Former Minister of Defence and Internal Affairs, Major General Godwin Osagie Abbe (Retired), has passed away.
He died on Saturday night in Abuja after a long battle with illness, according to family sources.
Born on January 10, 1949, General Abbe would have turned 76 on January 10, 2025.
Throughout his military career, he also served as the Governor of Akwa Ibom and Rivers States.
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Abbe’s educational background includes United Baptist School in Benin City (1953-60), Iguodala Secondary Modern School (1961), Kiriji Memorial College in Igbajo, Oyo State, and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He enlisted in the Nigerian Army in July 1967, attending various military courses such as the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna, the Airborne/Infantry Officer Advanced Course at the US Army Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia (1972-73), and the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College in Teshie (1978-80).
He began his military service as a Lance Corporal in 1967, was promoted to Lieutenant in 1969, and served as a Battalion Commander from 1969 to 1972. He became a Captain in 1971 and later an instructor at the Nigerian Defence Academy (1974-76). Abbe was promoted to Major in 1975 and served in various staff and command roles.
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In 1980, he became the first Nigerian Directing Staff on secondment to the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1983 and to Colonel in 1986. He commanded the 2nd Mechanised Division Garrison in Ibadan until 1988 before being appointed Military Governor of Akwa Ibom State from 1988 to 1990.
After passing the Staff College, Abbe continued to rise in ranks, becoming the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Nigerian Army’s 2 Division, as well as Commander of the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and the National War College (now the National Defence College) in Nigeria. He retired in 1999 with the rank of Major General.
Abbe also served as Minister of Interior starting on July 26, 2007, and later as Minister of Defence from July 14, 2009, to March 17, 2010. He was a former Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party in Edo State.
Among his many honors were the Distinguished Service Star (DSS), the Forces Service Star (FSS), the National Institute (MNI), and the Pass Staff College (PSC). In his spare time, General Abbe enjoyed playing squash, hunting, and masonry. He is remembered as one of Nigeria’s most decorated military officers of Edo extraction.
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