Oluyemi Joseph Bajowa: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia
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{{Short description|Retired Nigerian Army General}}
{{orphan|date=March 2024}}
{{use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
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{{Infobox person
| name honorific_prefix = [[Major -General]]<br/>
| name = Oluyemi Joseph Bajowa <br/>
| honorific_suffix = [[OFR]]
| image = Bajowa.jpg
| birth_name = Oluyemi Joseph Bajowa
Line 8 ⟶ 15:
| birth_place = Igbotako, [[Okitipupa]], [[Ondo State]], [[Nigeria]]
| nationality = Nigerian
| alma_mater = [[Nigeria Defence Academy]],[[National Defence College (India)]] [[New Delhi]], [[University of Lagos]], [[Nigeria]]
| awards = [[Nigerian Independence Medal]]
| honours = [[Commander of the Federal Republic]] (CFR), [[Order of the Federal Republic]] (OFR)
}}
'''Oluyemi Joseph Bajowa''' <small>[[Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic|CFR]], [[Officer of the Order of Niger|OFR]], dfisn, FSS, Ndc, psc,Phd</small> (born 27 December 1940) is a retired [[Nigerian Army]] [[General (Nigeria)]], [[Business Executive]], [[Human rights in Nigeria|Human Right Campaigner]], Author/Writer and a [[Community leader]], who was [[Quartermaster-General to the Forces|Quartermaster General,]] Nigerian Army, [[Ministry of Defence (Nigeria)|Ministry of Defence]] (MOD) from 1976 to 1978 and then Commandant, [[Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji]]- [[Nigeria]] from 1978 to 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Admin |date=2016-11-28 |title=BAJOWA, Maj-GenJoseph Oluyemi |url=https://blerf.org/index.php/biography/bajowa-major-general-joseph-oluyemi/ |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=Biographical Legacy and Research Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=says |first=Orimioburu |date=2021-11-16 |title=THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF A DISTINGUISHED OLUOMO TO IKALE LAND, ONDO STATE AND NIGERIA IN GENERAL : PRINCE DR OLU BAJOWA (GEN) |url=https://heromagazines.com/the-untold-story-of-the-contributions-of-a-distinguished-oluomo-to-ikale-land-ondo-state-and-nigeria-in-general-prince-dr-olu-bajowa-gen/ |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=The Hero Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> He was also the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Defence (1990–1993); Industry (1993–1997) as well as Science and Technology (1997–1999).<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 28, 2020 |title=My times with General Bajowa during military years: Buhari |url=https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2020/12/28/my-times-with-general-bajowa-during-military-years-buhari/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://pmnewsnigeria.com |archive-date=December 28, 2023 |access-date=December 9, 2023}}</ref>
'''Oluyemi Joseph Bajowa''' {{post-nom|CFR|OFR|country=NGA}} (born 27 December 1940) is a retired [[Major-general (Nigeria)|Nigerian Army Major General]], who was [[Quartermaster-General to the Forces|Quartermaster General]], Nigerian Army, [[Ministry of Defence (Nigeria)|Ministry of Defence]] (MOD) from 1976 to 1978 and then Commandant, [[Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji]] in [[Nigeria]] from 1978 to 1979.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |editor-last=Osso |editor-first=Nyaknno |edition=Online |date=2016-11-28 |title=BAJOWA, Maj-Gen Joseph Oluyemi |url=https://blerf.org/index.php/biography/bajowa-major-general-joseph-oluyemi/ |access-date=2023-12-08 |encyclopedia=Who's Who in Nigeria|publisher=Biographical Legacy and Research Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |date=2021-11-16 |title=The untold story of the contributions of a distinguished Olomu to Ikale Land, Ondo State and Nigeria in general: Prince Dr Olu Bajowa (Gen.) |url=https://heromagazines.com/the-untold-story-of-the-contributions-of-a-distinguished-oluomo-to-ikale-land-ondo-state-and-nigeria-in-general-prince-dr-olu-bajowa-gen/ |access-date=2023-12-08 |magazine=The Hero Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> He was also the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Defence (1990–1993); Industry (1993–1997) as well as Science and Technology (1997–1999).<ref>{{Cite news |work=PM News Nigeria |first=Kazeem |last=Ugbodaga |date=December 28, 2020 |title=My times with General Bajowa during military years: Buhari |url=https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2020/12/28/my-times-with-general-bajowa-during-military-years-buhari/ |url-status=live |access-date=December 9, 2023 |archive-date=December 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209095828/https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2020/12/28/my-times-with-general-bajowa-during-military-years-buhari/ }}</ref>
== Early life and education ==
Bajowa was born on December 27, 1940, at Igbotako Osooro in [[Okitipupa]] Local Government Area of [[Ondo State]] to the Lubokun Royal Family.<ref name=":0" /> He attended Manuwa Memorial Grammar School, Iju-Odo, Okitipupa, Gboluji Anglican Grammar School, [[Ile-Oluji]], [[Ondo Town|Ondo]] (1959) and had his "A" Levels at the Federal School of Science, Lagos in 1960. He later proceeded to the [[University of Lagos]], where he graduated in 1988 with a B.Sc. (Hons) in businessBusiness administrationAdministration. He was also awarded a [[Doctor of Theology]] by the [[Theological Seminary]], [[Durban, South Africa]], in London on 29 October 2005.
