Ogbemudia, Gomwalk: Two Uncommon Governors In Nigeria’s History Who Wanted Unity Through Education And Integration Of Youths
The Oasis Reporters
May 16, 2025
Not too long after the unfortunate Nigerian civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970, there were two iconic military governors who on their own decided to unite the nation by integrating and uniting Youths in educational institutions.
Then Colonel Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia was the military governor of Midwest State ( which was formerly the Midwest region but now Edo and Delta States) and Commissioner of Police Joseph D. Gomwalk who was the governor of Benue-Plateau State ( now Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa States) decided to build with some teenage youths by educating them together in choice iconic academic institutions to enable them mingle and make friends across cultural, religious and language barriers.
One of the Colleges of choice was St. Michael’s College, Oleh in then Isoko Division of Midwest State.
St. Michael’s College, Oleh suddenly received a group of 10 students who had come in from Benue-Plateau State to study with their Midwest counterparts together in the same classrooms and they lived in the same dormitories for five academic years that started in 1972.
Most of the young boys had traveled for hundreds of kilometers outside of their cultural areas to the vastly different cultures and foods in the then Midwest State.
The experiment was a huge success, such that a few years later after the drastic change of government which saw to the overthrow of General Yakubu Gowon in 1975 and the removal of both Ogbemudia and Gomwalk from office, the experiment continued, such that the new government that succeeded the General Murtala Mohammed, the General Olusegun Obasanjo regime’s newly appointed Federal Commissioner for Education, Col. (Dr) Ahmadu Ali paid a visit to the college deep in present day Oleh in Isoko South Local Government, accompanied by his Federal Commissioner for Information colleague, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark to visit what was then a mere Teacher’s College.
At the time of Col. Ali’s visit , which was described as a first by a federal government cabinet visit to the Kingdom of Oleh by the paramount ruler. And by extension, the first ministerial visit to the entire Isoko nation in 1975.
Incidentally, at the time of the visit, one of the ten Benue-Plateau youths, a Muslim kid had emerged as the Senior Prefect of the College. It was he that read the welcome address to Col.(Dr) Ahmadu Ali who incidentally too, happened to be a Muslim himself.
Many of the Benue-Plateau youths have continued to lead distinguished lives and despite being in their late 60s and 70s, continue to connect with their old alma mater as well as making noteworthy contributions to their unforgettable college.
Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia ( born 17 September 1932 – 9 March 2017) was a Nigerian army officer and later politician. He was military Governor (1967–1975) of the then Mid-West State, later renamed Bendel State, part of which in turn became Edo State. After the return to democracy in 1999, he became a power in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In September 2009, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state and others attended his 77th birthday celebration in Benin. He is also noted as one of the founding fathers of the very prestigious University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and the University of Benin.
Joseph Dechi Gomwalk (13 April 1935 – 15 May 1976) was a Nigerian police commissioner and the first military governor of the defunct Benue-Plateau State. He was tried and then executed due to his alleged connections to the Buka Suka Dimka’s attempted coup against the military government of Murtala Mohammed.
Joseph Dechi Gomwalk (1935-1976)
Zoologist turned Police Commissioner and later Governor of the defunct Benue-Plateau State.
He belonged to the Ngas ethnic group, same ethnic group with General Yakubu Gowon, Col. Bukar Dimka who was believed to be a mastermind of the unsuccessful coup that saw to the assassination of then Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed.
JD Gomwalk hailed from Kanke town in Kanke Local Government of Plateau State.
Many commentators say that JD Gomwalk was a victim of just being an Ngas, same tribe as the Coup plotter, Bukar Dimka and that he was executed for that reason for a police commissioner may not have the capabilities to plot or execute a coup. Besides coup plotting is an ultra secretive move, mostly unknown to wives or relatives.
Greg Abolo.
