Joseph Gomwalk

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Joseph Dechi Gomwalk (died 1976) was a Nigerian police commissioner and Military Governor of Benue-Plateau State. He was executed due to his connections to Buka Suka Dimka's attempted coup against Murtala Mohammed's government.

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[edit] Education

Gomwalk was a Ngas from Ampang[1] (Pang) in the present Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State. He attended the famous Boys Secondary School Gindiri where he graduated with distinctions in both academics and sports. He proceeded to the premier University of Ibadan and graduated with a degree in Zoology.

[edit] Governorship of Benua-Plateau State

Gomwalk was Governor of the state from 1966 until 1975, when military head of state Yakubu Gowon's regime was toppled in a coup d'etat.

While Governor, Gomwalk started the Nigerian Standard in 1972; as of 2003, it is a government-owned daily located on Joseph Gomwalk Road in Jos, and has a circulation of 100,000.[2] After failing to get Ahmadu Bello University of Zaria to open a satellite campus in the state, he turned to the University of Ibadan; that institution opened its Jos campus (which later became the University of Jos) in November 1971. [3]

In August of 1974, affidavits alleging corruption on the part of Gomwalk and Joseph Tarka, Benue-Plateau State's representative to the Federal Executive Council, were published; Tarka resigned, but Gomwalk, with Gowon's support, remained in office.[4]

[edit] Execution

After Gowon's overthrow and the installation of Murtala Mohammed, Gomwalk was implicated in Buka Suka Dimka's attempted coup of February 13 1976 and was executed by firing squad.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Archibong, Maurice. "Ngas: At home with everyone", The Sun News Online, The Sun Publishing, 2006-06-01. Retrieved on 2008-01-26. 
  2. ^ (2003) Africa South of the Sahara 2004. Taylor and Francis. ISBN 1857431839. 
  3. ^ Education. PlateauStateGov.org. Plateau State Government. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
  4. ^ Panter-Brick, Simone K (1978). "Army Reorganisation", Soldiers and Oil: The Political Transformation of Nigeria. Routledge, 69. ISBN 0714630985. 

[edit] External links

Nigeria Portal