Frank Ajobena

Air Vice Marshal (rtd) Frank Onaweneryene Ajobena, psc+, fwc, MSc, CON was the military administrator of Abia State from 28 August 1991 until January 1992.[1]

BACKGROUND

His Excellency Air Vice Marshal (rtd) Frank Onaweneryene Ajobena was born in Jos, Plateau State on the 15th April 1949.

He had his early education at Saint Theresa’s Primary School and Saint Murrumba’s College Jos.

However, following the Nigerian crisis in 1966, he relocated with his parents to their home state (then Mid-West Region) where he completed his secondary school education at Saint Malachy’s Grammar School, Sapele.

Air Vice Marshal (rtd) Ajobena had a brief working experience as a teacher between 1968 and September 1969 when he taught Elementary Science at our Lady’s Preparatory School Sapele and part time Fine Art at Saint Ita’s Grammar School Sapele.

CAREER IN THE MILITARY

In October 1969 he opted for a military career when he enlisted into the Nigeria Defence Academy as a member of the Regular Course 7. In the course of his 30 years career, Air Vice Marshal Ajobena attended several technical and professional military education courses in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United State of America and specialized in Personnel Administration. He is a graduate of the Royal Air Force School of Administration Upwood, England, United States Air Force Personnel and Administration Management Officers’ School Kessler AFB Mississippi, the Command and Staff College Jaji. He also attended the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria Topo Badagry, United States Air command and Staff College Alabama, National War College and the University of Ibadan where he obtained a Master of Science Degree in Strategic Studies.

While in the service, Air Vice Marshal Ajobena held several appointments in and out of the Military. He was a Directing Staff at the Command and Staff College Jaji, Principal Staff Officer States and Federal Administration at the defunct General Staff Headquarters, Commander Nigerian Air Force Administration Services Training Group. He was four times Director of Personnel, Nigerian Air Force between 1990 and 1999. He was appointed the first Military Administrator of Abia State in 1991. He served as the Chairman Assets Sharing and Implementation Committee for Bauchi/Gombe States, and Sokoto /Zamfara States. He was Secretary of the National War College from August 1997 to August 1998. His Highest appointment while in service was that of Acting Air Officer in charge of Personnel at the Nigerian Air Force Headquarters. It was in this position he was retired in June 1999 following the decision of President Obasanjo’s administration to separate all military officers who had held political appointments from the service.

Air Vice Marshal Ajobena made several contributions in the Military and to the Nigerian Nation in general. As an officer, he contributed immensely in the manpower development programmes of the Nigeria Air Force and in articulating policies, programmes and procedures for the enhancement of service administration. For example, as the first commander of the Administration Service Training Group, he pioneered the local training of personnel officers for the Nigerian Air Force and established the first Senior Non-Commissioned Officers’ Academy in Nigeria. He single handily authored the Terms and Conditions of Service for officers in the Nigeria Air Force. The greater part of that document was adopted for use as the primary policy document for Officer Personnel Management in the three armed services.

As the pioneer Military Administrator of Abia State, he laid a solid foundation for the state’s take-off. Many indigenes of Abia State have adjudged Air Vice Marshal Ajobena as the best Chief Executive the state has had since its creation in over 24 years. For example, Chief Bob E Ogbuagu a veteran Journalist and a highly respected senior citizen of Abia State in a lecture titled: “ABIA STATE YESTERDAY, TODAY and TOMORROW” which he delivered to the Abia people on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the creation of Abia State had this to say of Air Vice Marshal Frank O Ajobena (then a Group Captain) tenure as Military Administrator:

“Group Captain Ajobena brought in the zeal and enthusiasm of a thorough bred Air Force Officer. He settled down as the Biblical John the Baptist, to prepare for the first political Administration of Abia State. He kept the Capital City of Umuahia clean and made sure the true spirit of serving the people was engendered. His tenure ran from August 1991 to February 1992. Group Captain Ajobena, indeed prepared a Blue print for his successor which was almost in tandem with the spirit of Abia State Movement. It is to his credit he postulated that the “Abia State Government should not think of its citizens in terms of origin, ethnic clans, religion, social status and political affiliations, it should think of his citizens as Abians held together by one destiny. Group Captain Ajobena set up the Abia State Development Committee which he inaugurated on October 18, 1991. This committee was charged with the responsibility of preparing a “Blue Print”, it was part of the “working documents” that Group Captain Ajobena handed to His Excellency, Dr Ogbonnya Onu at the Hand Over Ceremony on 2nd, January .1992 at the Umuahia Township Stadium. He laid an acceptable peaceful condition for a political successor duly elected by the people”.

In another part of his 22 pages presentation, Chief Ogbuagu asserted that:

“It is on record that the Air Force Group Captain Frank Ajobena, in the brief period of six months exemplified purposefulness which endeared him to Abia people who thought that the promised El Dorado had indeed arrived. One cannot say so of his fellow Military Officers who came after and appeared to be harbingers of stagnation and stillness”.

The views of Chief Ogbuagu are in consonance with those of Mr. Emeka Obasi another articulate journalist from Abia State, who 10 years earlier on, in an article titled “The Limits of Propaganda” published in the THISDAY, The Sunday Newspaper of August 12, 2001 averred that “Since Abia was created about ten years ago, the only flash of real governance was the brief spell of Air force Officer, Ajobena. All subsequent administrations in the state functioned largely as soldiers of fortune, buccaneers and mercenaries who pillaged the state and left it prostrate”.

POST SERVICE LIFE

In his retirement, Air Vice Marshal Ajobena has been striving to actualize his love for Fine Arts and environmental beauty by his involvement in the building construction industry, as Chairman / CEO of Tangrof Nigeria Limited. He is also the Chairman of Avantguard Security Solutions Limited a company that specialises in Maritime Security Services. In his leisure, he engages in yoga exercises, plays scrabble and monopoly, and enjoys reading. He is also actively involved politics and in his church activities where he serves as a Deacon.

Air Vice Marshal Ajobena is happily married to Deaconess Mrs Grace Idu Ajobena. They are blessed with children and grandchildren.

When Felix Mujakperuo was chosen as Orodje of Okpe Kingdom in 2004, Ajobena filed suit in favor of his own claim to the throne. Ajobena's suit was never,[2] and Mujakperuo was installed as Orhue I, Orodje of Okpe on July 29, 2006.[3]