Paul Obi
Encyclopedia
Lt. Colonel Paul Edor Obi was Administrator of Bayelsa State
, Nigeria
from July 1998 to May 1999 during the transitional regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar
.
.
He served in the military for over 23 years.
He was a Platoon Commander under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
.
On 11 December 1998, demonstrators marched towards Government House in Yenagoa
to convey their grievances.
Troops opened fire, killing some and injuring many others.
Following continued civil disturbances, on 30 December 1998 he declared a state of emergency, suspending all civil liberties and imposing a dusk-to-dawn curfew.
The Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF) leaders described this as an "outright declaration of war on the Ijaws".
The curfew was lifted on 4 January 1999 after the government "deployed warships and more troops in Niger Delta areas to quell violent protests by restive Ijaw youths".
Obi was a member of the Niger Delta Development Option Committee, which prepared the initial blueprint for development of the Niger Delta
region.
In April 1999 he met with selected Ijaw leaders at state house in Yenagoa
. He said the Federal Government wanted to help develop the state, and urged the people to "embrace the path of peace and dialogue at all times".
He handed over to the elected civilian governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha
at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic
on 29 May 1999.
Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State is a state in southern Nigeria in the core Niger Delta region, between Delta State and Rivers State. Its capital is Yenagoa. The language spoken here is Ijaw language and dialects of the Ijaw language such as Nembe, Atissa, Akassa, Ogbia, etc. However, like the rest of Nigeria,...
, 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 1998 to May 1999 during the transitional regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar
Abdulsalami Abubakar
General Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar is a Nigerian general who was President of Nigeria from June 9, 1998 until May 29, 1999. He succeeded Sani Abacha upon Abacha's death. It was during Abubakar's leadership that Nigeria adopted its new constitution on May 5, 1999, which provided for multiparty...
.
Early career
Paul Obi graduated from the U.S. Army Aviation School, Fort Rucker. Alabama, and earned a Higher Diploma in Aviation Technology. He also graduated from the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, JajiArmed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji
The Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji is a training facility for the Nigerian Armed Forces, including the army, air force and navy. It is near the village of Jaji, Nigeria, about 35 km northeast of Kaduna in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria.-History:The Army...
.
He served in the military for over 23 years.
He was a Platoon Commander under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was created by the United Nations, with the adoption of Security Council Resolution 425 and 426 on 19 March 1978, to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon which Israel had invaded five days prior, restore international peace and security,...
.
Bayelsa State Administrator
Obi was appointed Military Administrator of Bayelsa State in July 1998.On 11 December 1998, demonstrators marched towards Government House in Yenagoa
Yenagoa
Yenagoa is a Local Government Area in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Yenagoa in the south of the area at.The LGA has an area of 706 km² and a population of 353,344 at the 2006 census....
to convey their grievances.
Troops opened fire, killing some and injuring many others.
Following continued civil disturbances, on 30 December 1998 he declared a state of emergency, suspending all civil liberties and imposing a dusk-to-dawn curfew.
The Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF) leaders described this as an "outright declaration of war on the Ijaws".
The curfew was lifted on 4 January 1999 after the government "deployed warships and more troops in Niger Delta areas to quell violent protests by restive Ijaw youths".
Obi was a member of the Niger Delta Development Option Committee, which prepared the initial blueprint for development of the Niger Delta
Niger Delta
The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil...
region.
In April 1999 he met with selected Ijaw leaders at state house in Yenagoa
Yenagoa
Yenagoa is a Local Government Area in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Yenagoa in the south of the area at.The LGA has an area of 706 km² and a population of 353,344 at the 2006 census....
. He said the Federal Government wanted to help develop the state, and urged the people to "embrace the path of peace and dialogue at all times".
He handed over to the elected civilian governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha
Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha was governor of Bayelsa State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 9 December 2005.-Background:...
at the start of 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...
on 29 May 1999.