Theophilus Danjuma
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso | |
---|---|
Chief of Army Staff | |
In office 29 July 1975 – 30 September 1979 | |
Preceded by | David Ejoor |
Succeeded by | Ipoola Alani Akinrinade |
Personal details | |
Born | Lieutenant general | 9 December 1938
Battles/wars | Congo Crisis Nigerian Civil War |
Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma GCON FSS psc (born 9 December 1938) is a Nigerian politician and retired lieutenant general who played a key role in post independence military and political events in Nigeria. Danjuma amassed an enormous fortune through shipping and petroleum.[1]
He was Chief of Army Staff from July 1975 to October 1978. He was also Minister of Defence under President Olusegun Obasanjo's administration.[2]
Early life
Danjuma was born in Takum, Taraba State (formally Gongola), Nigeria, to Kuru Danjuma and Rufkatu Asibi. Takum was mainly a farming community when Danjuma was young, and yams, rice, cassava, and beniseed were largely cultivated by families and clans. His father was a hardworking peasant whose ancestors were all highly respected members of the community. Kuru Danjuma was a farmer who traded metal parts for farming implements and tools.[citation needed]
Theophilus Danjuma started his education at St Bartholomew's Primary School in
Military career
Danjuma was commissioned into the
On the 29th of July 1966, Danjuma along with Murtala Mohammed, Buka Suka Dimka, Muhammadu Buhari, Sani Abacha, Musa Usman, Ibrahim Taiwo, Ibrahim Bako, Ibrahim Babangida, among others, participated in a bloody mutiny called "July Rematch" in retaliation to the killing of federal officials in Nigeria's first coup. Danjuma picked up Nigeria's first military Head of State General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi and first military Governor of the former Western Region Lt Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi (who was hosting Aguiyi-Ironsi at his residence in Ibadan) from the side of the road, as there were escaping an ambush orchestrated by Danjuma, Mohammed, Dimka, Buhari and others. Danjuma held them captive in the back of his car and drove off to an isolated area in Oyo state, where he ordered them to get out and shot them in cold blood. Although Theophilus Danjuma has denied claims that he was one of the masterminds of the needless coup d'ètat that saw the ruins of Nigeria and the death of over 3.5 million Eastern Nigerians, multiple evidence including a confession from his former aide-de-camp Sani Bello and A.B Umaru recalls the night of the ordeal in details during their interview with The Guardian News on the transgressions they participated in, remembering vividly sounds of gun shots Danjuma fired that would fatally end the live and reign of General Aguiyi-Ironsi and see the succession of Yakubu Gowon as Head of State of the Republic of Nigeria. In 1967, he was promoted to
In 1970, Danjuma attended the International Court Martial in
]Later career
Business
Formed in 1979 by General TY Danjuma (Rtd), Nigeria American Line (NAL) began business and initially leased a ship called 'Hannatu' which traded between
COMET Shipping Agencies Nigeria Limited was established in 1984 by Danjuma, primarily to act as an agent for Nigeria American Line (NAL). COMET has grown and by the late nineties became one of the largest independent agents operating in Nigeria with experience in handling many types of vessels and cargo. In 2009, Comet handled over 200 vessels at the ports of Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar and Warri. In 2005, NAL-COMET acquired a roll-in-roll-out port (RORO) in Lagos which makes it the largest independent port operators in Africa.[citation needed]
South Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETRO) is a Nigerian oil exploration and production company that was created in 1995 by General T. Y. Danjuma. The ministry of Petroleum Resources in Nigeria awarded the Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 246 to SAPETRO in February 1998. The block covers a total area of 2,590 square kilometres (1,000 sq mi). SAPETRO partnered with Total Upstream Nigeria Ltd (TUPNI) and Brasoil Oil Services Company Nigeria Ltd (Petrobras) to start prospecting on OPL246. Akpo, a condensate field was discovered in April 2000 with the drilling of the first exploration well (Akpo 1) on the block. Other discoveries made on OPL 246 include the Egina Main, Egina South, Preowei and Kuro (Kuro was suspended as a dry gas/minor oil discovery).
