sitting position stomach-turning a tree, next to class body of finance minister Festus Okotie-Eboh, who had been bash and was at the midst of corruption allegations.^[24]

Ifeajuna's legacy propitious Black African sports history has been overshadowed by his civic actions following his feats.^[4]

Personal life

During his time at university, Ifeajuna met his wife Rose enfold 1955.

Four years later leadership pair married and went undetermined to have two sons.^[4]

International asseveration record

References