BIOGRAPHY OF REAR ADMIRAL GBORIBIOGHA JOHN JONAH

Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah

Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah was born on 6 March 1954 at Nembe in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

He attended St Luke’s primary School Nembe, 1959-1965, and Nembe National Grammar School Nembe, 1969-1973 before joining the Nigerian Defence Academy Course 16 in June 1974 as a Naval cadet. He passed out of the Academy in December 1975 as the best Naval Cadet and awarded the silver medal. He later proceeded to the Britannia Royal naval College, Dartmouth in England where he did the International Midshipman course 1976/77 and passed out in first class (Academics). He was commissioned in July 1977. He then went to the Naval Engineering College India to study Naval Engineering from 1977 to 1980 and later specialized in Marine Engineering between 1981 and 1982 at the same establishment.

Other courses attended include both Junior and Senior Staff Courses at the Armed Forces Command and Staff college Jaji in 1986 and 1991/92 where he won the Book Prize and College Tie respectively for outstanding performance. In 2002, he attended the National Security and Strategic Studies Course at the National Defence College, New Delhi, India and was awarded the symbol ‘ndc’ where his performance was again recorded as outstanding.

The appointment held include: Assistant Engineering Officer, NNS ARADU 1982-1984; Gas Turbine Training Officer, NNTTC PH 1984-1985; Marine Engineering Officer, NNS EKUN 1985/86; SQN Engineering Officer, MCMV Sqn 1986-1990; Fleet Support Maintenance Officer, FSG EAST 1990/91; DS, AFCSC Jaji 1992/94; Chief Delegate, NNS LANA Refit at Snake Island 1995/95; DS, GAFCSC Teshie, Ghana 1995/97; D’ Project, NHQ 1997/1998; Commander, FSG (W) 1998/2001; D’ Maintenance, FMC HQ 2001/2002; General Manager Production, Nigerian Naval Dockyard 2003; DS, National War College 2003/04 and Director of Academic Research and Analytical Support at the same College 2004/05. He was also Chief of Naval Engineering at the Naval Headquarters, Abuja. His last appointment before voluntarily retiring from the Service was the commandant, National Defence College Abuja.

He was awarded Distinguished Service Star (DSS) in2001 and is a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers. He has the Nigerian national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON). He was the President of the International Association of Peace Training Centres 2008/09. His hobbies include swimming, sailing, fishing, and reading. He is married to Seleipre (nee Bonnie) and they have 5 children (Opuene, Aboye, Tonye, Daukoru and Lelegite)