Reminiscences with Maj-Gen David Jemibewon (rtd)
Major-General David Jemibewon (rtd) is a former military governor of the Western States and later, Oyo State. He also served under former President Olusegun Obasanjo as Minister of Police Affairs. The General, turned politician, was also the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Constitution Drafting Committee In this interview, the 78-year-old lets Daily Trust on Sunday into his life as a young boy growing up in Iyah-Gbedde in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, journey through the military and life as a civilian.
You were born at Iyah-Gbedde in Kogi State, what was growing up like within your immediate community in the 1950s and 1960s There was nothing special. At that time, the whole of this country constituted of rural areas; and even now, many years after, not much has seriously changed. There were no facilities; no water, road, electricity, hospitals or schools. So, it was through God’s grace that those who survived, survived. Life was not too comfortable.
How was communal life in those days?
Everybody was everybody’s keeper. There was understanding, cooperation and cooperative groups. For instance, the villagers were responsible for the road linking my village to other areas. They took care of it periodically. The cooperative attitude helped a lot. It is sad that we no longer have that. The first set of people who were educated in my area were, in fact, trained by the cooperative. Once somebody showed evidence of interest in education, the whole village took it upon themselves to sponsor that person. Luckily, government recognised that effort, and with time, colleges were established. That was done mainly by government and religious establishments. The government went into the villages looking for prospective students with the support of the people. Was it through the cooperative that you
commenced formal education?
Interestingly, no. A younger brother to my father was working in the United Africa Company (UAC) at that time and their headquarters was in Burutu, the present day Bayelsa State. I don’t know if my father spoke to him or it was out of his own volition, but he came on holidays and asked to take me along. That was how I started school at the CMS Primary School, Burutu.
Moving from Iyah-Gbedde to Burutu, was it easy for you to fit into that society?
When I left my village, I didn’t know much beyond my immediate environment, but in Burutu, there were people from different parts, maybe not from Nigeria, but from communities around the area. For example, I still remember the names of two chaps I met in Burutu. And incidentally, one of them also ended up in the Army. So, life in Burutu was different from that of Iyah-Gbedde at that time. There was more civilisation, more enlightenment, maybe because of the Europeans working there and the people too were more enlightened. I remember very well that even at that time, there were swimming pools. The swimming pools were mainly made of walls. They were constructed by the White and the water was always warm. So life in Burutu was beautiful.
Can you tell us the name of the chap from Burutu?
I can’t really remember, but they were two brothers: one was Peter and the other was Paul.
What were your parents doing at that time?
They were peasant farmers.
So, what motivated you to join the Army?
After primary school I returned for my secondary education at Offa Grammar School. When I was in Form 1, I went to spend my holidays with a friend in Abeokuta. He was not married; and in those days, if you were not married, even as a soldier, you couldn’t live outside the barracks. They lived under a certain condition called living on the line in something like a dormitory. So even though I happened to be his guest, I couldn’t stay with him because he was single. He had to arrange with a good friend of his who was also a soldier but living in town and I stayed with him. Some days, I couldn’t see my friend because I couldn’t go into the barracks; it was out of bounds. So that orderliness of the soldiers endeared me. Their cleanliness and smart way of doing things, as well as regulation guiding their behaviours made an impact on me. It was an ordered community. Also, I don’t like sedentary lifestyle and the military provided me the opportunity to travel.
Can you take us through your journey in the Army?
I think I had a fantastic career in the military. To be honest, I never knew I would make it because the white men who were in charge then were very strict on me and one or two others. Each time during parade, they always gave the impression that we were not doing well, so I assumed that I would not make it. So I started making alternative arrangement even before I finished from what is now known as the Nigerian Defence academy (NDA). In those days it was called the Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC). My course happened to be in the third intake. Then, once you passed, you were sent overseas for further studies. It was also predetermined how many people would be taken; the number of people from the North, West and East. I think we were 28 and they decided that only 14 would pass. Out of the 14, seven of them were to be taken from the North; I don’t know how they intended to get the rest. So in anticipation that I may not make it, I went to see some people on the possibility of going to read Law. But somehow, I made it and I think I probably made it well.
