Former Military Administrator of Imo and Lagos States, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu is dead. He died on Wednesday morning in a hospital after a brief illness.
He was 78.
According to reports, the death of Ndubuisi Kanu was confirmed by a close source that worked with him.
He fought on the Biafran side during the civil war but was reabsorbed into the Nigerian military at the end of the war in 1970.
Kalu, a retired warrior-at-sea, who occupied many command and political offices as part of his military postings, quickly civilianised himself when he retired from service.
He was a member of the pro-democracy group, the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, which fought for the revalidation of the late Moshood Abiola’s annulled June 12, 1993, presidential mandate.
He was among those, who signed an ultimatum for the General Sani Abacha regime to revalidate Abiola’s mandate and hand over power which brought about one of the most vicious crackdowns by a regime in peacetime Nigeria.
He was the chairman of NADECO’s Action Committee, which organised and participated in protest marches and public sensitisation activities
Ndubisi Kanu was born in Abia State in 1943. He obtained honorary Doctorate Degrees from the Imo State University and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri
He joined the navy, went to India for cadet training. His naval career included positions in Personnel, Logistics and Training.
uKanu was appointed military governor of Imo State, Nigeria in March 1976 during the regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo.
He was the first governor after the decree that established the state from part of the old East Central State.
Kanu married three times and had ten children – Simone, Audrey, Kelly, Karen, Paula, Jeffery, Vanessa, Samantha, Laura and Stephen.