David Jemibewon
Encyclopedia
Major General David Medayese Jemibewon is a Nigeria
n military officer who was appointed governor of Western State
from August 1975 until March 1976 during the military regime of General Murtala Muhammed.
He then became the first Governor of Oyo State
, after it had been created from part of the old Western State
, in office between March 1976 and July 1978 during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo.
Later, he was appointed Minister of Police Affairs in the cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo after the return to democracy in May 1999. He was dismissed in 2000, and later was a contender to run for senator of Kogi West, in Kogi State
.
council of Kogi State. He was educated in Nigeria, England, and the United States of America. He holds the traditional title of Jagunmolu of Ibadan, Oyo State.
He belongs to the Okun majority ethnic group.
Jemibewon was General Officer Commanding First Infantry Division.
In August 1975 he was appointed governor of Western State replacing Akintunde Aduwo
, who had held office for just 30 days.
In March 1976 Western State was divided in Ogun
, Ondo
and Oyo
. Jemibewon continued as governor of Oyo State. Later he became Adjutant General of the Nigerian Army.
After retiring from the army Jemibewon earned a degree in Law at the University of Lagos
.
He then opened a successful legal practice.
He was also involved in palm oil trading.
When Obasanjo was charged and convicted for alleged complicity in a coup plot in 1995, Jemibewon and General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma successfully interceded on his behalf with the military head of state General Sani Abacha
.
(PDP) in 1998 during preparations for the 1998/1999 democratic elections that ushered in the Nigerian Fourth Republic
.
Appointed Minister for Police Affairs in Obasanjo's first cabinet in June 1999, he introduced a five-year plan for the recovery of the police, adding 33,000 police officers, setting up the Nigeria police service commission, and better equipping the police to cope with the task of internal security.
Speaking on behalf of Obasanjo at the 9th International Anti-Corruption Conference in South Africa, in December 1999, David Jemibewon told the conference that "To sustain democracy, we have to keep itching fingers and greedy eyes off the public till. Those in power must be accountable to the people."
In the run up to the April 2003 Senatorial elections for Kogi West, he was the main competitor to the incumbent Tunde Ogbeha
for the PDP candidature.
He was unsuccessful in the bid, and Ogbeha went on to be elected for a second term.
However, he remained a member of the PDP and a member of the PDP Board of Trustees.
In August 2003 Jemibewon was listed as a director of EBS Nigeria, a company relatively unknown before June 2006 when it emerged as a big player in a N2.5 billion contract for anti-retroviral drugs from the Federal Ministry of Health.
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...
n military officer who was appointed governor of Western State
Western State (Nigeria)
The former Western State of Nigeria was formed in 1967 when the Western Region was subdivided into the states of Lagos and Western State. Its capital was Ibadan, which was the capital of the old region....
from August 1975 until March 1976 during the military regime of General Murtala Muhammed.
He then became the first Governor of Oyo State
Oyo State
Ọyọ State is an inland state in south-western Nigeria, with its capital at Ibadan. It is bounded in the north by Kwara State, in the east by Osun State, in the south by Ogun State and in the west partly by Ogun State and partly by the Republic of Benin....
, after it had been created from part of the old Western State
Western State (Nigeria)
The former Western State of Nigeria was formed in 1967 when the Western Region was subdivided into the states of Lagos and Western State. Its capital was Ibadan, which was the capital of the old region....
, in office between March 1976 and July 1978 during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo.
Later, he was appointed Minister of Police Affairs in the cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo after the return to democracy in May 1999. He was dismissed in 2000, and later was a contender to run for senator of Kogi West, in Kogi State
Kogi State
Kogi state is found in the central region of Nigeria. It is popularly called the Confluence State because the confluence of River Niger and River Benue is at its capital, Lokoja, which is the first administrative capital of modern-day Nigeria....
.