Were your parents in support of your career choice?
Actually, I went through the training, went to England, became an Army officer and came back to the country. It was when I was about to go to the Congo that I informed them that I had joined the military.
Why didn’t you tell them; were you scared that they would not support you?
I wouldn’t say so. Maybe they wouldn’t have had any objection because I don’t know how much knowledge of the Army they had, other than my friend who I said influenced my decision. Remember that he didn’t influence my decision by talking to me; his behaviour and the way he did things did. The name of that friend of mine is Joseph I. Digi. Even though he is dead, I still remember his Army number. It is 18147605.
What was your Army number?
N262 and that presupposes that I am number 262 in the officer Core of the Nigerian Army. Don’t forget that at the time we joined, it was still under the British.
After the training at Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot, United Kingdom, I returned as a Second Lieutenant.
How old were you then?
I was 22 years old.
What was Mons like?
All of us who left Nigeria were there, so one didn’t feel lost or lonely. And there was this comradeship. At that time, there was something that struck me: I realised that Nigerians were civilised people. If we had continued that way, we would have progressed beyond where we are now. I observed then that some of our colleagues from East Africa had to be taught how to use cutleries; things most of us presumed to be normal. We felt proud of our country in those days. One time, the Sardauna visited us and we were very happy. Then of course, the weather wasn’t too comfortable, but that was all part of the training.
Can you give the names of some of those who attended Mons Officer Cadet School with you?
There was Major-General Abubakar Waziri and General Abdullahi Mohammed, who worked with Obasanjo, Yar’adua and even former President Goodluck Jonathan. He is from Ilorin. Also, there was the late Joe Garba. A few of them are dead now.
You served as military governor of the defunct Western States between 1975 and 1978. How did you receive your appointment?
At that time I was in Kaduna as a result of a request by the commandant of the NDA, General Illiya Bisalla. He asked for an officer to be in charge of the training of cadets. Note that in the Army things are normally done by seniority. I think they gave him names of officers senior to me and somehow he didn’t approve of any of those officers. I think they now gave him my name and he accepted it. So, I had to leave for Kaduna. And I was floating between Lagos and Abeokuta where my unit was. I didn’t particularly like the posting, but I had to leave. I left and arranged for my family to meet me in Kaduna. I had not even spent up to three days in Kaduna and my family was still in transit from Ibadan to Kaduna. In fact, I didn’t even know where they were. Also, I was still in a guest house when a message reached me that I should report in Lagos. I started wondering what they wanted me for. I assumed that somebody had made some allegations against me and I was going to be detained. I called some of my friends to find out from them what Lagos wanted from me. I think I asked Ike Nwachukwu, because he was my friend, and General Akinrinade because he was my senior in secondary school, as well as a member of the Supreme Military Council, but he told me he had no idea. I was in a state of anxiety, uncertainty and fear.
From what they told me, Lagos said that even if I was sick, they should put my bed on the plane. So, it wasn’t a good message at all. At the time I got to the airport, they said no place, but I insisted that they looked for a place for me. When I arrived Lagos, I slept at the house of a cousin in Ilupeju. So the first thing the next day I went to Dodan Barracks. When I got to the office of Abdullahi Shelleng, I waited for hours and nobody told me anything. I asked Shelleng what was happening, but he also said he didn’t know. But after a while he told me I was going to be appointed military governor and I asked him how because at that time all the states had governors, none had been sacked and no new state had been created. I just assumed he was being diplomatic that I was actually going to be detained, but for what, I didn’t know. To cut the story short, they finally called me and the swearing-in took place. That is why I say life is a wonder. One minute I could not even contemplate what would happen, feeling dejected because I thought I was going to be incarcerated, and the next minute I was appointed a governor. What was it like managing the entire
I knew I had to represent myself, and by extension, my family. I was careful not to disgrace my family by asking for bribe or gratification. In other words, I knew that I had to represent myself properly. I also did not want to disappoint those who might have suggested my name. To do anything contrary to what is right amounted to letting down those people
Western states?
