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Rear Admiral (retired) Ndubuisi Godwin Kanu (3 November 1943 – 13 January 2021) was appointed military governor of Imo State, Nigeria in March 1976 during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo. He was the first governor after the decree that established the state from part of the old East Central State. He was transferred to become governor of Lagos State in 1977, leaving office in July 1978.

Naval career

Ndubuisi Kanu was born in Abia State on 3 November 1943, and was of Igbo origin. Joining the navy, he went to India for cadet training. His naval career included positions in Personnel, Logistics and Training. He was awarded honorary Doctorate Degrees from the Imo State University and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.

In July 1975, as a lieutenant commander he was appointed a member of Murtala Muhammed's ruling Cabinet, the Supreme Military Council. Appointed governor of Imo State in March 1976, he brought in town planners to prepare a plan for Owerri. He later became Rear Admiral and Naval chief.

Post-retirement

After he retired he joined the pro-democracy movement and played a leading role in the agitation for the actualization of the annulled 12 June 1993 presidential election.

He founded and was Chairman of RANGK LTD, a maritime consultancy, was Chairman of the Ohaneze Transition Caretaker Committee (OTC) and was Director of Fidelity Bank PLC. Kanu became a top National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) chieftain and became Chairman of the coalition in 2013.

In May 2008, Kanu called for a return to true federalism in Nigeria.

In an interview in November 2008 he attacked what he called Unitarism, the excessive concentration of powers at the centre, and called for fundamental dialog between the different ethnic nationalities of Nigeria. He attributed the conflict in the Niger Delta to the lack of regional power. In another interview, he pinpointed the second stage of the General Ibrahim Babangida regime as the time when things started to go wrong, with increasingly centralized control.

He was among leaders who spoke in January 2010 at a Lagos rally of the Save Nigeria Group calling for Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan be made acting president during President Umaru Yar'Adua's illness.

Kanu died in the early hours of 13 January 2021, having been admitted to hospital for an undisclosed illness.

References

1. "Nigerian States". WorldStatesmen. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
2. Who's who in Nigeria 1978: Biographies of Some Eminent Nigerian Citizens. Daily Times. 1978. p. 10.
3. ^ "Profile: ADMIRAL NDUBUISI GODWIN KANU". Pillars of Community Development (PCD). Retrieved 12 February 2010.
4. Max Siollun (2009). Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (1966–1976). Algora Publishing. p. 185. ISBN 0-87586-708-1.
5. Obinna Nwanze (12 October 2009). "Leaders Are Making Things Difficult in Nigeria -Njemanze". Daily Champion. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
6. "Lt. Commander Godwin Ndubuisi Kanu". Library of Congress Pamphlet Collection – Flickr. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
7. ^ Daniel Kanu and Olisemeka Obeche (3 November 2008). "Nigerian Problem Beyond Ethnicism – Kanu". Daily Independent. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
8. Ademola Adeyemo (12 June 2009). "June 12 – Where are the Heroes?". ThisDay. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
9. Mudiaga Affe (6 May 2009). "Kudirat: Declare June 4 as democracy day, group tells Lagos". The Punch. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
10. Oliver Ndife (30 May 2008). "Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu Calls for True Federalism". Leadership (Abuja). Retrieved 12 February 2010.
11. JIDE AJANI, LEKAN BILESANMI & ANTHONIA ONWUKA (7 November 2009). "How God saved my life during NADECO struggle, by Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu". Vanguard. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
12. Mudiaga Affe and Gbenga Adeniji (22 January 2010). "Thousands protest at Lagos rally, demand Jonathan's inauguration". The Punch. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
13. "Breaking: Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu dies at 77". Vanguard. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

External links

• "Lt. Commander Godwin Ndubuisi Kanu". Library of Congress Pamphlet Collection – Flickr. Retrieved 11 May 2014.

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