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Adetunji Idowu Ishola Olurin mni (; 3 December 1944 – 20 August 2021) was a Nigerian general who served as the military Governor of
Oyo State Oyo is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the List of Nigerian cities by population, third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo ...
from 1985 to 1988 and Field Commander of
ECOMOG The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ECOMOG was a formal arrangement for separate armies to work ...
Peacekeeping Force in
Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
from 1992 to 1993 during the
First Liberian Civil War The First Liberian Civil War was the first of Second Liberian Civil War, two civil wars within the West African nation of Liberia which lasted between 1989 and 1997. President Samuel Doe's regime of totalitarianism and widespread Political cor ...
. Olurin retired from service in 1993, and was a member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was administrator of
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 ...
from 19 October 2006 until 27 April 2007.


Birth and education

Tunji Olurin was born at
Ilaro Ilaro is a town in Ogun State, Nigeria. Ilaro's population in 2008 was estimated at 33,000 people, and in 2015 it was estimated to have grown to about 60,000. Ilaro is the headquarters of the Yewa South, Yewa South Local government, known as Ye ...
to Chief M. A. O. Olurin, the Agoro of Ilaro, and Madam Abigail Fola Olurin. He was educated at Egbado College (now Yewa College), and attended the Technical College, Ibadan (now Ibadan Polytechnic) in 1966. He became a trainee at the ''Times Press'' in
Apapa Apapa is a Local Government Area in Lagos, Nigeria located to the west of Lagos Island. Apapa contains a number of ports and terminals operated by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), including the major port of Lagos State and Lagos Port Co ...
,
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 ...
. In 1967, he entered 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 ...
(NDA), Kaduna, where he obtained his NDA Certificate of Education. He attended many professional courses during his army career. He was a graduate of the School of Infantry,
Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...
,
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, the Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna and the
National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, (NIPSS), Kuru is a policy formation center for bureaucrats, private sector leaders, military officers, and medium- and senior-ranking civil servants. It is also regarded as a think tank for p ...
, Kuru,
Jos Jos is a city in the North-Central region of Nigeria. The city has a population of about 900,000 residents based on the 2006 census. Popularly called "J-Town", it is the administrative capital and largest city of Plateau State. The city is situ ...
.


Military career

Olurin enrolled into the Nigerian Army in 1967 as an officer cadet of the 3rd Regular Course where he obtained his NDACE (Nigerian Defence Academic of Education) and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army in March 1970. He became the Brigade Battalion commander in Kainji in 1973, and was the Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General of 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 ...
, Kaduna. He was Deputy Defence Adviser to the Nigerian High Commission in India (1975–1978) with the rank of major. After attending Staff College in 1978, he was deployed to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
Peace Keeping Operation in
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
, where he commanded the Nigerian troops in the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (; ), or UNIFIL (; ) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, 425 and Unit ...
(UNIFIL). His battalion was deployed between the Palestinian and Israeli forces. In 1981, as General Staff Officer Operations at Army Headquarters, he mobilized the
OAU The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; , OUA) was an African intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 33 signatory governments. Some of the key aims of the OAU were to encourage political and ec ...
peacekeeping force in
Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...
. This force included troops from Nigeria,
Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...
,
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
and
Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...
. Also in 1981, he conducted operations in
Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria *Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State ** Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries ** Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom betwee ...
to suppress rebels led by religious fundamentalist. At the time of the August 1985 coup, when Major General
Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general, he was the military head of state of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 Augu ...
was removed form office, Lt. Col. Olurin was Commander of the 1st Mechanized Brigade,
Minna Minna is a city in the Middle Belt of Nigeria. It is the capital city of Niger State, one of Nigeria's 36 federal states. Its original two major ethnic groups are the Gbagyi and the Nupe peoples. History Archaeological evidence suggests ...
. He was "aware" but not "active" in the coup. After the coup, he was appointed the Military Governor of
Oyo State Oyo is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the List of Nigerian cities by population, third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo ...
(1985–1988). During his tenure as governor, he was a member of the National Council of States. In 1987, he set up a committee that in 1988 recommended the establishment of what became the
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) is a public research institution located in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria. The university enrolls over 30,000 students and employs more than 3,000 workers including contract staff. History In 1 ...
. In 1990, Olurin became the General officer commanding the 3rd Armoured Division in Jos and a member of the
Armed Forces Ruling Council Nigeria's Armed Forces Ruling Council was established by Ibrahim Babangida following the 1985 Nigerian coup d'état that overthrew Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician who served as the presid ...
. He served as a Field Commander in the
ECOMOG The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ECOMOG was a formal arrangement for separate armies to work ...
Peacekeeping Force in
Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
from December 1992 to September 1993, when he was relieved by Brigadier General John Nanzip Shagaya. He used his trusted relationship with the Nigerian head of state, General
Ibrahim Babangida Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (born 17 August 1941) is a Nigerian statesman and military dictator who ruled as military president of Nigeria from 1985 when he orchestrated a coup d'état against his military and political arch-rival Muhammadu ...
, to obtain more troops for the mission, and by January 1993 had 16,000 troops under his command of whom 12,000 were Nigerian. Olurin was determined to force Charles Taylor onto the defensive. His aggressive tactics were militarily successful, forcing the NPFL to open negotiations by July 1993, although he was accused of showing favoritism to certain Liberian political groups.


