John Dungs
John David Dungs was a Nigerian Army colonel who served as Military Administrator of Delta State from August 1996 to August 1998, during the military regime of General Sani Abacha. He also served as acting Military Administrator of Oyo State from 1994 to 1996.
Following his compulsory retirement in June 1999 by the new civilian President Olusegun Obasanjo from the Nigerian Army alongside all military administrators at the time; predecessors of the civilian governors of the Fourth Nigerian Republic, Dungs, went on to chair the boards of his businesses H. F. Schroeder West Africa Limited and the much larger Nigerian conglomerate Langfield Group LTD. He also played a brief and limited role in Plateau State politics before his ultimate demise on 2 May 2014.
Early life and education
Dungs was born on 3 February 1952 to the family of Da Dung Jok of Riyom, Riyom District in present day Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State where he obtained his primary school education. He attended the Nigerian Military School Zaria for his secondary school education from the year 1966 to 1970 and then enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna from the year 1971 to 1973 where he graduated from the 13th Regular Combatant Course with a regular commission as second lieutenant. He then went on to acquire further education at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife where he qualified as an electronics and telecommunications engineer.Military service
Johnn Dungs began his illustrious military career in the Nigerian Army Corps of Signals after receiving his presidential commission as a second lieutenant upon graduation from the Nigerian Defence Academy. He steadily rose through the commissioned ranks of the Nigerian Army reaching in the rank of colonel, which he held whilst serving in the capacity of Military Administrator. In June 1999, all military political appointees of the immediate two erstwhile military regimes were forced to retire from service including J. D. Dungs.ECOMOG peacekeeping mission
In August 1990, Dungs was a member of the multinational force in Liberia when a gunboat was seized, capturing 27 rebels. The boat was transferring guns to Charles Taylor, the leader of the largest rebel group fighting to overthrow Liberian President Samuel K. Doe. As member of the West African peacekeeping contingent, Dungs acted as their spokesman, providing vital updates on activities of the largely Nigerian ECOMOG effort.Military Administrator
From the swamps of the Liberian coast to the opulence of Government House Asaba, Dungs was the Military Administrator of Delta State when Warri South local government was created by General Sani Abacha in October 1996 and oversaw the early management of the ensuing crisis between the Itsekiri and Ijaw ethic groups. In June 1997, Dungs appointed a commission of enquiry, headed by Justice Hassan Idoko, to look into the immediate and remote causes of the crisis and make recommendations to the government.Before his exit from office, Dungs appointed a panel to review the 1,147 contracts awarded by local government councils in the state. Before Delta State, Dungs had a stint as Acting Military Administrator of Oyo State from 1994 to 1996.Politics
Following his glorious days in the Nigerian Army Corps of Signals, his membership of the Nigerian ECOMOG peacekeeping contingent in the Liberian civil war and his stabilising role in the Niger-Delta as Military Administrator of Delta State, Dungs's fortunes were to going forward take a declining turn.Dungs was a candidate of the People's [Democratic Party (Nigeria)|People's Democratic Party] in the 2007 governorship elections for Plateau State but lost.
Jos 19 October 2009, in a press interview Dungs commended the initiative of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to offer the Niger-Delta militants amnesty on the condition that they lay down their arms and commit to rehabilitation and entry into normal life as responsible citizens of the society. He expressed optimism that militancy in the creeks was a thing of the past as it was no longer profitable for their sponsors to keep them there. In another development, he condemned the notion of a Berom agenda at play by the administration of governor Jonah Jang, arguing instead that the Berom ethnic group of the state happened to readily enjoy the fruits of governance due to the proximity of the Berom lands to the centre of power that is Jos and Bukuru metropolis which was embedded within these four Local Governments.
In August 2012, Dungs emerged the senatorial standard bearer of the Democratic People's Party after a meeting with the party's national caucus led by Lieutenant General Jeremiah Useni and the state chapter of the party. He ran for the seat of Plateau North senatorial district which was left vacant after the dath of Senator Gyang Dalyop Datong and lost to Senator Gyang Pwajok of the Peoples' Democratic Party.
In April 2009, Dungs was an unsuccessful contender to become traditional ruler of the Berom people in Jos.
Besides his military background and political affiliations, Dungs is famously remembered as the founder and chief executive of Langfield Group Limited, a conglomerate with interests in various sectors of the economy. He was also the chairman and CEO of H. F. Schroeder West Africa Limited. As Military Administrator of Delta State, he was instrumental in the creation of Riyom and Jos East Local Government Areas of Plateau State.
Death
Dungs died on 2 May 2014 en route to a hospital after collapsing at his residence in Rayfield, Jos. His death came less than a week after the death of his father, Da. Dung Jok, the Gwom Rwei of Riyom after a protracted illness.Following his passing, the executive governor of Delta State Emmanuel Uduaghan in a statement jointly eulogising Justice Chukwudifu Oputa and Dungs said that the former administrator was the architect of modern Delta whose zeal was relentless in laying the foundations of the achievements scored by successive civilian governors.