== Military careerCareer ==
HeBajowa was enlisted into the [[Nigerian Army|Nigeria Army]] as a cadet in training in September, 1960 at the then Military College now [[Nigerian Defence Academy]] [[Kaduna]] and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant at [[Mons Officer Cadet School]], in [[Aldershot, England]] in 1961. He was later attached to the [[British Army]] in [[the Rhine]], Western Germany during the "Cold War" and thereafter, he was posted to the 4th Infantry Battalion of the Nigerian Army in 1962 to start his military career. He tookwas part inof the [[United Nations Peacekeepingpeacekeeping]] Operations|Unitedforce Nationsdeployed Peaceto Keeping[[Republic Operationsof the Congo (Léopoldville)|the Congo]] in their [[United Nations Operation in the Congo]]. andHe was involved in the [[Nigerian Civil War]], particularly at the "Ore Battle" as a Commanding Officer from 1967 to 1970. He retired as a major general from the Nigerian Army at the age of 40 on 16 April 1980.<ref>{{CiteCitation webneeded paragraph|title=Obasanjo: How Bajowa Saved My life During Dimka's Coup |url=https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2020/12/27/obasanjo-how-bajowa-saved-my-life-during-dimkas-coup |access-date=2023-12-16April |website=thisdaylive.com |language=en2024}}</ref>
Bajowa retired as a Major General from the Nigerian Army at the age of 40 on 16 April 1980.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Obasanjo: How Bajowa Saved My life During Dimka's Coup |first=James |last=Sowole |date=27 December 2020 |url=https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2020/12/27/obasanjo-how-bajowa-saved-my-life-during-dimkas-coup |access-date=2023-12-16 |work=This Day |language=en}}</ref>
== Appointments held ==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=December 2023}}
Bajowa is also a philanthropist and the owner of AWAWA 94.1 FM. He commissioned the Radio Station in 2020 as part of his 80th birthday celebrations by the now deceased Ondo State Governor, [[Oluwarotimi Akeredolu]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 31, 2020 |first=Dayo |last=Johnson |title=Ondo gets first community radio station in Ikale |url-status=live |url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/12/ondo-gets-first-community-radio-station-in-ikale/ |archive-date= December 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216154306/https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/12/ondo-gets-first-community-radio-station-in-ikale/ |access-date=December 9, 2022 |work=Vanguard Newspaper }}<!--The below cite is the very same article as the previous: merely the first paragraph of the Vanguard story and a link to it. It should probably be removed as unneeded-->
=== Military appointments ===
* Cited as: {{cite news |first=Dayo |last=Johnson |title=Ondo gets first community radio station in Ikale |url=https://ground.news/article/ondo-gets-first-community-radio-station-in-ikale |work=Ground News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231222180139/https://ground.news/article/ondo-gets-first-community-radio-station-in-ikale |archive-date=22 December 2023 |access-date=2023-12-16 |language=en}}</ref>
* Infantry Platoon Commander
* Military Transport Officer (MTO)
* Infantry Company Commander
* General Staff Officer Grade III, Army Headquarters, Ministry of Defence
* General Staff Officer Grade II, Army Headquarters, Ministry of Defence
* General Staff Officer Grade I, of 3 Infantry Division of the Army, Calabar
* 11 Infantry Battalion Commander (1966–1967)
* Commandant, Army Training Depot, Abeokuta (1967–1969)
* General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Infantry Division of the Nigerian Army (1971)
* Colonel General Staff Officer (1971–1972)
* 13 Infantry Brigade Commander (1973–1974)
* Adjutant General, Nigerian Army, Ministry of Defence (1975–1976)
* Quarter Master General, Nigerian army, Ministry of Defence(1976–1978)
* Commandant, [[Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji]] - Nigeria (1978–1979)
=== Civil service appointments ===
