- Joseph Gomwalk
Joseph Dechi Gomwalk (died 1976) was a
Nigeria n police commissioner and Military Governor ofBenue-Plateau State . He was executed due to his connections toBuka Suka Dimka 's attempted coup againstMurtala Mohammed 's government.Education
Gomwalk was a
Ngas from Ampang [cite news |first=Maurice |last=Archibong |title= Ngas: At home with everyone|url=http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/travels/2006/june/01/travels-01-06-2006-001.htm |work=The Sun News Online |publisher=The Sun Publishing |date=2006-06-01 |accessdate=2008-01-26 ] (Pang) in the present Kanke Local Government Area ofPlateau State . He attended the famous Boys Secondary School Gindiri where he graduated with distinctions in both academics and sports. He proceeded to the premierUniversity of Ibadan and graduated with a degree in Zoology.Governorship of Benua-Plateau State
Gomwalk was Governor of the state from 1966 until 1975, when military head of state
Yakubu Gowon 's regime was toppled in a coup d'etat.While Governor, Gomwalk started the Nigerian Standard in 1972; as of 2003, it is a government-owned daily located on Joseph Gomwalk Road in
Jos , and has a circulation of 100,000. [cite book |title= Africa South of the Sahara 2004 |year= 2003 |publisher=Taylor and Francis |location= |isbn=1857431839 |pages= |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=jj4J-AXGDaQC&pg=PA848&&ei=0ayaR9PwLYzGyASuhc2fCg&sig=ZVyAI-IibDzFPcdDoTr7mCGBHJI] After failing to getAhmadu Bello University of Zaria to open a satellite campus in the state, he turned to theUniversity of Ibadan ; that institution opened its Jos campus (which later became theUniversity of Jos ) in November 1971. [cite web |url= http://www.plateaustategov.org/about/edu.html|title=Education |accessdate=2008-01-26 |work=PlateauStateGov.org |publisher=Plateau State Government ]In August 1974, affidavits alleging corruption on the part of Gomwalk and
Joseph Tarka , Benue-Plateau State's representative to the Federal Executive Council, were published; Tarka resigned, but Gomwalk, with Gowon's support, remained in office. [cite book |title= Soldiers and Oil: The Political Transformation of Nigeria |last=Panter-Brick |first=Simone K |year= 1978 |chapter=Army Reorganisation |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0714630985 |pages=69 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=aRTeI9rR_pYC&pg=PA69&ei=8aeaR8P2J4TCyQSsnZSQCg&sig=emf51_SV3934YQwTIRrR5WL4nQ0 ]Execution
After Gowon's overthrow and the installation of
Murtala Mohammed , Gomwalk was implicated inBuka Suka Dimka 's attempted coup of February 13 1976 and was executed by firing squad.References
External links
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=9l8llm-x5scC&pg=PA178&dq=Joseph+Gomwalk&as_brr=3&ei=E6qaR9ESm8TMBNHPlZgK&sig=5WXXqeQL_7jthC4VA-ZGpqbw3jY Scan of "Daily Times" newspaper announcing Gomwalk and Dimka's execution]
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