In 2004, SAPETRO's subsidiary in Benin won through a competitive tender process an oil exploration contract covering 550 square kilometres offshore from the Republic of Ben n. In February 2005, SAPETRO was granted Oil Mining Lease (OML) 130 and thereafter the Federal government backed in through the
NatCom Development & Investment Limited Nigerian business tycoon, Gen. TY Danjuma, was named Board Chairman by the NatCom Development & Investment Limited "NatCom", trading as ntel. The announcement was made on Wednesday, July, 2016 following General Danjuma's inaugural board meeting. ntel commenced commercial operations of its 4G/LTE-Advanced network on 08-04-16 in Lagos and Abuja. ntel is Nigeria's most advanced mobile 4G/LTE network providing superfast Internet Access that enables high-definition voice, data and video services. ntel's network is built on the 900/1800 MHz frequency bands which are the best propagation frequencies for the deployment of 4G/LTE technology. ntel's bouquet of services includes: National Bandwidth; International Voice Termination, International Bandwidth; Mobile and Fixed Communications services.[citation needed]
The company made its first on-net test data call in Lagos on Monday, January 18, 2016 and followed this with its first on-net Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) call in Lagos on Thursday, February 25, 2016. Commercial operations commenced on Friday April 8, 2016.[citation needed]
Politics
Since 1999, Danjuma has played an active role in Nigerian politics, some of his key appointments have been:
- 1999 Appointed as Minister of Defence to President Olusegun Obasanjo's Cabinet
- 2003 Appointed as Chairperson for investigative committee on the Warri conflict
- 2010 Nominated as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan
While in Office, Gen TY Danjuma sought to curb the politicisation of the military, and was a firm supporter of democracy and the Rule of Law. He also oversaw the renaming of all Nigerian barracks and cantons from those of civilian or living persons. He was also widely known to be an avid opponent of President Obasanjo's attempts in 2006 to engineer a way that would enable himself and state governors to serve more than two consecutive terms.[citation needed]
Danjuma serves as Chairman of the Victims' Support Fund Committee, supporting the victims of terror such as the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping. On 16 July 2014, in a speech at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Danjuma "told President Jonathan that Boko Haram insurgents appear to be having the upper hand, as they choose where to strike and capture territory ... Danjuma said the battle to win the insurgency war has already taken too long."[7]
Philanthropy
In December 2008, the TY Danjuma Foundation was created in Nigeria.[citation needed]
The Foundation's principal aims are to provide durable advantages through the implementation of development programs. The Foundation plans to operate more as a philanthropic organisation rather than simply as a charity. This would allow for the foundation to seek out other deserving causes and
The TY Danjuma Foundation seeks to alleviate poverty in communities by providing basic amenities, education for children and young adults while also providing free medical care for indigent people. Currently, US$500,000 has been given out as grants to NGOs working to relieve suffering in Danjuma's home state of
The TY Danjuma Foundation is currently partnering with over 50 NGOs throughout Nigeria, and with the support and co-operation of 36 state governors. One of the many NGOs which is being supported by the Foundation is CASVI working in
See also
- Caroline Danjuma
References
- ^ "South Atlantic Petroleum Limited". MBendi website. MBendi Information Services (Pty) Ltd. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 6 April 2007.
- ^ "Military revenge in Benue". HRW.org. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
- ^ "The Dimka Coup of 1976". Archived from the original on 21 November 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- ^ "Nigeria Exchange News: General TY Danjuma's Mea Culpa". Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- ^ "Nalcomet Website". Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- ^ "The South Atlantic Petroleum Website". Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- ^ Isiaka Wakili (17 July 2014). "Nigeria: TY Danjuma to Jonathan – Boko Haram War Taking Too Long (Page 1 of 2)". Daily Trust – AllAfrica. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
- ^ "All Africa News: Ty Danjuma Foundation – Inside Africa's Biggest Foundation..." Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- ^ "Danjuma Foundation Website". Retrieved 16 November 2010.
Further reading
- Barrett, Lindsay. (1979). Danjuma, the Making of a General (biography; Enugu, Nigeria: Fourth Dimension).