You see, you are interviewing me today, if there are 20 people you are supposed to interview, it will be the same process/ methodology. There can be slight changes here and there, but basically, it will be the same thing. Administration is the same thing. Human relation is the same thing. So, if you can do one thing well and that same thing multiplies by three, you are likely to do it well. When we talk of administration, it is human relations; dealing with human beings/people. A good Army officer can hold any position.
In Oyo State, where you also served as governor, you replaced Akintunde who had barely served for 30 days; what are the circumstances that led to that change?
I couldn’t have known. Those who removed him had their reasons.
You were in Oyo during the 1976 coup, please share your experience with us
It was a bad experience. I think the good thing is that I am here telling the story. More states had just been created and the West was divided into three and two governors had been appointed for Ondo and Ogun and I was told to remain in Oyo. And commissioners were supposed to be appointed. So I had sent my Secretary to the Government to Lagos, with the names of potential commissioners. So on that particular day, I was in the office and the man I had earlier sent to Lagos had already gotten there. I think he made contact to inform us that there seemed to be trouble. Also, there were a few people. Particularly, I think somebody in the Ministry of Education tried to reach my office to tell me or anyone available that something was not right, but somebody in my office did not deliver the message.
But finally, the information reached us. You see, life is full of good and bad. Just as some people hate you, some people like you. So, some people advised me to get out of the office. Somebody who actually came to the office - the late Dele Ige - was the younger brother to the late Bola Ige. With that it would have been unreasonable of me to insist on staying in the office. So, I left, but before that, I looked through the windows and saw that my office had been surrounded by soldiers, but I was not sure any instruction was given to them. So, they didn’t even know why they were there. I left the office, and you know Nigerians believe so much in supernatural powers. What you don’t have, they associate it with you. Some people believed that I was a magician and that I could fly. So that was how it went, and then of course I disappeared temporarily.
It was reported that you took cover; where did you take cover?
No, no no. I only temporarily disappeared.
To where?
I was within Nigeria.
Did you really use magical powers?
Laughs…all combined.
What was your experience as the Adjutant-General of the Nigerian Army?
I knew what the job entailed, so there were no complaints. As the Adjutant- General, which they now call Chief of Administration, you are in charge of some aspects of military administration like promotion and discipline. In the Army, there are four levels. You have at the top there, the Chief of Army Staff, below him you have G. That G there connotes General and later the G was split into 2: G-Training and G- Operations. At the time I was Adjutant-General, Ibrahim Babangida was in charge of G-Operations and an officer called Mohammed Jega was in G-training. Then you have Q, Mamman Vatsa was Q. Q means quartering, that is transportation, buildings etc. So, for deployments, if it is a unit for fighting, G was responsible. Q will say, if we send this people; how do they get there? Also, they leave families behind, how do they maintain these houses? A is administration, the fact that you send people to go and fight, how do they get paid? And how do they pay the school fees of their children; those that are sick, how do they look after them? In order words, under A you have medical, workshop and so on. The military really is like a small community where you find everything you see in the larger society.
In what ways will you say public service has changed between when you were governor and now?
I must say that things were slightly different. We were not elected. We were just chosen or nominated. For me, I took my job seriously. I knew I had to represent myself, and by extension, my family. I was careful not to disgrace my family by asking for bribe or gratification. In other words, I knew that I had to represent myself properly. I also did not want to disappoint those who might have suggested my name. To do anything contrary to what is right amounted to letting down those people, and I had some people whom I held in high esteem - some of my teachers, some people from my area, people like Chief S. B. Awoniyi, among others. I really don’t know the difference today, but we were not elected, so we were not out to curry the favour of anybody.
After the military you went back to school to read Law; what was the motivation?
Don’t forget that even during my training to join the military, I was considering Law as an alternative. And of course, if you have knowledge of law you don’t need to practise, but you know the consequence of your actions. There is nothing as good as knowing the consequences of your actions. You could decide to do evil, but you know what the repercussions are and get prepared for it. It is different from somebody who just jumps into a situation that will end his life, but he thinks he was doing something good. So, for an old man who has made a success of his profession, Law is another avenue to be happy and to be an authority over your actions.
