Sunday Orinya Ifere | |
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Governor, Kwara State, Nigeria | |
In office July 1978 –October 1979 | |
Preceded by | George Innih |
Succeeded by | Adamu Atta |
Personal details | |
Born | Igumale,Benue State,Nigeria | 19 December 1943
Sunday Orinya Ifere (born 19 December 1943 in Igumale,Benue State,Nigeria) was a Nigerian army officer who was the Military Governor of Kwara State between July 1978 and October 1979. [1] [2] As a lieutenant,in the unsuccessful Nigerian counter-coup of 1966 he was involved in fighting in Kaduna,serving in the same squadron as Ibrahim Babangida,who later became military head of state from August 1985 until August 1993. A colonel when military governor,he retired as a major general. [3]
Colonel S.O. Ifere served in the Nigerian Civil War from 1967 to 1970. He was a battalion commander in the 3rd Infantry Division. After the war,he held a number of command and staff positions in the Nigerian Army. In 1978,Ifere was appointed Military Administrator of Kwara State. He was a popular administrator who was known for his development projects. He commissioned a number of projects,including the Omu-Aran electricity project and the workshop at the Ministry of Information and Home Affairs. He also implemented the various transitional programmes leading to the hand-over of power to civilians by the military government in 1979. Ifere was a significant figure in the history of Kwara State and Nigeria. He was a popular and effective administrator who helped to lay the foundation for the state's development. He was also a key figure in the transition to civilian rule in Nigeria.