* Managing Director and Chief Executive of [[Nigeria Airways]], Limited (1988)
* Sole Administrator and Member of the Presidential Task Force, Nigeria Airways Limited (1989)
* Senior Principal Officer, [[Federal Ministry of Aviation (Nigeria)|Federal Ministry of Aviation]], Lagos (1989)
* Special Assistant in the Presidency, Lagos, Nigeria (1989)
* Coordinator, Movement of Federal Ministries and Seat of Government from [[Lagos State|Lagos]] to [[Abuja]], Nigeria (1989/1990)
* Director-General/Permanent Secretary and Deputy Minister of Defence (1990–1993)
* Director-General/Permanent Secretary [[Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (Nigeria)|Federal Ministry of Industry]] (1993–1997)
* Permanent Secretary, [[Federal Ministry of Science and Technology]] (1997–1999)
* Retired from the Public Service of Nigeria on 30 April 1999.
=== Political appointments ===
* Military Member of the Executive Council of [[Western Region of Nigeria]] (1967–1969)
* Military Member of the Executive Council of the South-Eastern State of Nigeria (now Cross River and Akwa Ibom State)
* Acting Military Governor of South-Eastern State of Nigeria (1973).
* Acting Military Governor of Rivers State of Nigeria (now [[Rivers State]] and [[Bayelsa State]]) (1974)
* Member of the Governing Council of Ondo State University (now [[Ekiti State University]]), Ado Ekiti, Nigeria (1981–1982)
* Chairman [[Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria]], [[Benin City]] (1983)
* National Party of Nigeria (NPN) Gubernatorial Contestant for Ondo State of Nigeria (1983)
* Chairman, African Regional Center for Engineering Design and Manufacturing (ARCEDEM) (1993–1997)
* Chairman, Nigerian Industrial Development Bank (NIDB) (1993–1997)
* Chairman, Nigerian Bank for Commerce and Industry (NBCI) (1993–1997)
* Chairman, Nigerian Sugar Companies (1993–1997)
* Chairman, [[Standards Organisation of Nigeria|Standard Organisation of Nigeria]] (SON) (1993–1997)
=== International appointments ===
* Chairman, Programmes and Budgets Committee(PBC) of the [[United Nations Industrial Development Organization|United Nations Industrial Development Organisation]] (UNIDO) in Vienna, Austria (1997–1998)
* Member of the Board of Governors of [[International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology|International Center for Genetic Engineering and Bio-Technology]] ([[International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology|ICGEB]]) in [[Trieste, Italy]] (1997–1999)
* Member, Board of Directors, International Foundation of Science(IFS), Stockholm, Sweden (1997–1999)
== Authorship ==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=December 2023}}
He has authored four books to his credits. They include:
* ''Spring of Life''
* ''Ikale''
* ''Soldier by Choice''
* ''Egbaiyelo (Legacy of a Legend)''
== Honours and awards ==
{{BLP sources section|date=December 2023}}
Bajowa was awarded:
* [[Nigerian Independence Medal|Nigeria Independence Medal]] - 1960
* Nigerian Republic Medal - 1963
* United Nations Peace Keeping Medal - (ONU)
* Armed Forces Meritorious Service Star - (FSS)
* Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic, (OFR) - 1982
* Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (CFR) - 1998
* "The President" of Anglican Church Archdeaconry - (Aare)
* "The Supreme Elder" of St. Stephens Anglican Church - (Baba Ijo)
* Knight of the Anglican Communion of Nigeria (Sir)
* Jagunmolu ("The Generalissimo") of Ikale Land in Ondo State of Nigeria.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=November 15, 2017 |title=Lumure installs Gen Bajowa, wife as Ojagbulegun, Yeye Ojagbulegun of Ayeka Kingdom |url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/11/lumure-installs-gen-bajowa-wife-ojagbulegun-yeye-ojagbulegun-ayeka-kingdom/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/11/ |archive-date=November 15, 2017 |access-date=December 9, 2023}}</ref>
* Ojagbulegun from The Source (Ayeka Kingdon).<ref name=":1" />
* Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Flomax Security Limited
* Patron and Distinguished Fellow Institute of Security Nigeria.
