I make bold to declare to you that I am with you soul, spirit and body. And mark my words, whatever happens to you today happens to me. I am your true friend like the dove to the pigeon, and by the grace of God, so will I humbly, yet proudly, remain till the very end,” to which Ironsi replied.

Yes, Francis, I retain my absolute confidence in you. I have never doubted your integrity.

Where are men like Adekunle Fajuyi these days? What happened to trust, true friendship and true loyalty that knows no ethnic, tribal or geographical boundaries?

I am longing for the days of old! Please come back to Nigeria!

nues aweso:

Where are men like Adekunle Fajuyi these days? What happened to trust, true friendship and true loyalty that knows no ethnic, tribal or geographical boundaries?

I am longing for the days of old! Please come back to Nigeria!

it is god to dream but days like that will never come to naija. not even in the religious community. we are one selfish and self centered lot.

i have my doubts those words were actually said or meant becos knowing some people can easily say anything in your front and do something else behin your back. most people are double minded especially nigerians who are almost liars by default settings.

GEW:

i have my doubts those words were actually said or meant becos knowing some people can easily say anything in your front and do something else behin your back. most people are double minded especially nigerians who are almost liars by default settings.

I will assume you dont know what happened to Adekunle Fajuyi and Aguiyi Ironsi

i am not going to argue with you but our people re-write history as if truth is evil. that is just my opinion and i am not charging you for it.

GEW:

i am not going to argue with you but our people re-write history as if truth is evil. that is just my opinion and i am not charging you for it.

. . which I respect.

He had that courage to die with his master (Aguiyi Ironsi) because Ironsi was a very good man, the man who put his life in a risk to save, unite and give nigeria quality direction after the coup, Fajuyi truely was a couragous man .

If not that the Northerners came and killed ironsi, he would have giving nigeria a better direction and we wouldn't all these trouble today,

Truely nigeria missed Ironsi.

I'm sure a lot of youngsters don't know this story, Adekunle Fajuyi was a hero (admit or not), they died in July but their deaths were announced in January(useless govt).
Mustapha and his cohorts will neva know peace,
Fajuyi averted a serious ethnic crisis (Igbos vs. Yoruba's).

I don't think any Yoruba man of 2day will readily do that,

@poster,u actually beat me to it, but it's all good, it's for a general cause,
thanks a lot,

It makes me wonder why Nigerians always say  that "Nigerian are liars, thieves, frauds "
That makes the people that say that to be self confessed liars, thieves and frauds too since they are Nigerian by default.

If a white person say that to them, they will call the person a racist.

You are what you say you are.

Tribalism have really entrench in the mind of some people.lets wait and see where its going to lead them to.

You can never find such men again, how i wish such are still alive and maybe and only maybe with such at the helm of power, Nigeria might be a better nation.
Now everyone is just loyal to their pockets

Are there historical evidences to buttress this argument?

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13).  

The Igbos have duly recognised him as a friend of the Igbos.  


But the Yorubas . . . . . . ?  

"For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country."(John4:44)

Nezan:

Are there historical evidences to buttress this argument?

I am yet to find one, but even at that, there used to be great loyalty in those days than now, where papa wanna sell wife for money

@ Gew- if you dont have anything sensible to say, then shut up.

@nezan- your question posits that you were born in the late 90's

@op- thanks, i am an igbo man, and i want you to know we recognise col. Fajuyi's bravery.

and it shld be known that apart from being a loyal, honest, trustworthy, man of integrity. he was

also a hero, cos he averted a war between the yoruba's and igbos. thats why i dont celebrate men like

murtala mohammed, cos they were the brain behind the fall of this 2 great men (ironsi & Fajuyi).

Nigerian would have been better if they were given a chance to rule. i agree a day should be set aside to

honour him, rather than the quest by some selfish sect to immortalise MKO. cos Fajuyi is the true hero!!!

illusion2:

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13).  

The Igbos have duly recognised him as a friend of the Igbos.  


But the Yorubas . . . . . . ?  

"For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country."(John4:44)

and this summarises the main point of the thread.

nothing new, as usual.

Soyinka can do the same, I'm sure.

nues aweso:

THE first Military Governor of the defunct Western Region, Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, willingly surrendered to be killed alongside the late Major General Aguiyi-Ironsi, Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, who was on a visit to Ibadan where both of them were assassinated in a counter coup attempt.


