President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed deep sorrow over the death of Lieutenant General Chikadibia Obiakor (retd.), the first African to serve as United Nations Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations, as well as the first to hold the position alongside the rank of Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Obiakor passed away on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at a hospital in Abuja after reportedly suffering a severe stroke a few days earlier. He was 75 years old.
In a condolence message issued through his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu described the late military officer as a distinguished Nigerian whose life and service significantly advanced global peace efforts.
He said Obiakor’s contributions to peacekeeping missions, conflict resolution, and post-conflict rebuilding across various regions of the world helped elevate the image of the Nigerian Armed Forces on the international stage.
According to the President, the late general embodied excellence and patriotism, serving Nigeria with honour while representing Africa with dignity in global institutions.
Born on February 18, 1951, in Zaria, Kaduna State, Obiakor hailed from Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State. He attended the Nigerian Military School in Zaria before joining the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1971 as part of the 10th Regular Course.
He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1973 and rose through the ranks, holding several key operational and peacekeeping assignments both within and outside the country.
In 2008, then United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed him Military Adviser for all UN peacekeeping operations worldwide, a role he held at a time when UN missions were heavily deployed across conflict zones.
He later served as Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Liberia and previously held command positions within ECOMOG operations during the Liberian civil conflict, where he played a key role in coordinating electoral security arrangements.
After retiring from active military service in 2011, Obiakor continued to contribute to international peace efforts by leading several United Nations investigative panels in conflict-hit regions, including South Sudan, Syria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The United Nations also paid tribute to him, with spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric extending condolences to his family, the Nigerian government, and the global peacekeeping community during a briefing in New York.
President Tinubu extended sympathies to the bereaved family, the government and people of Anambra State, the Nigerian Armed Forces, and the international community, praying for the peaceful repose of his soul.