== Personal life ==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=December 2023}}
Bajowa is happily married with children.
== Later career ==
Bajowa who is also the Chairman of AWAWA Communications Limited established the first community radio station, AWAWA 94.1 FM, in [[Ondo State]] in year 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ondo gets first community radio station in Ikale |url=https://ground.news/article/ondo-gets-first-community-radio-station-in-ikale |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=Ground News |language=en}}</ref> The radio station was commissioned as part of Bajowa's 80<sup>th</sup> birthday celebrations by the Ondo State Governor, [[Oluwarotimi Akeredolu]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 31, 2020 |title=Ondo gets first community radio station in Ikale |url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/12/ondo-gets-first-community-radio-station-in-ikale/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/12/ |archive-date=December 31, 2020 |access-date=December 9, 2022 |website=Vanguard Newspaper}}</ref> He is also the Founder and Patron of "The Ikale Youth Elite Club (TIYEC)", an outfit responsible for the award of Scholarships to indigent Secondary School Students in [[Okitipupa|Okitipupa Local Government Area]], and promoting Sporting Activities among the Youths of [[Okitipupa|Ikale]], Ilaje and Ijaw-Apoi areas of Ondo State. He also helped in rebuilding the Community Grammar School and Lubokun High School, both in Igbotako Community in Okitipupa Local Government of Ondo State.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-18 |title=Untold Stories of the contributions of Gen Olu Bajowa |url=https://ikalevoice.com.ng/untold-stories-of-the-contributions-of-gen-olu-bajowa/ |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=Ikale Voice Newspaper |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Political views ==
In the lead up to the [[2023 Nigerian general election|2023 Nigeria General Elections]], Bajowa was an advocate of credible elections where he advised Nigerians to eschew religious politics.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-28 |title=Politics of religion threat to Nigeria's unity, peace |url=https://dailytrust.com/politics-of-religion-threat-to-nigerias-unity-peace-gen-bajowa/ |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=Daily Trust |language=en-GB}}</ref> Bajowa was also described as a defender of the unity of Nigeria even in retirement during his thank-you visit to the [[Ooni of Ife|Oni of Ife]], His Imperial Majesty, [[Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi]] for the Monarch's presence at his 80<sup>th</sup> year birthday celebration.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bajowa Defends Indivisibility Of Nigeria - Ooni {{!}} Independent Newspaper Nigeria |url=https://independent.ng/bajowa-defends-indivisibility-of-nigeria-ooni/ |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=independent.ng}}</ref> He equally cautioned the then President-elect, [[Bola Tinubu|President Bola Ahmed Tinubu]] against biased appointments ahead of his inauguration as the new [[President of Nigeria]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-11 |title=Reflect fairness, equity in your appointments, Gen. Bajowa tells Tinubu |url=https://businessday.ng/news/article/reflect-fairness-equity-in-your-appointments-gen-bajowa-tells-tinubu/ |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=Businessday NG |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Oyewo |first=Dayo |date=2023-06-01 |title=Address insecurity, economic woes, ex-Army Gen urges Tinubu |url=https://punchng.com/address-insecurity-economic-woes-ex-army-gen-urges-tinubu/ |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=Punch Newspapers |language=en-US}}</ref>
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:1940s births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Ondo State]]
[[Category:Nigerian generals]]
[[Category:Nigerian male writers]]
[[Category:University of Lagos alumni]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bajowa, Oluyemi Joseph}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]