This was categorically stated on Wednesday in Ibadan, by a veteran journalist and one time Executive Director, National Concord, Mr. Sina Adedipe, at a lecture commemorating the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of the Yoruba hero entitled: “The Life and Times of Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi,” organised by the Oyo State chapter of League of Veteran Journalists.


The seasoned journalist, who described Fajuyi as the third pan-Yoruba hero after Oduduwa and Chief Obafemi Awolowo, given his heroic deeds, said, contrary to the insinuations in the Northern part of the country that Fajuyi was assassinated because of his role in the January 1966 coup, which led to the killings of many Northerners, including the Prime Minister, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, Colonel Fajuyi, playing host to Ironsi, who came to Ibadan to address the traditional rulers, decided to die with his boss, thus showing a rare mark of loyalty, heroism and bravery.


Making reference to Sanmi Ajiki’s biography on Fajuyi, Adedipe quoted Fajuyi to have said on the night of their assassination: “I make bold to declare to you that I am with you soul, spirit and body. And mark my words, whatever happens to you today happens to me. I am your true friend like the dove to the pigeon, and by the grace of God, so will I humbly, yet proudly, remain till the very end,” to which Ironsi replied.

Yes, Francis, I retain my absolute confidence in you. I have never doubted your integrity.” Adedipe, who lamented several years of silence on the heroic deeds of the Yoruba icon by the South-Western people, commended the veteran journalists for organising the lecture of Fajuyi who, he said, had built his big castle in the hearts of his people rather than on the soil, as today’s politicians would have done.


The ace journalist urged the league to reach out to their counterparts in Osun, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states to set aside July 29 of every year to commemorate Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, just as the Americans, honoured Martin Luther King yearly, because, according to him, a day devoted to remembering Colonel Fajuyi” is the best way to celebrate him, as it would make people every year to hear and know about him and the heroic sacrifice he made for the dignity of the Ekiti people and the Yoruba race.”

http://www.tribune.com.ng/30072009/news/news5.html

This is a blatant falsehood that was created by the propaganda machine of western region of Nigerian government publication of 1967. After what clearly looked as inability to spit on the faces of those who marched onto Ibadan and killed the son of the soil, the western region of Nigerian publishing houses pulled out this ridiculous and equally deceptive stunt and associated it with the name of Col Fajuyi. I bet Mr. Sina Adedipe, who is referenced as a veteran journalistic in this article, could have been one of the people that initially concocted the crap from the western Nigerian based publishing houses.

The accounts given by three individuals who were physically present during the ordeals that took place at the government house in Ibadan had categorically refuted such self-pleasing nonsense. Flt. Lieutenant Arthur Nwankwo, the air force ADC to Ironsi, emphatically told me in Lagos that such conjectural crap never took place.

Also, in the Gowon’s biography written by Eliagwu, the interview given by Lt. William Wulbe categorically stated that such nonsense never transpired. He rubbished the claim by calling it a bold face lie. He further stated that Lt. Col. F. Fajuyi was as good a target as Ironsi because the coup plotters of July 29, 1966 had alleged that Fajuyi was implicated in January 15, 1966 coup.

Again, for those who will knowingly fooled themselves in a quest to create a hero or attempt to justify their inability to stand up against aggressor through falsehood should understand that during coup d’état options to live or die do not exist.

I dont think we are to bring up this tribal war on issues like this we are celebrating a hero here and some people came up with igbo appreciates
yoruba deosnt what has that got to do with with the topic.
I think a tribe is a treat to the other,if not all topics will not have to end up in tribal war.

Hats off to Colonel Fajuyi! He obviously shared a solid bond with Gen. Ironsi.

It can't happen in the present day Nigeria cos there is more money to steal and enjoy and the atmosphere is absolutely suitable for one to abuse power, misappropriate public fund and get away with it. Check out Sam Egwu while his sector is burning he still have the gut to go partying spending 120 Million Naira. Can somebody like him die for Yaradua or make any sacrifice for this nation?

canuck:

Hats off to Colonel Fajuyi! He obviously shared a solid bond with Gen. Ironsi.

may be him dey nack the presido daughter.

