Emmanuel Ifeajuna
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Men's athletics
| ||
Representing Nigeria | ||
British Empire and Commonwealth Games
| ||
1954 Vancouver | High jump |
Emmanuel Arinze Ifeajuna
An
Life and career
High jumping
Born in Onitsha,[3] he attended Dennis Memorial Grammar School in his home town and displayed the characteristics that would later define his life. He trained in the high jump under his games teacher,[4] and he also took part in a protest that closed down the school for a term. He graduated from high school in 1951.[5] Ilesa Grammar School also claims him as a past alumnus.[6] This is disputed, although he did do summer school teaching at the institution.[7]
The 1954 Nigerian Athletics Championships saw him establish himself among the nation's best high jumpers. A jump of 6 feet 5.5 inches (1.97 m) meant Ifeajuna was chosen to represent his country at the
At the 1954 Games in
Politics and university
After his gold medal win, he ceased training in the high jump and did not return to the sport. He enrolled in a science degree at the
Upon completion of his science degree he went into teaching, being posted at Ebenezer Anglican Grammar School in Abeokuta. Ifeajuna remained in regular contact with Okigbo, who also went on to teach, and the two continued to discuss revolutionary politics.[5] This culminated in Ifeajuna leaving the teaching profession to join the army in 1960. He underwent training at Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, United Kingdom.[4] As a graduate, he rose quickly within the military ranks and reached the position of Major in January 1966. He was the brigade major in Lagos.[5]
Coup attempt
Dissatisfied with the direction his country had taken during the
Ademoyega, Okafor, Anuforo and Chukwuka were the other majors based in Lagos, where Ifeajuna led movements. Ifeajuna led his brigade to the house of Prime Minister Balewa and arrested him. Meanwhile, Nzeogwu made public the names of who the coup aimed to kill and Balewa as a notable absence. Okafor sought to capture Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari, Ifeajuna's commanding officer. Maimalari escaped and upon finding Ifeajuna asked him for help. Ifeajuna killed Maimalari, which led to dissension among Ifeajuna's ranks, as he was a highly respected officer. Ifeajuna also shot Lieutenant Colonel Abogo Largema at a hotel in the Ikoyi district of Lagos.[12]
One of the coup's prominent targets, Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, caught wind of the plot and escaped capture. He then began to move against the coup conspirators. Ironsi eventually managed to prevent the coup and was later appointed to take over leadership and bring stability to the country.[12] During these events, Prime Minister Balewa died while under the arrest of Ifeajuna. Official police reports into the circumstances of his death (which remain redacted) claim Ifeajuna shot Balewa while driving to Abeokuta and abandoned the body by the road. Some claim that Balewa was not deliberately killed (given that he was not one of the coup's stated assassination targets), but rather died of an asthma or heart attack during the ordeal. This subject remains an unresolved element of the history of the 1966 coup attempt.[4]
Execution and legacy
Following Ironsi's move against the coup, Ifeajuna's friend Christopher Okigbo helped him cross the border into
Ifeajuna has had a mixed legacy. His unpublished manuscript has attracted much attention, including that of Olusegun Obasanjo, an army general and now former President of Nigeria.[5][16] The 1966 coup attempt is seen by many as an Igbo plot, although conspirators included non-Igbos, some coup targets were Igbos, and General Ironsi who prevented the coup was himself an Igbo. The manuscript is seen as a possible historical source for assessing both the racial element to the coup and Ifeajuna's role in it, which ranges from co-conspirator to intellectual leader.[10][12]
Ifeajuna has not featured prominently or favourably in the history of the Nigerian Civil War. While fellow 1966 coup maker Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu has been decorated as a war hero and had a statue erected in his hometown, Ifeajuna has received little posthumous recognition.[17] Upon his death in 2011, former Biafran leader Ojukwu received the highest military accolades from Nigeria and his funeral was attended by the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan[18][19][20]
In a 1992 interview, Ojukwu dismissed claims that Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu was the leader of the plot, as was widely believed. A Nigerian Police Special Branch report, its first part partially redacted and the second part missing, stated that Ifeajuna, Don Okafor and Captain Ogbu Oji were the creators and protagonists of the coup plot in 1965, with Nzeogwu only becoming involved at a late stage.[21] Ifeajuna is seen by some as the assassin of Prime Minister Balewa, which brought down the First Republic and caused civil war.[13] No autopsy was carried on Balewa's body and no proof exists that he was shot. Official reports document his body was found in a sitting position by a tree, next to the body of finance minister Festus Okotie-Eboh, who had been shot and was at the centre of corruption allegations.[22]
Ifeajuna's legacy within Black African sports history has been overshadowed by his political actions following his feats.[4]
Personal life
During his time at university, Ifeajuna met his wife Rose in 1955. Four years later the pair married and went on to have two sons.[4]
International competition record
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1954 | British Empire and Commonwealth Games | Vancouver, Canada | 1st | High jump | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
References
- ^ "Emmaunel Ifeajuna". Brinkster. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ^ "Emmanuel Ifeajuna: from Commonwealth Games gold to the firing squad". the Guardian. 12 July 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ a b c Siollun, Max (2005-10-30). "The Inside Story Of Nigeria’s First Military Coup (I)". Nigeria Matters. Retrieved on 2014-07-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Oliver, Brian (2014-07-13). "Emmanuel Ifeajuna: Commonwealth Games gold to facing a firing squad". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ^ a b c d e Onyema, Henry (2013-10-23). "EMMANUEL IFEAJUNA – The Man Called Emma Vancouver" Archived 18 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Naija Stories. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ^ Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna Archived 14 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Ilesa Grammar School. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ^ "E Ifeajuna, old student of Ilesha Grammar School". World Igbo Congress. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ^ a b Commonwealth Game Medallists (Men). GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ^ 1952 Summer Olympics Report. LA Foundation 1984. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ^ a b "The Journey of a Manuscript". AuthorMe. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ^ "1966 Coup: The last of the plotters dies" Archived 4 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Nigeria Vanguard (2007-03-20). Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ^ a b c Siollun, Max (2006-07-12). "The Inside Story Of Nigeria’s First Military Coup (2)". Nigeria Matters. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ^ a b Obasi, Emaka (2014-04-11). "Ifeajuna: A jumper’s January jeremiad" Archived 11 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine. The New Telegraph. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ^ Awoyokun, Damola. "Why I killed Victor Banjo, Ifeajuna and others – Ojukwu" Archived 5 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine. PWC Review. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ^ Omoigui, Nowa. "The Key Players of the 1966 Rebellions-Where Are They Today?". Dawodu. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ^ Odia Ofeimun, "The Forgotten Documents Of The Nigerian Civil War". Sahara Reporters (2012-10-12). Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ISBN 9781472908438
- ^ "At Ojukwu memorial in Dallas, USAfrica's Chido Nwangwu challenges Igbo nation to say 'never again' like Jews". USAfrica. 6 February 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ Isiguzo, Christopher; Osondu, Emeka (3 March 2012). "Goodnight Ikemba Ojukwu". THISDAY LIVE. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ McFadden, Robert D. (26 November 2011). "Odumegwu Ojukwu, Leader of Breakaway Republic of Biafra, Dies at 78". New York Times. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ Chukwuemeka Onyema, Henry. "The Shot That Shook The Nation. Reflections On The January 15, 1966 Coup". AuthorMe. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
- ^ Ogunseitan, O'seun (2010-09-05)."Balewa was not killed by soldiers —Mbu". The Nation Nigeria. Retrieved 2014-07-13.