Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is expected to visit Abia State on Wednesday to participate in the 60th memorial anniversary of Nigeria’s first military Head of State, the late Major-General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi.
The memorial ceremony will be held at the Major-General J.T.U. Aguiyi-Ironsi Conference Centre in Umuahia.
According to the programme of events, the visit is at the invitation of the Aguiyi-Ironsi family. Obasanjo is scheduled to depart Lagos for Umuahia on the morning of July 29 and return to Lagos later the same day after the ceremony.
Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi was born on March 3, 1924, and enlisted in the Nigerian Army in 1942 at the age of 18.
He became Nigeria’s first military Head of State following the January 15, 1966 military coup that brought an end to the First Republic.
His administration was short-lived, as he was assassinated on July 29, 1966, during the counter-coup that reshaped Nigeria’s political landscape and marked a significant turning point in the country’s history.
The 60th memorial is expected to reflect on Aguiyi-Ironsi’s legacy, his contributions to the Nigerian military and his place in the nation’s political history.