Thanks for posting this. The anniversaries of Ironsi/Fajuyi's murder always seem to pass without mention. They are forgotten heroes and pioneers.

A little note for posterity though, [B]Fajuyi did not give his life for Ironsi. It seems he was a target of the northern mutineers all along and would have been killed with Ironsi regardless.[/B] It was the Western Region publication "Fajuyi The Great" that started the myth that Fajuyi "chose to die with Ironsi". The myth was later embellished in subsequent publications. One of the most ridiculous of which was Fajuyi: The Martyred soldier, by Sanmi Ajiki. Ajiki claimed that Fajuyi told Ironsi: [I]"I make bold to declare to you that, I am with you soul, spirit and body. And mark my words, whatever happens to you today, happens to me. I am your true friend, dear J.U.T like the dove to the pigeon, and by the grace of our good God, so will I humbly yet proudly remain till the very end."[/I] According to Ajiki, Ironsi replied [I]"Yes! Francis, I retain my absolute confidence in you. I have never for once doubted your integrity."[/I] That might sound nice and heroic for their family members, but the accounts given by the soldiers that were present suggest that no such fluffy dialogue took place.

William Walbe (one of the officers that led Fajuyi and Ironsi to their death in Ibadan) publicly confirmed in an interview that Fajuyi was destined to share Ironsi's fate and that they (the northern mutineers) wanted Fajuyi dead because they were convinced he was an ally of the Janaury 1966 Majors and helped them plan their coup. The interview is quoted in Gowon's biography entitled "Gowon: Biogrpahy of a Soldier Statesman".

Lt-Gen Danjuma later corroborated Walbe's account in an interview with a Nigerian army civil war historical team. Danjuma went even further than Walbe and said that [B]the soldiers that killed Ironsi and Fajuyi could not stand Fajuyi. They felt he deserved to die even more than Ironsi.[/B]

Fajuyi did it not for Ironsi but for the Yoruba people and for Nigeria as a nation! because if they had gone to kill Ironsi in the north Fajuyi would not have died with him. He knew the nation could go into ethnic crisis which would have been too bad for Nigeria. That was why he stood to show his innocence and that of the Yoruba people.

I have heard of this long time ago and I salute our hero Col Adekunle Fajuyi!


@Dede1, please go to sleep!at least for one week,I believe when you wake up you will make some sense!

Unfortunately, we dont have such people anymore.
People that put honour above everything else.

What we have now are liasons like the diabolical alliance between Nzeribe (ABN) and IBB.
They mess everything up and get together abroad to laugh KO! KO! KO!KO!KO!
Only God will heal that land.

it's like witchcraft over there.

As revealed, all propaganda.

“I make bold to declare to you that I am with you soul, spirit and body. And mark my words, whatever happens to you today happens to me. I am your true friend like the dove to the pigeon, and by the grace of God, so will I humbly, yet proudly, remain till the very end,” to which Ironsi replied.

Yes, Francis, I retain my absolute confidence in you. I have never doubted your integrity

Sounds like these propagandists have been reading too much William Shakespeare. Or when did
Nigerian soldiers start speaking that manner of English? After pepersoup in the Officers mess?

Accounts of what might have happened would differ, the facts remain: Ironsi= hero, Fajuyi= hero.
Even Danjuma and his co-plotters could not say for sure why they needed to be killed apart from their tribal origins.

sandee575:


Sounds like these propagandists have been reading too much William Shakespeare. Or when did
Nigerian soldiers start speaking that manner of English? After pepersoup in the Officers mess?

I also wonder.

“I make bold to declare to you that I am with you soul, spirit and body. And mark my words, whatever happens to you today happens to me. I am your true friend like the dove to the pigeon, and by the grace of God, so will I humbly, yet proudly, remain till the very end,” to which Ironsi replied.

Yes, Francis, I retain my absolute confidence in you. I have never doubted your integrity"

" I make bold to declare"

"mark my words"

" Like the dove to the pigeon"

"So will I humbly yet proudly"



the author could have at least thought of Nigerian phrases to use.

Dede1:

This is a blatant falsehood that was created by the propaganda machine of western region of Nigerian government publication of 1967.

There will always be a Judas somehow,somewhere

What he did was heroic. he should be remembered.

What he did was heroic. he should be remembered.