On July 31, 1967, General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Military Governor and Head of State of the Republic of Biafra, made an unscheduled visit to forward positions around Enugu and to the Enugu Military Hospital.
Reports claimed that the visit, was the first since hostilities began in May, and came as Biafran forces worked to consolidate positions following the declaration of independence on May 30.
Dressed in full military regalias, Ojukwu arrived at the 2nd Division forward command post at dawn. After a briefing from field commanders on troop deployments and supply lines, he walked the trenches to speak directly with soldiers.
Witnesses reported that he stopped at each position, shook hands with officers and men, and asked about rations, equipment, and their families.
Ojukwu, while addressing the troops, said “The enemy believes we will break. You have shown them that Biafrans do not break. We are fighting not for land, but for our lives, our children, and our right to exist. Hold the line. The whole world is watching.”
Ojukwu then proceeded to the Enugu Military Hospital, where more than 60 wounded servicemen were receiving treatment. Many had been injured in early border skirmishes in the Nsukka and Garkem sectors.
According to hospital sources, he authorized the immediate supply of additional medical materials and directed that families of the wounded receive priority for relocation assistance.
July 31, 1961 – Birth of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Emir of Kano
On July 31, 1961, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was born in Kano State, Nigeria, into the ruling Sullubawa Fulani family. He is the grandson of Sir Muhammadu Sanusi I, the 11th Emir of Kano. His father, Aminu Sanusi, served as Nigerian Ambassador to Belgium, China, and Canada.
Sanusi attended St. Anne’s Catholic Primary School in Kaduna and King’s College, Lagos. He earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Economics from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1981 and 1983, and later studied Islamic Law at the International University of Africa in Khartoum.
He began his banking career in 1985. From June 3, 2009 to February 20, 2014, he served as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. During that time he was named Central Bank Governor of the Year and listed in TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2011.
On June 8, 2014, he succeeded his great-uncle, Ado Bayero, as Emir of Kano. He was dethroned on March 9, 2020, and reinstated on May 23, 2024 by Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf.
