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Lt. General Ipoola Alani Akinrinade CFR FSS was Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Nigeria from October 1979 to April 1980, and later Chief of Defence Staff until 1981, that’s during the Nigerian Second Republic.

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Birth and education Akinrinade was born on 3 October 1939 at Yakoyo near Ile Ife, Osun State old Oyo State. He attended Offa Grammar School for his secondary education (1954–1958). He worked at the Ministry of Agriculture in the Western Region, Ibadan (1959–1960). Joining the army, he began officer cadet training at the Royal Nigeria Military Forces Training College, Kaduna in April 1960, then went to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom (August 1960). He was commissioned as second lieutenant in the Infantry Corps on 20 December 1962. Later he took the Infantry Officer Career/Airborne Course in the USA (August 1965 – July 1966), attended Staff College Camberley (January – December 1971) and attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom (January – December 1978). Military career From the rookie that emerged from cadet school, he subsequently passed through several ranks to attain the rank of Lieutenant General. He had as his companions on the day he joined the Nigerian Army distinguished officers such as Colonel Sule Apollo, Brigadier General Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, Major General Emmanuel Olumuyiwa Abisoye, Brigadier General Alabi-Isama, Colonel Ben Gbulie, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, Major General Martins Adamu, Lt-Colonel Ayo Ariyo, Brigadier Pius Eromobor, Brigadier Ignatius Obeya, Brigadier General Femi David Bamigboye and Colonel Simon Uwakwe Ihedigbo.

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Akinrinade rose steadily through the ranks. He was promoted lieutenant on 29 March 1963, captain on 29 Mar 1965, major on 10 June 1967, lieutenant colonel on 11 May 1968, colonel on 1 October 1972, brigadier general on 1 October 1974 and major general on 1 January 1976. He held various infantry appointments, becoming commander of the Ibadan Garrison (1970–1971) and GOC of 1 Infantry Division (1975–1979). He was a member of the Supreme Military Council during the military regime of General Murtala Muhammed and Olusegun Obasanjo (1975–1979). He was promoted to lieutenant general on 2 October 1979 and appointed Chief of Army Staff, and then became Chief of Defence Staff in 1980, during the civilian administration of Shehu Shagari. He voluntarily retired from service with effect from 2 October 1981. But it would appear that destiny had his career path cut out for him as a man of history. Perhaps to illustrate this is an interesting and indeed engaging story told by Emeka Obasi about this man who through the circumstance and accident of his soldierly calling became one of the principal actors in the leadership succession struggles that broke out in the First Republic, culminating in a civil strife that almost put paid to Nigeria’s emergent, if not fledgling, nationhood. Later career After retirement, Akinrinade engaged in large-scale farming and was chairman of Niger Feeds and Agriculture Operations (1982–1985). In General Ibrahim Babangida’s government he was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Development (1985–1986), Minister of Industries (1988 – February 1989) and Minister of Transport (1989). He became a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a pro-democracy group, during the Sani Abacha regime. Reference Wikipedia dawncommission.org/ Featured image source: Dailytrust

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