Later career

On 9 March 2002, Tunji Olurin was elected President of the Yewa Group (YG), formed to develop Yewaland in
Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It is bordered to the south by Lagos State and the Bight of Benin, to the east by Ondo State, and to the north by Oyo and Osun states while its western border forms part of the national borde ...
. On 26 September 2006, the Ekiti State House of Assembly impeached the governor, Ayodele Fayose and his deputy Abiodun Christine Olujimi, alleging gross misconduct. On 19 October 2006, President
Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...
declared a State of Emergency in
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 ...
and suspended the governor, deputy governor and House of Assembly of the state. He appointed Tunji Olurin, as "Sole Administrator" on Ekiti State. The State of Emergency was ratified by the National Assembly on 26 October. Soon after being appointed, Olurin dissolved the local government councils, who were under investigation by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is a Nigerian law enforcement and anti-graft agency that investigates financial crimes and unknown transactions such as advance fee fraud (419 fraud) and money laundering. The EFCC was establ ...
(EFCC) for allegedly misappropriating about 7.3 billion naira. In March 2007, Tunji Olurin ordered the Ekiti State radio and television stations not to broadcast programs of the Action Congress (AC) candidate for the state governorship, Kayode Fayemi, while allowing broadcasts by the PDP. Olurin remained in charge until he was replaced by Tope Ademiluyi on 27 April 2007. He has since remained in political oblivion following his loss at the Ogun State Governorship Election in 2011.


Awards and honours

Olurin has lectured on peacekeeping at the International Peace Academy, the National War College, and United Nations seminars in Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal. In 2006, he was appointed the Chancellor of the First University of Education in Nigeria, TASUED by Governor
Gbenga Daniel Gbenga Daniel (born 6 April 1956) is a Nigerian politician who served as Senator for Ogun East since 2023. He previously served as governor of Ogun State from 2003 to 2011. He is the owner of Kresta Laurel, an Electro-mechanical Engineerin ...
of Ogun State. Olurin has been the recipient of many honours, including the United Nations Peace Medal and the Knight Commander of the
Humane Order of African Redemption The Humane Order of African Redemption, an order (honour), order presented by the government of Liberia, was founded on January 13, 1879 during the presidency of Anthony W. Gardiner. It is awarded for humanitarian work in Liberia, for acts supporti ...
(KCHOAR), Liberia’s highest national honour award. He was an honorary paramount chief in the Republic of Liberia. Tunji Olurin died on 21 August 2021.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olurin, Tunji 1944 births 2021 deaths Yoruba military personnel Nigerian generals People from Ogun State Governors of Ekiti State Governors of Oyo State Yoruba politicians Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria) politicians The Polytechnic, Ibadan alumni Ladoke Akintola University of Technology people Members of the Nigerian National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies Nigerian Defence Academy alumni