Background and military career
Jemibewon was born on 20 July 1940 in Iyah-Gbedde in IjumuIjumu
Ijumu is a Local Government Area in Kogi State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Iyara.It has an area of 1,306 km² and a population of 119,929 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 261.-Notable people:...
council of Kogi State. He was educated in Nigeria, England, and the United States of America. He holds the traditional title of Jagunmolu of Ibadan, Oyo State.
He belongs to the Okun majority ethnic group.
Jemibewon was General Officer Commanding First Infantry Division.
In August 1975 he was appointed governor of Western State replacing Akintunde Aduwo
Akintunde Aduwo
Vice-Admiral Akintunde Aduwo was a Military Governor of the Nigerian Western State from July 1975 to February 1976 during the military regime of General Murtala Muhammed.Later he became Chief of Naval Staff.-Early years:...
, who had held office for just 30 days.
In March 1976 Western State was divided in Ogun
Ogun State
Ogun State is a state in South-western Nigeria. It borders Lagos State to the South, Oyo and Osun states to the North, Ondo State to the east and the republic of Benin to the west. Abeokuta is the capital and largest city in the state...
, Ondo
Ondo State
Ondo State, Nigeria was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It originally included what is now Ekiti State, which was split off in 1996. Akure is the state capital.-Government and society:...
and Oyo
Oyo State
Ọyọ State is an inland state in south-western Nigeria, with its capital at Ibadan. It is bounded in the north by Kwara State, in the east by Osun State, in the south by Ogun State and in the west partly by Ogun State and partly by the Republic of Benin....
. Jemibewon continued as governor of Oyo State. Later he became Adjutant General of the Nigerian Army.
After retiring from the army Jemibewon earned a degree in Law at the University of Lagos
University of Lagos
The University of Lagos - popularly known as Unilag - is a federal government university with a main campus located at Akoka, Yaba and a college of medicine located at Idi-Araba, all in Lagos, Lagos State, southern Nigeria...
.
He then opened a successful legal practice.
He was also involved in palm oil trading.
When Obasanjo was charged and convicted for alleged complicity in a coup plot in 1995, Jemibewon and General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma successfully interceded on his behalf with the military head of state General Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
.
Political career
Jemibewon was chairman of the constitution drafting committee of the People's Democratic PartyPeople's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...
(PDP) in 1998 during preparations for the 1998/1999 democratic elections that ushered in the Nigerian Fourth Republic
Nigerian Fourth Republic
The Fourth Republic is the republican government of Nigeria. Since 1999 it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Second Republic, which was in place between 1979 and 1983 and suffers many of the same problems, such as multiple...
.
Appointed Minister for Police Affairs in Obasanjo's first cabinet in June 1999, he introduced a five-year plan for the recovery of the police, adding 33,000 police officers, setting up the Nigeria police service commission, and better equipping the police to cope with the task of internal security.
Speaking on behalf of Obasanjo at the 9th International Anti-Corruption Conference in South Africa, in December 1999, David Jemibewon told the conference that "To sustain democracy, we have to keep itching fingers and greedy eyes off the public till. Those in power must be accountable to the people."
In the run up to the April 2003 Senatorial elections for Kogi West, he was the main competitor to the incumbent Tunde Ogbeha
Tunde Ogbeha
Jonathan Tunde Ogbeha is a retired general from Kogi State, Nigeria, who was administrator of Akwa Ibom State and then of Bendel State during the military rule of General Ibrahim Babangida . After the return to democracy in 1999 he was the elected senator for the Kogi West constituency of Kogi...
for the PDP candidature.
He was unsuccessful in the bid, and Ogbeha went on to be elected for a second term.
However, he remained a member of the PDP and a member of the PDP Board of Trustees.
In August 2003 Jemibewon was listed as a director of EBS Nigeria, a company relatively unknown before June 2006 when it emerged as a big player in a N2.5 billion contract for anti-retroviral drugs from the Federal Ministry of Health.