A QUINTESSENTIAL GENERAL AT 70

JOHNSON OLAWUMI pays tribute to Onyeabo Azubuike Ihejirika, former Chief of Army Staff

When a nation is faced with existential threats, effective military leadership provides the difference between life and death. Such a leadership inspires a sense of purpose and greatness among subordinates, builds trust, motivates, takes tough decisions, takes responsibility, shows empathy and creates a bond that leaves a lasting impression long after the tenure.  In recent Nigerian history, one leader who has demonstrated these qualities during his sojourn in the Nigerian Army is Lieutenant General Onyeabo Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd), the 18th Chief of Army Staff who held sway from September 2010 to January 2014. Today, 13th February 2026, this quintessential General will join the class of Septuagenarians as he celebrates his 70th birthday. It is therefore most befitting that his home state of Abia has taken the responsibility to organise a public lecture and grand reception for this man of honour, strategic thinker, bridge builder, astute administrator, compassionate leader and consummate military strategist.

From the dusty town of Ovim in Isuikwuato Local Government of Abia State, the young Onyeabo Azubuike Ihejirika commenced military training at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in June 1975 as a member of the 18th Regular Course. He was subsequently commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Nigerian Army Engineers in December 1977. His foray into the army did not stop him from pursuing other professional careers. In 1979, he secured admission to Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Quantity Surveying, winning the National Merit Award for the Best Student in the Faculty of Engineering as it used to be then.

Armed with requisite professional military and academic qualifications, Ihejirika’s brilliance, diligence, commitment to duty, and integrity helped to define his career path spanning almost 36 years.  Notably, he got into limelight first as the commander of 41 Division Engineers where he oversaw the Kaduna State Operation MESA that helped to stop the perennial ethno-religious crises in the state between 2003 and 2007.  His success later paved the way for his appointment as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Lagos. The high point of his distinguished career was his appointment as the Chief of Army Staff in September 2010.  His achievements as the Chief of Army Staff between 2010 and 2014 were quite sterling. The period marked the escalation of violence and terrorism by the notorious Boko Haram Sect in its bid to create an Islamic state in Northeast Nigeria.

Faced by the lack of support from Nigeria’s close foreign allies, the army under Ihejirika had to look inwards, relying mainly on old and long abandoned military grade equipment at the start of the insurgency. Putting this into context, Ihejirika’s policies were defined by the geo-political situation and domestic political hostility during the period. He adopted a two-pronged approach by fixing old and obsolete weapons and equipment as well as the procurement of new ones. He introduced the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles into the inventory of the Nigerian Army through procurement from China. He re-equipped the army’s bomb disposal units to enhance their capability to deal with threats posed by Boko Haram’s improvised explosive devices. He saw the need for more boots on the ground and in 2013 carried out the recruitment of over 6,000 soldiers.

In dealing with the insurgency, Ihejirika demonstrated leadership, courage, resilience and took bold decisions. He ensured that when commanders are given directives, they are also resourced to the best of the army’s availability. He was firm but humane in dealing with failures in the theatre which he often referred to as minor setbacks. I recall that sometimes in 2013, when the battalion in Gubio, Borno State lost some soldiers in an encounter with Boko Haram in the heart of Kafiya Forest, the Army Headquarters summoned an emergency operations meeting to assess the situation.

In that meeting, almost all the senior officers present called for the immediate court martial of the commanding officer with some accusing him of cowardice and negligence. But Ihejirika had a different view. He questioned the calls for the court martial of the commanding officer and threw a question at all that were in the briefing room; ‘did we give the commanding officer all the necessary requirements in line with global best practices?’ Then, he looked sternly at everyone in the room and said things to the effect that, no Nigerian battalion has ever been defeated in battle, and it will not happen under his watch. He directed the immediate reinforcement of the unit in men and equipment and in 72 hours the unit mobilised and overran the insurgents’ location in the forest. It was in the process of exploitation that the unit noticed several fresh shallow graves filled with over a hundred Boko Haram terrorists that were neutralised in the encounter which they had considered lost a few days earlier. Ihejirika’s posture in this and many other instances echoes Douglas MacArthur’s words that ‘a true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the empathy to understand the needs of others.’

Under his stewardship, Ihejirika reinforced the army’s Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency Strategy with the establishment of the 7 Division in Maiduguri, expanded and re-modelled the Nigerian Army Training Centre (NATRAC) and established the Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency Centre which after his retirement, was renamed ‘Ihejirika Counter Terrorism Training Centre, Kontagora’. He introduced the use of canines into the army’s operations with the establishment of Dog Centres in Ipaja and Abuja. He took a holistic review of the Nigerian Army Order of Battle and ensured the establishment of many formations and units to meet the nation’s security demands. He created new departments at the Army Headquarters notably, the Department of Civil-Military Affairs, the Army Transformation and Innovation Centre, now called Department of Army Transformation and Innovation as well as a directorate for campaign planning. In the Southeast, he restored normalcy in Aba in 2010 at a time when all economic activities were paralysed due to kidnapping and other criminalities.

General Ihejirika’s legacy is most profoundly noted in troops welfare. He embarked on building new barracks and rehabilitation of old and dilapidated barracks across all the formations. He established and built new barracks in Gwagwalada and Mubi and completed abandoned barracks in Enugu, Obinze, Sokoto, Lagos amongst others. He completed the largest auditorium in the Nigerian Army then, which had been abandoned for over 25 years at the Infantry Corps Centre, Jaji Military Cantonment. In appreciation of his efforts, the edifice was named ‘Ihejirika Auditorium’ by the Infantry Corps, long after his retirement. His impact on medical treatment for serving and retired personnel, especially those who required medical treatment abroad, was monumental. It is on record that under him, no genuine application for medical treatment abroad was rejected, and he ensured that financial approval covers an accompanied dependant to attend to the sick personnel while abroad.

Upon his disengagement from service in 2014, Ihejirika retired to a private and quiet life in his country home in Ovim where he engages in farming and contributing his services to the community and his state. On Nigeria’s lingering security challenges, General Ihejirika has consistently called for a whole of society approach in tackling the threats of BHT, banditry and militancy.  Way back at the 2011 Chief of Army Staff Conference held in Benin City, Edo State, he proposed the adoption of new principles of war to meet the realities of current warfare. Specifically, he canvassed the adoption of a principle called ‘mode’, whereby the entire nation would assume a war mode, noting that this would trigger full support and make mobilisation seamless for the war efforts. Looking at the situation today, 12 years after he left office, that principle is still quite relevant as the nation confronts expanded hostilities across the NE and NW with the threat finding its way to other areas in Niger and Kwara States.

General Ihejirika is well loved, especially within the military constituency. Stories are always told of how he impacted the lives and military career of many soldiers and officers. I therefore join several others to wish my boss, Lieutenant General Onyeabo Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd), a happy birthday with best wishes of many prosperous years ahead in good health.

· Olawumi, a retired Major General of the Nigerian Army and member of THISDAY Editorial Board, was a former Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of Army Staff