You used to have a chamber; what happened to it?
I found out a long time ago that if you are honest in this country you can’t survive for too long.
Tell us about your journey into politics?
First of all, I got involved with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In fact, in this country, people who have no knowledge give the impression that they are knowledgeable. They always come out to say Bola Ige wrote the constitution, but that is not correct. He was the chairman of the PDP Constitution Drafting Committee, of which I was a member. Unfortunately, the entire Yoruba withdrew. And I think the PDP had decided that a Yoruba man must head the committee, and being a member, I was where a meeting was to take place in Lagos, where the name of the party, among other things, were to be adopted. But I didn’t see my chairman, Chief Bola Ige. I only saw Chief Alex Ekwueme and some other people, so I left. And when I went away and they didn’t see Bola Ige, they asked for me. They called me, so I went back to the meeting venue and they gave me the responsibility to chair the drafting committee. It was a big challenge because I was just a young lawyer, though I was an old man. I had only qualified as a lawyer two or three years earlier. I had sleepless nights. But a lot of people helped me. The late Chuba Okadigbo was one of such, and many others. It was the constitution we wrote, which we finally put together in Abuja, that was used to register the PDP.
In 1999, former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed you Minister of Police Affairs, how did that happen?
To be honest, I wouldn’t know, but if they had told me that I was going to Police, I would have disappeared. But looking back now, it was a great pleasure because I maintain good relationship with them. They got to know that I meant well for them. First, the relationship between the Police and Army is not generally the best, and when I was governor, I wrote a book titled, ‘A Combatant in Government,’ where I made some statements about the police and the police establishment was not too happy with me. So, I am not too sure that they were very happy that a soldier was brought to head the police. I have no evidence to prove that, but I am inclined to think that they were not too happy. By the time they made me minister, I took it as a challenge, and I think we did our best. I also think that at the end they were happy because they complimented me. Again, we must know that police work is not easy. The operation of the Army is a little easier than the police in my view. In the Army, when we go for operation, we know what we are going for and what our objectives are. We know when we have completed the operation and when we are having difficulties and a time will come when we will say this operation is over, we have succeeded. But in the police that is not the case. Robberies take place every day. There can never terminate robbery. Also, in our country, we overload the police. If a man quarrels with his girlfriend, he invites the police and that should not be the case. So police job is never finished. Unfortunately, in our police force, there is no specialisation. There was a time I wanted to work it out, but I was unable to do it.
As Minister of Police Affairs, you came up with a five-year recovery plan and also established the Police Service Commission; will you say your strategy helped to improve the force?
You see, you come up with ideas, but since you are not there permanently, there is nothing you can do beyond the time you are there. Again, when you are working for somebody you must be able to convince the person who appointed you about what you can do. I succeeded under former President Obasanjo because there was nothing I took to him that he did not approve.
Since you enjoyed so much support, why were you there for only one year?
I don’t know; I didn’t appoint myself. But there was nothing I took to him that he did not approve. We never fell out. But note that when you are in government, so many forces are working against you. Some people can go and tell lies against you because they don’t want you there.
Looking back, are you satisfied with the constitution you came up with for the PDP, or do you wish it contained more?
I don’t think there is anything we missed out. A constitution is a document put together by certain people; and like human beings, you cannot say a person has reached a level where there is no more room for development. So all organisations are prone to development; when they don’t, they die. What I am trying to say is that whether it is PDP or APC, it wouldn’t be right for anyone to come out and say it is because this constitution didn’t make this provision that this and that is not happening. Even the constitution of Nigeria is not perfect. And that is why, under the same constitution, there must be room for amendment. Because we can’t see what will happen in 10 years, we can only imagine it. So when new challenges come, you reconvene to make some amendments to reflect current situations.
I am worried for the country. I know I have just a few more years on earth and it saddens me that we are witnessing such things in the country at this stage of our democracy. It is very unfortunate, especially when you consider efforts that have been made by various people, past and present, to ensure a stable society
Will you say that members of the party are living according to the letters of that document?
