Samuel Ogbemudia Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia (17 September 1932 – 9 March 2017) was a Nigerian army officer and politician. He was military Governor (1967–1975) of the 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 noted as one of the founding fathers of the very prestigious University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). Early years Osaigbovo Ogbemudia was born in Benin City on September 17, 1932, he was named after his grandfather. In Edo language, the name Ogbemudia can be inferred to mean "this family has come to stay". As a youth he lived with his elder cousin, Mr. FS Uwaifo, a Benin-based businessman. He attended Benin Baptist School (1941–1945), and then the government school, Victoria, in the Cameroons (1945–1947). His secondary education was at the Western Boy's High School, Benin City (1947–1949). He joined the Nigeria army in 1956, training at Teshie, Ghana and at Netheravon and Salisbury Plain in England (1957). He attended the officer cadet school at Aldershot, England in 1960, and was commissioned second lieutenant in 1961. He attended the United States army special welfare school at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1962. Ogbemudia served with the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Congo for 16 months, and served in Tanzania in 1964. He was appointed as an instructor to the Nigerian Military School, Zaria in 1964. Career during military rule In January, 1966, a coup d'état overthrew the civilian government of Nigeria. In July 1966 the military ruler Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi was deposed and killed in the so-called Nigerian Counter-Coup of 1966 led by Lieutenant Colonel Murtala Mohammed. Ironsi's chief of staff Yakubu Gowon became head of state. As the Brigade Major of the Ist Brigade in Kaduna, Ogbemudia played an important role in the counter-coup by disarming his troops in Kaduna at the suggestion of artillery commander Lt-Colonel Alex Madiebo. During the counter-coup/mutiny, an attempt on Major Ogbemudia's life was also made by then Lt Buka Suka Dimka but Major Ogbemudia escaped because of a tip from Colonel Hassan Katsina and Major Abba Kyari. In August that year he was transferred to the area command, Benin City as Quarter Master-General, 4th Area Command. Ogbemudia along with Major General Ejoor, the Military Governor of the Mid-western State and Pius Ermobor, an intelligence officer were the only three officers of the rank of Major and above who held strategic leaderships positions and who were not from the Igbo speaking communities of the Mid-west region. On August 9, 1967, Biafran troops led by Victor Banjo invaded Mid-western region and its capital, Benin city with minimal resistance, a surprise attack which success was helped in part by an arrangement between Biafran leaders and some senior officers from the 4th Area Command. Ejoor was able to escape to Lagos while Ogbemudia briefly went underground organizing a resistance movement composed of people disaffected by the invasion. He later left for Army Headquarters, Lagos and joined the Murtala Mohammed led Second Infantry Division on a counterattacking mission to Midwest. On September 20, 1967, troops led by Ogbemudia seized Benin city from Biafran forces. Ogbemudia was appointed Military administrator of Mid-West state in September, 1967 following the liberation of state from the secessionist Biafran forces. Promoted to Lt. Colonel, Ogbemudia was appointed Military Governor of the state on 26 October 1967. A populist, dedicated to reconstruction after the war, he