David Jemibewon

David Medayese Jemibewon
Governor of Western State
In office
30 August 1975 – March 1976
Preceded by Akintunde Aduwo
Succeeded by Self (Oyo State)
Saidu Balogun (Ogun State),
Ita David Ikpeme (Ondo State)
Governor of Oyo State
In office
March 1976 – July 1978
Preceded by Self (Western State)
Succeeded by Paul Tarfa
Federal Minister of Police Affairs
In office
May 1999 – 2000
Personal details
Born 22 July 1940 (1940-07-22) (age 71)
Ijumu, Kogi State, Nigeria

Major General David Medayese Jemibewon is a Nigerian 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.[1] 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.[2]

Contents

Background and military career

Jemibewon was born on 20 July 1940 in Iyah-Gbedde in Ijumu 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.[3] He belongs to the Okun majority ethnic group.[4]

Jemibewon was General Officer Commanding First Infantry Division.[5] In August 1975 he was appointed governor of Western State replacing Akintunde Aduwo, who had held office for just 30 days.[6] 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.[4]

After retiring from the army Jemibewon earned a degree in Law at the University of Lagos.[7] He then opened a successful legal practice.[8] He was also involved in palm oil trading.[9] 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.[10]

Political career

Jemibewon was chairman of the constitution drafting committee of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in 1998 during preparations for the 1998/1999 democratic elections that ushered in the Nigerian Fourth Republic.[11] 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.[12] 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."[13]

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.[4] He was unsuccessful in the bid, and Ogbeha went on to be elected for a second term.[14] However, he remained a member of the PDP and a member of the PDP Board of Trustees.[5]

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.[15]

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ "Nigeria States". WorldStatesmen. http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Nigeria_federal_states.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
  2. ^ Waheed Odusile, Ufot Essien, Kola Ologbondiyan, Oma Djebah and Chris Nwachuku (2001-11-10). "PDP's Men of Power". ThisDay. http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2001/11/10/20011110cov02.html. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
  3. ^ Kazeem Akintunde and Belinda Mbonu (19 July 2009). "In the News". Newswatch. http://www.newswatchngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1112&Itemid=34. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
  4. ^ a b c RALPH OMOLOLU AGBANA (December 7, 2002). "Battle Of The Generals For Kogi State". The Guardian. http://news.biafranigeriaworld.com/archive/ngguardian/2002/dec/07/article17.html. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
  5. ^ a b Oma Djebah (2003-08-31). "'Why Nigeria Can't Shy Away from Liberia'". ThisDay. http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2003/08/31/20030831int01.html. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
  6. ^ Max Siollun (2009). Oil, politics and violence: Nigeria's military coup culture (1966-1976). Algora Publishing. p. 187. ISBN 0875867081. 
  7. ^ "Their Excellencies,What next?". ThisDay. 2003-05-24. http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2003/05/24/20030524cov01.html. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
  8. ^ Toyin Falola (2003). The foundations of Nigeria: essays in honor of Toyin Falola. Africa World Press. p. 262. ISBN 1592211208. 
  9. ^ "Welcome to Madewell Nig. Limited". Madewell Products Limited.. http://madewel.com/. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
  10. ^ Oma Djebah, Monday Philips Ekpe , Lanre Issa-Onilu, and Oke Epia (2004-01-25). "A President Under Pressure". ThisDay. http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2004/01/25/20040125cov02.html. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
  11. ^ Olayinka Oyebode (20 Sep 2008). "Why Obasanjo derailed – Jemibewon". The Punch. http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20080920056771. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
  12. ^ Oma Djebah (2002-05-29). "Obasanjo: Three Years After". ThisDay. http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2002/05/29/20020529pol07.html. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
  13. ^ Ernest Harsch. "Africa mounts drive against graft". Africa Recovery, Vol.13#4 (December 1999). http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/subjindx/134corru.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
  14. ^ Louis Achi (2003-04-06). "National Lawmakers: Likely Second Termers (1)". ThisDay. http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2003/04/06/20030406cov03.html. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
  15. ^ EMMANUEL MAYAH (September 9, 2006). "On the trail of EBS". Daily Sun. http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/special%20report/2006/sept/09/special-report-09-09-2006-001.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
Western Region Premiers
Western Region Governors
John Dalzell Rankin  • Adesoji Aderemi  • Joseph Fadahunsi  • Adekunle Fajuyi  • Robert Adeyinka Adebayo
Western State Governors
Governors of Nigerian States under General Murtala Muhammed (July 1975 - February 1976)
State Governors in Nigeria during the Olusegun Obasanjo military regime (13 February 1976 – 1 October 1979)