THE NEED TO RE-NAME ARMY BARRACKS EFFURUN NEAR WARRI IN DELTA STATE AS DAVID AKPODE EJOOR BARRACKS

By Zik Gbemre

Having written on the above subject in a letter dated October 10, 2011, without any response from the Presidency, we once write to reiterate that some years back, the Army Barrack located in Effurun near Warri, Delta State, was named after His Excellency General David Akpode Ejoor, rtd., one-time military governor of former Midwestern State.  At the time, we saw it as a justifiable honour, given the fact that he was the first Army General ever to have emerged from the region where the barracks is cited, as well as the first Military Governor of Mid-West Province, which later became known as Midwest Region and Bendel State. But somewhere along the line – specifically during the civilian regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo rtd., the name was jettisoned, and reverted to Army Barracks Effurun.

We do not know the circumstances surrounding the renaming of the barracks or de-robing of Gen. David Ejoor, as it obviously is. But one pertinent question to ask is: Was the proper or set-down procedure or legislation followed in the naming of the barracks as Gen. David Akpode Ejoor Barracks? If due process was followed, the next question is: Was due process equally followed before the name of the barracks was reverted to Army Barracks Effurun?

Having said that, it is necessary to say point blank that there is hardly anyone who does not know why Gen. David Akpode Ejoor was initially honoured by having the Army Barracks in Effurun named after him. But for the avoidance of doubt, some of his landmark achievements that make him a living legend are that Ejoor was:

• The first person from Edo and Delta States to gain a regular commission as an officer in the Nigerian Army.

• The officer who commanded the Army Guard at the midnight Flag-raising Ceremony ushering in Nigerian independence on 1^st Oct., 1960.

• The officer who designed the Army Cap Badge and Rank insignias in 1962.

• The officer who played – not just a major, but also the foremost role in establishing the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), as well as the first Nigerian Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy from 1968-1970.

• The officer who never participated in a coup, yet helped to stabilize the regime of Gen Yakubu Gowon after the chaos and confusion that followed the July 1967 coup.

• The first military Governor of mid-West region from January 1966 to 9^th August, 1967.

• The Governor who set up the Bendel Development and Property Authority (popularly known as Bendel Estate, and now known as Delta Development and Property Authority), which planned Igbudu Estate off Deco Road in Warri, and Bendel Estate located off the popular and busy Airport Road in Effurun, near Warri, Delta State.

• The Military Governor who brought the customary courts and Sharia under the judiciary, thus stopping them from being a legal instrument used to oppress and suppress the opposition.

• The Military Governor who lifted the economic well-being of the ordinary man by legalizing the local production of Gin and setting up machinery for its refinining for consumption so it can compete with imported gin. Till date, the industry still thrives, and many homes are fed through the production.

• The Military Governor who formally applied for the establishment of the University of Benin, after resettling Mid-Western university students ejected from the University of Nigeria Nnsukka as a result of the impending civil war in the mid-sixties.

• The Governor who established the first Radio Broadcasting Station in mid-West region and made a maiden broadcast with his April 1967 Budget Speech.

• The Governor who laid the foundation for the National Observer to be established for the Midwestern Region;

• The Military Governor who laid the foundation for the Jattu Dam and extended the programme of bore holes as well as commissioned a number of bore holes

• Played a major role in the establishment of Koko Port as a fishing terminal in Delta State, as well as the establishment of a Salt factory in Oghara, near Sapele;

• Applied for the establishment of a refinery in Midwest State, and thus prompted the setting up of Warri Refinery by the Federal Government of Nigeria;

• The first person from Edo and Delta States to become the Chief of Army Staff, and re-organised the Nigerian Army after the civil war in 1972 and planned the present/existing army barracks throughout Nigeria;

• Instrumental to bringing the Delta Steel Company, Ovwian, Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun and then-NEPA stations (now Ughelli Power Station) to the State.

At the risk of deviating, kudos must be given to his successor (Brigadier-General Samuel Ogbemudia), who did not deviate from the Development Plan laid down by General Ejoor, but was faithful to the execution of Ejoor’s blue-print. Having said that, it needs to be acknowledged that there is no gain-saying that General David Ejoor (rtd.) is a living legend, in the sense that he is a man of no mean achievements. And to say the least, he needs to be honoured and immortalised. He has been a quiet, self-respecting man of integrity, who has opted to be non-partisan by refusing to dabble in politics or being a card-carrying member of any political party. Such a man is deserving of being awarded an honourary Doctorate degree by the Nigerian Defence Academy, instead of civilians. Ejoor is a detrabalised man to whom any fraud has never been traced, and who did not corner any developmental project to his village or local government area as most governors do today. Rather, his emphasis was on centralizing development to give the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people in Edo and Delta states.

One remarkable thing about General Ejoor is that much as some people want to sweep his achievements under the carpet, he has been unavoidably recognized and honoured nationally and internationally. Some of his awards are as follow:

Military/Honourary Titles:

1. GCON – Grand Commander of Nigeria, For Saving Nigeria, 1967
2. OFR – Officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
3. RCDS – Royal College of Defence Studies-UK
4. PSC – Pass Staff College
5. Hon. LLD (Doctor) – UNIBEN