Obasanjo backed naming street after coup leader Nzeogwu, says veteran journalist
On Monday, April 14, veteran journalist Chief Tola Adeniji revealed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo supported naming a street after Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, the military officer who led Nigeria’s first coup in 1966.
Speaking on Edmund Obilo’s podcast, State Affair, Adeniji made waves with his comments, calling Nzeogwu not only a friend of Obasanjo but also comparing him to Jesus Christ for his efforts to rescue Nigeria from collapse.
“Nzeogwu is my hero forever. I named a street after him, Chukwuma Nzeogwu Crescent. In fact, the chairman of the Ibadan Local Government Municipal area, Abbas was afraid, he couldn’t do it,” Adeniji said.
“They had to get clearance from Dodan Barracks before they could give approval to the Ibadan municipal government to name a street after Nzeogwu. They finally gave the approval, maybe, because he was Obasanjo’s friend or because Obasanjo had a soft spot for him.”
Nzeogwu led the January 15, 1966 military coup, a dramatic and bloody response to what many saw as widespread corruption, ethnic division, and political dysfunction under Nigeria’s First Republic.
The coup, launched from the Northern Region, ended with the deaths of top leaders including Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Northern Premier Ahmadu Bello, triggering a chain of events that would shape Nigeria’s future—including a counter-coup and eventually the civil war.
Adeniji, reflecting on Nzeogwu’s controversial legacy, said:
“They (Nzeogwu and others) felt that those accused of running down the country should be killed. I call him the Jesus of 1966.”
While the comparison is bound to raise eyebrows, Adeniji’s comments shed light on the deep and complex legacy of Nzeogwu—and how his actions, still debated decades later, continue to stir strong opinions.
