Dangiwa Umar
Encyclopedia
Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (born 1949) was governor of Kaduna state
in Nigeria
from August 1985 to June 1988 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida
.
After retiring from the army in 1993, he became a social critic and the founder of Movement for Unity and Progress, a political party.
, Kebbi State
.
His father was a school teacher and administrator with the traditional title of Wazirin Gwandu who became a member of the House of Representatives in Lagos (1954 - 1964) and Commissioner for Works in the North-Western State
(1968 - 1975).
He was educated at Government College, Sokoto
(1964 - 1968), Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna
, (1967 - 1972), Nigeria Army Armored School, Ibadan
, (1972), US Army Administration School, Fort Benjamin Harrison
, Indiana
, USA (1976), Royal Armour School, Kentucky, USA (1977 - 1978), Command and Staff College, Jaji (1978 - 1979 and 1982 - 1983), Bayero University
, Kano
(1979 - 1981), Harvard University
, USA (1988 - 1989).
He held various positions, including ADC to Major General Hassan Usman Katsina, Deputy Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters.
Umar was appointed General Staff Officer in the Department of Armour, Army Headquarters.
At the time of the coup of 27 August 1985 in which General Ibrahim Babangida
assumed power he was a Major and Chairman of the Federal Housing Authority (1984 - 1985).
He supported the coup, and after it succeeded he was appointed Governor of Kaduna State. Later he was promoted to Lt. Colonel.
Umar was Military Governor of Kaduna State from September 1985 to June 1988, during a period when funding was scarce.
He had to deal with a serious religious crisis within the state in 1987, becoming unpopular with all sides of the dispute.
He said "If you win a religious war, you cannot win a religious peace [...] Since the killing started how many Christians have been converted to Islam? How many Muslims have been converted to Christianity? It is an exercise in futility".
In 1993 he was Colonel and Commander of the Armoured Corps Center and School.
He was opposed to the annulment of the 12 June 1993 presidential election, and started looking for support within the army for installing the elected president M.K.O. Abiola. In October he was detained on suspicion of conspiracy, but was not charged. After being released he resigned his commission.
Umar was a vocal critic of the Abacha regime, and joined the G-18 group of politicians that publicly opposed Abacha's plan to become president.
During the Nigerian Fourth Republic
he was outspoken on many issues.
In June 2000 he said the concept of a monolithic Northern region was obsolete and unnecessary.
He warned defeated candidates in the 2003 elections to exercise restraint and follow the law in appealing the results.
In March 2004 he wrote a letter to President Olusegun Obasanjo in which he accused him of being an accomplice in the annulment of the 12 June 1993 Presidential election.
In June 2004 he said that the government's unpopular economic policies were creating social unrest.
In May 2005 he spoke out against the forced retirement of a deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria and accused the government of insincerity in its fight against corruption.
He strongly opposed proposals to let Obasanjo run for a third term.
In January 2008 he supported the controversial removal of Nuhu Ribadu
as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
on the basis that Ribadu was insufficiently experienced, and had carried out the directions of President Olusegun Obasanjo without question.
In August 2009 he accused President Umaru Yar'Adua of nepotism in his appointments.
In December 2009 he called on the ailing President to resign.
Kaduna State
-History:The state is the successor to the old Northern Region of Nigeria, which had its capital at Kaduna. In 1967 this was split up into six states, one of which was the North-Central State, whose name was changed to Kaduna State in 1976. This was further divided in 1987, losing the area now part...
in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
from August 1985 to June 1988 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
.
After retiring from the army in 1993, he became a social critic and the founder of Movement for Unity and Progress, a political party.
Birth and education
Umar was born on 21 September 1949 in Birnin KebbiBirnin Kebbi
Birnin Kebbi is a city located in northwestern Nigeria. It is the capital city of Kebbi State and headquarters of the Gwandu Emirate. As of 2007 the city has an estimated population of 115,547....
, Kebbi State
Kebbi State
Kebbi State is a state in north-western Nigeria with its capital at Birnin Kebbi. The state was formed from part of Sokoto State in 1991. Kebbi State is bordered by Sokoto State, Niger State, Dosso Region in the Republic of Niger and the nation of Benin. It has a total area of...
.
His father was a school teacher and administrator with the traditional title of Wazirin Gwandu who became a member of the House of Representatives in Lagos (1954 - 1964) and Commissioner for Works in the North-Western State
North-Western State
North-Western State is a former administrative division of Nigeria. It was created on 27 May 1967 from parts of the Northern Region and existed until 3 February 1976, when it was divided into two states - Niger and Sokoto. The city of Sokoto was the capital of North-Western State.-North-Western...
