Shehu Musa Yar'Adua
4th Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters | |
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In office 13 February 1976 – 30 September 1979 | |
Head of State | Olusegun Obasanjo |
Preceded by | Olusegun Obasanjo |
Succeeded by | Alex Ekwueme as 1st elected Vice President of Nigeria |
Personal details | |
Born | Katsina, Northern Region, British Nigeria (now in Katsina State, Nigeria) | 5 March 1943
Died | 8 December 1997 Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria | (aged 54)
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Military service | |
Allegiance | Major general |
Battles/wars | Nigerian Civil War |
Shehu Musa Yar'Adua
Early life
Yar'Adua was born in
Yar'Adua attended Katsina Middle School and then Katsina Provincial School (now Government College, Katsina) for his secondary education; at the provincial school, where he was classmates with former Nigerian president
Military career
In 1964, after he returned from Sandhurst, Yar'Adua was posted to the first infantry battalion of the Nigerian Army in Enugu under the command of Col Adekunle Fajuyi as second lieutenant. From 1964 to the end of the Nigerian Civil War, he held various positions including platoon commander in 1964, and from 1965 to 1966 adjutant of the First Infantry Battalion in Enugu. He was a battalion commander in 1967, and in 1968 became a Brigade Commander. During the civil war, he commanded the 6th infantry brigade under the leadership of Murtala Muhammed, commander of the second division.[5] In October 1967, Yar'Adua was given the responsibility for the capture of Onitsha[6] after two (2) unsuccessful attempts by the Nigerian troops.[citation needed]
In 1975, he was an active participant in the military coup d'état that deposed General Yakubu Gowon as Nigeria's Head of State.[7] After the success of the coup, he served as Transport Minister in General Murtala Muhammed's regime. As Transport Minister his major task was to decongest the Lagos port. Prior to the coup, officials of the previous regime had ordered 16 million tonnes of cement to build military barracks around the country. However, the berthing facilities of the port were inadequate. The financial implications became more striking because the Nigerian government was liable to pay demurrage fees by the shippers. The Muhammed regime decided to transfer some of the cargoes to neighboring ports and introduce cement management firms to clear and sell the cement and build the new Tin Can Island Port.[8]
Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters
Following the
His office was assigned the task of managing operations of
However, by 1979 the policy had not achieved its primary goal of self-reliance and self-sufficiency.[11] Yar'Adua also guided the Supreme Military Council's initiatives on local government reforms which led to the conduct of local government elections in 1976. The local government reforms excluded traditional rulers from certain governance issues and limited their control over property rights. The reforms also granted recognition to local government as a third tier arm of government.[12]
In 1979, the regime transferred power to the civilian elected government of Shehu Shagari ushering in the Second Nigerian Republic which lasted from 1979 to 1983. The triumvirate later retired from the military.[citation needed]
Political career
General Ibrahim Babangida started his political transition program in 1987 with the establishment of a Political Bureau, and a Constituent Assembly was later inaugurated to deliberate on a proposed draft constitution. Though Yar'Adua was not a member of the assembly and a law had proscribed certain old breed politicians from political activities, his associates represented his political leanings at the forum and was active in the formation of political associations during the transitional period.[13]
Yar'Adua and his group formed the People's Front of Nigeria; Members included
The People's Front later merged with other groups to form the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The People's Front and PSP, became the two dominant factions within SDP. However, Yar'Adua's group was very organized and able to win the majority of the elective posts within SDP.[15] During the Governorship and House of Assembly elections, SDP had a slight numerical edge over the opposition National Republican Convention (NRC).[16]
In January 1992, Yar'Adua spent a short stint in detention, jailed for contravening a law banning certain persons from active politics. However, the law was repealed and Yar'Adua subsequently announced his presidential election. His campaign political structure covered the country; he had a national campaign directorate, and each state had its own campaign coordinator and ward mobilizers. Members of his campaign group included former
In 1994, Yar'Adua won a seat representing
Arrest and death
In March 1995, General Yar'Adua alongside Olusegun Obasanjo, Lawan Gwadabe and others were arrested on allegations of plotting a coup to overthrow the General Sani Abacha regime. He was sentenced to death by a military tribunal in 1995, after calling on the Nigerian military government of General Sani Abacha and his Provisional Ruling Council to re-establish civilian rule. The sentence was commuted to life in prison but he died in captivity on 8 December 1997.[17]
Personal life
In 1965, Shehu Yar'adua married Hajia Binta and they have five children, including Murtala Yar'Adua, former Nigerian Minister of State for Defence.[18]
Wealth
After retiring from the military, Yar'Adua established a holding company called Hamada Holdings with several business interests in shipping, banking, publishing allowing him to amass a vast private fortune.[citation needed]
References
- ISBN 9781908064011.
- ^ Biography, Yaradua Center, archived from the original on 19 July 2015, retrieved 1 August 2015
- ^ "UPDATE: I graduated alongside Yar'Adua, had Grade II –Buhari". The Punch. January 2015. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ^ Farris, J. W, & Bomoi, M. (2004). Shehu Musa Yar'Adua: a life of service. Abuja, Nigeria: Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Foundation. p27
- ISBN 9781857432176.
- ^ "Cheta Nwanze: Chronology of the Nigerian Civil War #Biafra". June 2014.
- ^ Siollun, p. 176-180.
- ^ Farris, p. 102-103.
- ^ Toyin Falola; Ann Genova (2009). Historical Dictionary of Nigeria. Scarecrow Press. p. 371.
yar'adua operation feed the nation.
- ISBN 9781847010278.
- ^ E.O. Arua. "Achieving food sufficiency in Nigeria through the operation 'feed the nation' programme". Agricultural Administration Volume 9, Issue 2, February 1982, Pages 91–101
- ISBN 9781316165263.
- ^ Larry Diamond, 1997, p. 173
- ^ Larry Diamond, 1997, p. 173
- ^ Marcus G. Ajibade. Shehu Musa Yar'adua: The Recurring Decimal in Contemporary Politics, p8. 1999
- ^ Larry Diamond; Anthony Kirk-Greene (1997). Transition without End: Nigerian Politics and Civil Society under Babangida. Lynne Rienner. pp. 235–237.
- ^ "Abacha Coup: How Obasanjo, Yar'Adua were framed -- Farida Waziri". 10 February 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ "Mallam Murtala Yar'Adua". yaraduafoundation.org. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
Further reading
- Shehu Musa Yar'Adua: A Life of Service (Lynne Rienner Pub., 2004). ISBN 978-8069-36-3
- Nigeria at Fifty: Contributions to Peace, Democracy & Development (Edited by Attahiru M. Jega & Jacqueline W. Farris, 2010). ISBN 978-978-907-7823
- Neither North nor South, East nor West: One Nigeria (Jacqueline W. Farris illustrated by Mustapha Bulama, 2011). ISBN 978-978-50349-7-4