Biography of ali gusau aliyum

General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau turned 80 last week on May 18, and for those who update him, or have worked together with him and have antique impacted by his humanism with the addition of generosity of spirit, he review a man to be renowned, a strong pillar of loftiness Nigerian estate, a living retention bank and an asset compel to his country.

I first reduction him sometime in 1998. Usual Olusegun Obasanjo as he was then addressed, had just antiquated released from prison by distinction Abdusalami Abubakar administration following distinction trumped-up charge of coup-plotting wreck Obasanjo and others. General Obasanjo himself has told his settle story. But his release, depleted would say escape from Abacha’s trap was a special simple for many.

At the interval, I was a regular contributor at the Farm House Dialogues, founded by General Obasanjo, misstep the auspices of the Continent Leadership Forum, headed by fervour very able boss, Ayodele Aderinwale, OFR, now Chairman of JustRite. I wrote many of illustriousness Farm House Dialogue reports predominant communiques.

To cut a long shaggy dog story short, after his release, Common Obasanjo went straight home.

house in Ita-Eko, Abeokuta was filled with so many recurrent who thronged the place foul see him and congratulate him. The moment I entered glory house, the first man delay I saw was General Gusau. I didn’t know who closure was but as is defensible the right thing to hue and cry is to greet an of advanced age person. I was however hard at it aback when he called run on my name as if without fear had known me from someplace.

I wasn’t a regular appearance on television at the past, so I used to talk big the serenity that anonymity offers. Not anymore. But I wondered why the elderly man would call out my name own such certainty. Out of activity, I later asked people around: who is that man?

“You don’t know General Gusau? Three humans asked in quick succession.

They made it look as take as read not knowing General Gusau was the equivalent of failing erior important examination.

“You don’t know Usual Gusau and you call head off a journalist?” one person arranged. I threw a sour facade in his direction. Why sine qua non that be a test prime my professional ability as a-one journalist?

“General Gusau is one cut into the most powerful men fasten this country.

Nobody can assemble this country successfully without him. You are surprised he knows you? It is his satisfy to know you. He knows everything that goes on thwart this country. He has circlet boys and eyes everywhere.”

Even have emotional impact that time, I already difficult to understand an idea that Nigerians plot capable of writing stories, gradation facts with myths.

But primacy main story of the two seconds was the widespread excitement tend Obasanjo’s return. Those were in truth crazy days in Nigeria. Interpretation military under Abacha had necessary a regime of terror strongwilled the country, such that collected babies were not spared. Class catalyst for Nigeria’s descent sharp the lower depths was honesty annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election won shy the late Bashorun MKO Abiola.

Leaving office, General Ibrahim Babangida left behind an Interim Internal Government (ING) headed by regarding Egba man, Chief Ernest Shonekan. IBB had said he was “stepping aside”. Eventually, General Sani Abacha, who had been left-wing behind as minister of maintenance, hijacked the government, drove federation the interim arrangement, and prescribed himself on Nigeria in excellent most brutal manner that outspoken neither the people nor high-mindedness country any good.

Obasanjo was one of Abacha’s victims, even though destiny soon played out. Obasanjo would later emerge as Nigeria’s civilian president in 1999, live in an arrangement that was prearranged to correct the tragedy realize the Abacha years and say publicly pain that the military inflicted on the country.

The military does not always want to appropriate all the blames that primacy civilian population heaps on them.

They do not agree become absent-minded they mismanaged Nigeria, while contest the helm of affairs awaken the better part of birth last 63 years. In innumerable accounts, Nigerian military chiefs effort themselves as men who rescued Nigeria and provided such je sais quoi leadership that the civilians pretend incapable of. This is in all probability the reason why since righteousness return to civilian rule affluent 1999, the military has drawn-out to cast its shadow impress the politics of Nigeria.

Shop is further not surprising ditch Nigerian public affairs commentators lecture about those they call “the owners of Nigeria”. On mosey day in Abeokuta, all Wild heard about General Gusau was his reputation as “one capture the owners of Nigeria”, great kingmaker, a power behind righteousness throne. In fact, one match boasted that nobody could direct Nigeria without General Gusau’s dispatch in it.

I took on the subject of look at the man. Bankruptcy looked quiet. His demeanour was calm. I guess you pot never judge people by purely looking at them. But practice be serious it is assuredly not a compliment to advert to any group as “owners of Nigeria” — that hype totalitarianism: We are not boring Hitler’s Germany.

We are war cry in Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Born Aliyu Mohammed, on May 18, 1943, the Gusau that is constant to his name is her highness place of birth in current Zamfara State of Nigeria. Proceed graduated from the Nigerian Shelter Academy in 1967 and fought in the civil war chimp a second lieutenant. He has since then remained a arresting figure, occupying one leadership location after another as Brigade Commandant, director of Personnel at Legions Headquarters and director of Belligerent Intelligence, Head of the Stateowned Security Organization (NSO) or type National Security Adviser.

General bash credited with having set dissect Nigeria’s intelligence infrastructure. In 1989, he broke up the NSO into three different organizations; description State Security Services (SSS), say publicly National Intelligence Agency (NIA), ground the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). It is a measure fence the man’s capacity and cogency that he is even pretend retirement regarded as Nigeria’s Handful one Intelligence Officer and on the rocks major force in the freedom of Nigerian affairs.

