Group Captain Adebayo Hamed Lawal (born 14 September 1941) was Governor of Benue State

Benue State

Benue is a state in the Middle-Belt region of Nigeria with a population of about 2.8 million in 1991. Tiv, Idoma, and Igede are spoken predominantly. There are other ethnic groups as well. These include Etulo and Abakwa...

, Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

 from July 1978 to October 1979 during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo.

Adebayo Hamed Lawal was born on September 14, 1941 in Offa

Offa, Nigeria

Offa, Kwara State, is a town located in central Nigeria with a population of 114,000 . The vegetation in Offa is savanna vegetation and the city is noted for its weaving and dyeing trade, using vegetable dyes made from locally grown indigo and other plants. Sweet potatoes and maize are the...

, Kwara State

Kwara State

Kwara State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Ilorin. The primary ethnic group of Kwara State is Yoruba, with significant Nupe, Bariba and Fulani minorities.- History :...

. He attended Government College, Ibadan

Ibadan

Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...

 (1955 - 1962). He enlisted in the Nigerian Airforce in 1963 and was trained as a Military Pilot in West Germany

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

, graduating in 1964.
Postings included Commander, Port Harcourt Base (1969-1970), Commander Kano

Kano

Kano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 sq.km and comprises six Local Government Area - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nassarawa - with a...

 Base (1972-1973) and (1975-1977) and Commander,
Makurdi

Makurdi

Makurdi is the capital of Benue State in Nigeria. The city is located in central Nigeria along the Benue river bank and was the base for the Nigerian Air Force's MiG 21 and SEPECAT Jaguar aircraft squadrons...

 Base (1977-1978).

He was appointed Military Governor of Benue State in July 1978, holding the position until October 1979.
He oversaw the peaceful transition from military rule to civil rule, handing over power to the National Party of Nigeria

National Party of Nigeria

The National Party of Nigeria was the dominant political party in Nigeria during the Second Republic .-Formation:The party's beginning could be traced to private and sometimes secret meetings among key Northern Nigerian leaders after the proscription of political parties in 1966 by the military...

 candidate Aper Aku

Aper Aku

Aper Aku was elected governor of Benue State, Nigeria in October 1979 and reelected in October 1983, leaving office after the military coup in December 1983 which General Mohammadu Buhari came to power.-Background:...

on 1 October, 1979.