(1968 - 1975).
He was educated at Government College, Sokoto
Sokoto
Sokoto is a city located in the extreme northwest of Nigeria, near to the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2006 it has a population of 427,760...
(1964 - 1968), Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna
Kaduna
Kaduna is the state capital of Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria. The city, located on the Kaduna River, is a trade center and a major transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction. The population of Kaduna is at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census...
, (1967 - 1972), Nigeria Army Armored School, Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
, (1972), US Army Administration School, Fort Benjamin Harrison
Fort Benjamin Harrison
Fort Benjamin Harrison was a U.S. Army post located in suburban Lawrence, Indiana, northeast of Indianapolis. It is named for the 23rd United States President, Benjamin Harrison. Land was purchased in 1903, with the post being officially named for President Harrison in honor of Indianapolis being...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, USA (1976), Royal Armour School, Kentucky, USA (1977 - 1978), Command and Staff College, Jaji (1978 - 1979 and 1982 - 1983), Bayero University
Bayero University
Bayero University Kano is a university situated in Kano, Kano State, Nigeria. It was founded in 1977, when it was renamed from Bayero University College and upgraded from university college to university; in 1980 it ceased functioning as a faculty of the Ahmadu Bello University...
, Kano
Kano
Kano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 sq.km and comprises six Local Government Area - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nassarawa - with a...
(1979 - 1981), Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, USA (1988 - 1989).
Military career
Umar joined the Nigerian Army in 1967 and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in March 1972.He held various positions, including ADC to Major General Hassan Usman Katsina, Deputy Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters.
Umar was appointed General Staff Officer in the Department of Armour, Army Headquarters.
At the time of the coup of 27 August 1985 in which General Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
assumed power he was a Major and Chairman of the Federal Housing Authority (1984 - 1985).
He supported the coup, and after it succeeded he was appointed Governor of Kaduna State. Later he was promoted to Lt. Colonel.
Umar was Military Governor of Kaduna State from September 1985 to June 1988, during a period when funding was scarce.
He had to deal with a serious religious crisis within the state in 1987, becoming unpopular with all sides of the dispute.
He said "If you win a religious war, you cannot win a religious peace [...] Since the killing started how many Christians have been converted to Islam? How many Muslims have been converted to Christianity? It is an exercise in futility".
In 1993 he was Colonel and Commander of the Armoured Corps Center and School.
He was opposed to the annulment of the 12 June 1993 presidential election, and started looking for support within the army for installing the elected president M.K.O. Abiola. In October he was detained on suspicion of conspiracy, but was not charged. After being released he resigned his commission.
Later career
After retirement, Umar became Chairman and Chief Executive, Work and Worship (Gas Company) Nigeria Limited, Kaduna.Umar was a vocal critic of the Abacha regime, and joined the G-18 group of politicians that publicly opposed Abacha's plan to become president.
During the Nigerian Fourth Republic
Nigerian Fourth Republic
The Fourth Republic is the republican government of Nigeria. Since 1999 it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Second Republic, which was in place between 1979 and 1983 and suffers many of the same problems, such as multiple...
he was outspoken on many issues.
In June 2000 he said the concept of a monolithic Northern region was obsolete and unnecessary.
He warned defeated candidates in the 2003 elections to exercise restraint and follow the law in appealing the results.
In March 2004 he wrote a letter to President Olusegun Obasanjo in which he accused him of being an accomplice in the annulment of the 12 June 1993 Presidential election.
In June 2004 he said that the government's unpopular economic policies were creating social unrest.
In May 2005 he spoke out against the forced retirement of a deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria and accused the government of insincerity in its fight against corruption.
He strongly opposed proposals to let Obasanjo run for a third term.
In January 2008 he supported the controversial removal of Nuhu Ribadu
Nuhu Ribadu
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu is a former Nigerian government anti-corruption official. He was the pioneer Executive Chairman of Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , the government commission tasked with countering corruption and fraud...
as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is a Nigerian law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes such as advance fee fraud and money laundering...
on the basis that Ribadu was insufficiently experienced, and had carried out the directions of President Olusegun Obasanjo without question.
In August 2009 he accused President Umaru Yar'Adua of nepotism in his appointments.
In December 2009 he called on the ailing President to resign.