Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan GCFR
(May 9, 1936 – January 11, 2022)
He was a Nigerian lawyer and statesman who served as the interim Head of State of Nigeria from 26 August 1993 to 17 November 1993. He was titled Abese of Egbaland from 1981 . This was in addition to a variety of other chieftaincy titles.Shonekan was born in Lagos on May 9, 1936. He died earlier today, January 11,2022. The son of an Abeokuta-born civil servant, he was one of six children born into the family. He was was educated at CMS Grammar School and Igbobi College. He received a law degree from the University of London and was called to the bar. He later attended Harvard Business School. Prior to his political career, Shonekan was the chairman and chief executive of the United African Company of Nigeria successor of The Royal Niger Company), a vast Nigerian conglomerate, which at the time was the largest African-controlled company in Sub-Saharan Africa
Life As An Interim Head Of State
Shonekan was an Unsuccessful Interim leader. He was unable to control the political crisis which ensued following the election annulment. During his few months in power, he tried to schedule another presidential election and a return to democratic rule, while his government was hampered by a national workers' strike. The winner of the annulled presidential election,Moshood Abiola, viewed Shonekan's interim government as illegitimate. Shonekan released political prisoners detained by Babangida. The interim administration introduced a bill to repeal three major draconian decrees of the military government. But Babangida had made the interim government weak by placing it under the control of the military. Shonekan had lobbied for debt cancellation but, after the election annulment, most of the Western powers had imposed economic sanctions on Nigeria. Inflation was uncontrollable and most non-oil foreign investment disappeared. The government also initiated an audit of the accounts of NNPC, the oil giant,an organisation that had many operational inefficiencies. Shonekan served as an Executive of Royal Dutch Shell while acting as the interim president of Nigeria. Shonekan tried to set a timetable for troop withdrawal from ECOMOG's peacekeeping mission in Liberia. Meanwhile , General Sani Abacha, was the minister of defence and chief of defence staff who had full control over the military. In November 1993, three months into his administration, Shonekan was overthrown in a palace coup by Abacha.
Curtesy: Wikipedia
