Okhai Michael Akhigbe (29 September 1946 – 28 October 2013) was a

vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

of the

Nigerian Navy The Nigerian Navy (NN) is the Navy, naval branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Nigerian armed forces. With more than 70 warships, it is categorised as the fourth strongest navy in Africa (after South Africa, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco). It is co ...

who served as ''de facto''

vice president of Nigeria The vice president of Nigeria is the second-highest official in the Federal government of Nigeria#Executive branch, executive branch of the federal government of Nigeria, after the president of Nigeria, and ranks first in the Nigerian president ...

(as Chief of General Staff) under military head of state General

Abdusalami Abubakar Abdulsalami Abubakar (; born 13 June 1942) is a retired Nigerian army general who served as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1998 to 1999. He was also Chief of Defence Staff from 1997 to 1998. He succeeded General Sani Abacha upon ...

from June 1998 to May 1999, when the military government was terminated and replaced by the

Fourth Nigerian Republic The Fourth Republic is the current republican government of Nigeria. Since 1999, it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. Nigeria adopted the constitution of the Fourth Republic on 29 May 1999. Founding Foll ...

. He previously served as Chief of Naval Staff, the highest-ranking officer of the Nigerian Navy from 1994 to 1998; military

governor of Lagos State The governor of Lagos State is the head of government of Lagos State in Nigeria. The governor leads the executive branch of the Lagos State Government. This position places its holder in leadership of the state with command authority over the ...

from 1986 to 1988; and military

governor of Ondo State The governor of Ondo State is the head of government of Ondo State in Nigeria. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the Ondo State Government. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws and the power to either approve or veto b ...

from 1985 to 1986.

Early life

Akhigbe was born on September 29, 1946, in Fugar, Aviawu clan in Etsako Central Local Government Area of

Edo State Edo State, Edo, officially known as Edo State, is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South Geopolitical zones of Nigeria, geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As of 2024, the state was ranked as the List of Ni ...

and was educated at Afenmai Anglican Grammar School, Igarra from 1961 to 1965.

Military career

He attended the

Nigerian Defence Academy The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) is a military university based in Kaduna, Nigeria, that trains officer cadets for commissioning into one of the three services of the Nigerian Armed Forces: the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. The duration ...

, Royal Naval School of Maritime Operations Dryad, Southwick UK, Command and Staff College Jaji, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies Kuru, University of Poitiers, Rouen, France, and the International Defense Management Program at the Naval Postgraduate School, in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States. He was the Principal Welfare Officer of the

Flagship NNS Aradu, Military Governor of

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

and Ondo States, Director, Naval Plans, Naval Headquarters, Flag Officer commanding the Easter Naval Command and Chief of Naval Staff.

Chief of General Staff

In 1998 he became the Chief of General Staff and Vice President of Nigeria. Admiral Okhai Michael Akhigbe is remembered for his numerous services to his community and nation, especially his role during the transition from military to civilian rule in 1999 when he was the Chief of General Staff to Gen.

Later career

Akhigbe was an Attorney with specialization in Maritime Law. He was also a seasoned businessman with substantial investments in real estate. He died of

throat cancer Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips ( oral cancer), voice box ( laryngeal), throat ( nasopharyngeal, orophar ...

in New York, NY on 28 October 2013.

Honours

He was awarded the honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), in 1998 and an honorary doctorate by the University of Benin in 2003. His military decorations include Force Service Star, Meritorious Service Star, and Defense Service Star.

Community development

Akhigbe brought

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

to the Fugar community. He brought the administrative headquarters of Etsako Central Local Government Area of

Nigeria to Fugar City. He was the single most important factor in the rehabilitation of the Teacher's college Ikere Ekiti, later called Ondo State College of Education. Admiral Akhigbe, then a Navy Commander and Military Governor of old Ondo State approved the appointment of USAID-Harvard trained educationist, Dr. Sam Adebayo Adewuya as the Sole Administrator of the college with the sole command of returning the dilapidated college to functional level within three years. The college has since evolved into the University of Education,

Ekiti State Ekiti () is a state in southwestern Nigeria, bordered to the North by Kwara State for 61 km, to the Northeast by Kogi State for 92 km, to the South and Southeast by Ondo State, and to the West by Osun State for 84 km. Named for the Ekiti ...

Tunedik.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akhigbe, Mike 1945 births 2013 deaths Vice presidents of Nigeria Governors of Lagos State Governors of Ondo State Nigerian Navy admirals Nigerian Defence Academy alumni 20th-century Nigerian politicians Chiefs of Naval Staff (Nigeria) Deaths from throat cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Grand Commanders of the Order of the Niger