Not all the members. Some people came from almost nowhere, just to enjoy the spoils of the organisation without actually taking the pains to know how certain decisions were reached and how to further develop the party for greater heights. They just came and are carrying themselves about without knowing that they need to work harder to improve the party. Take for instance, those who came to put the PDP together; there were no positions, so they were not fighting for anything. They were only fighting for a developed country/society, with the hope that if the country is good, they too would live a comfortable life and their children’s future would be guaranteed. Many people were contributing money, but today, they are stealing money. There were many meetings we held that when we ended, we contributed money. At my local level in Ijummu, after meetings we contributed money. We never fixed the amount; people contributed what they had. But they don’t do that anymore. All you hear these days is how people are stealing money. Can you believe that it is because some people want to steal that they are fighting to take positions?
In December 1999 when you represented
Obasanjo at the 9th International Anticorruption Conference in South Africa, you said, “To sustain democracy, we have to keep itching fingers and greedy eyes off the public till.” Talking about corruption; between then and now, has anything changed in Nigeria?
Yes, it has. The situation is worse. What we have today is worse than it used to be.
What can you say about the latest siege on the National Assembly?
I am worried for the country. I know I have just a few more years on earth and it saddens me that we are witnessing such things in the country at this stage of our democracy. It is very unfortunate, especially when you consider efforts that have been made by various people, past and present, to ensure a stable society.
What happened at the National Assembly was a dangerous signal. I am worried for the country, young ones and the future. Also, almost on a daily basis, I read about killings across the country and that bothers me. Nobody is safe. It could be anybody. Unfortunately too, nothing seems to be working. The roads are all bad, those that were passable before are now very bad. Education is in ruins.
I started a school in my area, not because I had so much money, but because I wanted to give back to the society. And that community is where I started. Without some people who made effort to build the school that I attended, there is no way I would have been where I am today. So, I started a school to say, thank you. I started the secondary school six years ago. We just graduated our first set of students who passed all their papers with distinctions, including English Language and Mathematics. They also got very high marks in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME).
The level of poverty in the country is so bad that many people can’t even pay fees. There is a parent who has not paid fees for his child in over two years, and the moment you start working with these young children, it is so difficult to ask them to go home. So we need to find a way of addressing the problem. The future doesn’t look bright. Some years ago, the people of my village came together, made contributions and got connected to the national grid, but today, that is dead. There’s no electricity in the area. And I believe that no matter the number of cities we have in Nigeria, if the rural areas are not developed, at least to some level, we cannot claim that we are in a developed society because more people live in rural areas than cities. In any case, where are the cities in Nigeria? If you move five kilometers from the city of Abuja you will face abject poverty. Why can’t we get ourselves organised? We say we are leaders of Africa; we should be leaders in every respect that is decent.
None of your children joined the military; did you influence their career choices?
No, not at all. Majority of my children are girls, and there is no way I could have forced them to toe that path. Educationally, they are all doing well.
With all the movements associated with the military profession, can you share with us how you met your wife?
I started from Abeokuta, to the Congo, from there to Enugu, back to the Congo, back to Enugu, then I was moved to Zaria. At that time, some of my colleagues had girlfriends, but I wasn’t too keen in running after any girl. I was from the village and we were not trained that way. Not that it is bad, but I just wasn’t trained that way. So I just told a lady who was a teacher in Zaria and happened not to be too far from where I come from, a place called Mopa, to introduce a nice girl to me and she did. The rest, they say, is history.
There is a saying: once a soldier, always a soldier; tell us things you carried over from your military days that you still work with.
Punctuality, I think. Punctuality is very important in whatever you do. Once you have agreed on time, stick to it. But like life, there could be some flexibility, but you try not to be too flexible. The other one is hard work. Hard work has so many things attached to it. Do your best at all times. In doing your best, try to be honest and fair to people you are working with.
How do you keep fit at 78?
Well, due to some health challenges I no longer exercise as much as I used to. Apart from exercise, you must also try to eat good food. I watch what I eat. I still enjoy plantain ‘swallow’ and okro soup.