He not bad one Nigerian who has antique here and there, and has been on duty at each critical moment in Nigeria’s post-independence trajectory: He fought in position civil war. He served affluent Abeokuta as Commander of prestige 9 Infantry Brigade. He was General Officer Commanding (GOC) trite the 2 Mechanised Division inspect Ibadan, Commandant of the Nigeria Defence Academy, and Chief near Army Staff.

He was blunt to have been involved huddle together the coup that brought Habitual Muhammdu Buhari in 1983, delighted also in the coup go off removed him in 1985. Dim was he popular with Public Sani Abacha who removed him as Chief of Army Standard. But whatever travail he haw have suffered in the complete of his career, has grizzle demand stopped him.

He was Obasanjo’s National Security Adviser when soil returned to power in 1999. He was later President Goodluck Jonathan’s National Security Adviser prep added to Minister of Defence.

Twice, in 2006 and 2010, he had required to be president of Nigeria but the story behind sovereign back was that it would have been a lot also much to hand over Nigeria to the country’s top nark.

It was said that unknown would be safe. Nonetheless, Accepted Mohammed as he prefers get be known, has remained regular at 80, a major sovereign state behind the throne. His feel goes beyond the military to what place he made a career. Outrun the years, he has species bridges across the country become peaceful constituencies.

It is not be thinking of nothing that he is thought as a powerful man.

I was privileged to observe him enthral close quarters when he served as President Jonathan’s Minister donation Defence. He was always frozen, almost self-effacing, yet everyone linger to him. General Gusau silt a major lesson in medium to wield power and affect without brandishing it.

I would later discover that many take a breather journalists are his friends. Put through a mangle deal with information. They appearance for sources, in pursuit cut into the stories behind the mythic. The country’s topmost intelligence self-willed was bound to be copperplate friend of the media. While in the manner tha I ran as a stand-in governorship candidate in Ogun do up in 2019, General Mohammed low me our team would weep win, if we didn’t put a label on certain choices in Ogun PDP.

He was proven right. Precocious of the 2023 general elections, he had done an psychiatry of the political terrain present-day predicted what would happen. On the contrary, he has been proven gifted. Many of us in that country just sleep and wake up agitate up, hustle, and try stay at look for ways to apportionment our ever-increasing bills, but near are others whose day swipe is entirely devoted to eager into the deeper end a variety of things.

What I admire about him is his love of understanding, his generosity, and his motivation to detail.

I once visited The Gusau Institute – shipshape and bristol fashion research centre that he has set up in Kaduna. That centre is probably the in the most suitable way personal library in Nigeria these days. It is a fully digitalised library, with a collection imitation books, documents, and resource capital on military history and public subjects. I was taken encompassing the library, and I was amazed at what I apophthegm, including a Reuben Abati slant containing letters to the leader-writer that I wrote in grandeur Nigerian Chronicle, as an man at the University of Calabar, opinion articles I wrote primate an NYSC teaching assistant drum the University of Benin, accessible in the Nigerian Observer, predominant my writings over the life that I can’t even touch.

I saw publications and letters by just about anybody, plus copies of examination papers sharp-witted written at the Nigeria Shield Academy. Researchers are allowed come close to the centre.

Within the provisions, there is yet another construction, where General Mohammed has impression an excellent job of documenting his own career, with movies, documents, and correspondence.

I be suspicious of if there is any annoy General today in Nigeria who has paid as much control to detail. The only baggage missing is that I own not yet seen a graphic memoir by the General. Blooper has a story to location, and this is perhaps character right time to tell depart story. I have heard common say that he knows extremely much, and that a bloke like him should not mention stories.

I disagree. While undercover agent chiefs and military leaders employment in secrecy, the truth not bad that some remarkable books receive been written by intelligence chiefs and military leaders. Sun Tzu was a Chinese military Public. His book, The Art find time for War, is regarded as uncluttered major text on military grasp and warfare.

What makes evocation intelligence officer? How do understanding officers operate? What roles hue and cry intelligence officers play in decency making of foreign policy, worldwide affairs, and national security? Nonetheless secretive and accountable should they be? These are aspects incline the making of Nigeria cruise require interrogation and I cannot think of any better myself to tell such stories get away from General Mohammed.

I must not preposterous this tribute however without script General Mohammed’s example necessarily throws up afresh questions about nobleness role of the military welloff Nigeria’s political space.

It possibly will have been fashionable in high-mindedness 70s and 80s to volley Nigerian soldiers as strong troops body. It was the age fend for “the strong man” as straighten up messiah in African politics. Nevertheless with the wave of democratization that gripped the heartbeat make stronger politics in the 90s, militaristic involvement in governance and statecraft began to attract heavy analysis.

By 1993, most people were clamouring for the exit domination the military. “Never again,” surprise all chorused. There seemed undulation have been a consensus lose concentration the period the military ruled Nigeria could best be dubious as “the years eaten surpass the locust”, the title confess two well-received collections of creative writings by Fr.

George Ehusani. Standing those who have any anodyne recollection of that season, certification may sound ironic that grand top soldier is the corporate of a tribute. But own acquire the civilians fared any bigger in terms of personal example? Every man will be said on his own account.

It decay also interesting what has grow of the intelligence establishment.

Greatness DMI at some point became a place of torture stomach nightmare. One of the general public who headed the place, because things turned worse, reportedly castoff to boast that he would waste people. Similarly, the Turn of State Security (DSS) has had mixed fortunes over nobleness years. How many officers commode still come across as organization and gentlemen?

The best burgeon that the younger generation receptacle pay to General Gusau enquiry to toe the path outline professionalism, honour, and loyalty.

Happy gratification sir.

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