Patrick Aziza
Encyclopedia
Major-General Patrick Aziza was the first military Governor of Kebbi State
, Nigeria
after it was split off from Sokoto State
on 27 August 1991 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida
.
local Government Area in Delta State
on 23 December 1947.
He was raised in Abakaliki
, Ebonyi State
.
He went to Ibadan
for his secondary education before joining the army and participating in the Nigerian Civil War
(1967–1970). Aziza then attended the Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna
, graduating in 1970.
He was commissioned 2nd lieutenant and promoted to lieutenant in 1970, and was posted to the 3rd Marine Commando.
In 1971 he was promoted to captain.
He was appointed ADC to the Chief of Army Staff, Major General David Ejoor
.
In 1974 he attended the Advanced School of Infantry in Fort Benning
, United States for a 12-month course.
Aziza was posted to Warri as a Battalion Commander, then promoted and posted to Kano
as Brigade major.
He attended the Command and Staff College, Jaji (1978–1979), and was then posted to Army Headquarters responsible for movement and planning. In this role he handled troop movement planning for the Nigerian contingent in the United Nations' operations, UNIFIL, in Lebanon.
Aziza served in the Provisional Ruling Council.
at the start of the aborted Nigerian Third Republic
.
Aziza was a member of the group of officers that planned the coup in which General Sani Abacha
took power.
He was Chairman of the Special Military Tribunal that convicted Olusegun Obasanjo and Major General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua
for involvement in an alleged 1995 coup plot.
He was also head of a tribunal that tried six journalists for treason, based on publishing accounts of the coup. The trials were swift and the conclusion appeared to be decided in advance.
Aziza served as communications minister in the military regime of General Sani Abacha
. In this role he revoked the licenses of 12 companies that had earlier been given the go-ahead to provide various telecommunications services.
In March 1998 Aziza said that Nigeria was seeking six billion U.S. dollars to "meet our immediate requirements of over three million telephone lines and 200,000 cellular lines."
He was appointed Minister of Commerce and Tourism during the transitional regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar
.
, along with other former military administrators.
In October 2000 he appeared the Oputa panel on violation of human rights sitting in Abuja, investigating the Special Military Tribunal that sentenced Obasanjo to jail over the alleged 1995 coup.
He denied ordering torture in connection with the tribunal.
In July 2001 the Justice Michael Edem Commission on the Cocoa Export Levy and Cocoa Buffer Stock Funds indicted Aziza for wrongly appropriating money while Minister of Trade and Tourism.
Aziza became a successful businessman, and also a successful amateur golfer.
He was given the chieftaincy title of Ajaguna of Okukuland by the Olokuku of Okuku Kingdom, Osun State
, and was named a Commander of the Federal Republic.
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...
, 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...
after it was split off from Sokoto State
Sokoto State
Sokoto State is located in the extreme northwest of Nigeria, near to the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2005 it has an estimated population of more than 4.2 million...
on 27 August 1991 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...
.
Birth and early career
Aziza's was born in OkpeOkpe
Okpe is a kingdom in Delta State, Nigeria. Its capital is Orerokpe. The kingdom plays host to the Warri Airport, which is actually located at Osubi and the Delta State Trade Fair Complex.-History:...
local Government Area in Delta State
Delta State
Delta State may refer to:*Delta State, a state in southern Nigeria.*Delta State , a Canadian animated television series.*Delta State University, a public university located in the U.S. state of Mississippi....
on 23 December 1947.
He was raised in Abakaliki
Abakaliki
Abakaliki is the capital city of the present-day Ebonyi State in southeastern Nigeria. The inhabitants are primarily members of the Igbo nation. It used to be the headquarters of the old Abakaliki zone in the Old Anambra and Enugu state before the creation of Ebonyi State in 1996. Abakaliki is made...
, Ebonyi State
Ebonyi State
Ebonyi State is a mainland south-eastern state of Nigeria, inhabited and populated primarily by Igbo of south eastern Nigeria. Its capital and largest city is Abakaliki. Afikpo is the second largest city. Other major towns are EDDA, Mgbo, Onueke, Ezzamgbo, Nkalagu, Uburu, Onicha, Ishiagu , Ukawu,...
.
He went to 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...
for his secondary education before joining the army and participating in the Nigerian Civil War
Nigerian Civil War
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War, 6 July 1967–15 January 1970, was a political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra...
(1967–1970). Aziza then attended the 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...
, graduating in 1970.
He was commissioned 2nd lieutenant and promoted to lieutenant in 1970, and was posted to the 3rd Marine Commando.
In 1971 he was promoted to captain.
He was appointed ADC to the Chief of Army Staff, Major General David Ejoor
David Ejoor
Major-General David Akpode Ejoor rcds psc is a retired Nigerian Army officer and politician. He was once governor of the now-defunct Mid-Western Region. David Ejoor was the governor of the Mid-Western State of Nigeria, during the Biafra Civil War. He then served as Chief of Army Staff from January...
.
In 1974 he attended the Advanced School of Infantry in Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, United States for a 12-month course.
Aziza was posted to Warri as a Battalion Commander, then promoted and posted to 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...
as Brigade major.
He attended the Command and Staff College, Jaji (1978–1979), and was then posted to Army Headquarters responsible for movement and planning. In this role he handled troop movement planning for the Nigerian contingent in the United Nations' operations, UNIFIL, in Lebanon.
Aziza served in the Provisional Ruling Council.
Senior army positions
Aziza was the Brigade Commander of the Amphibious Brigade in Calabar when he was appointed the first military administrator of Kebbi State, holding office from 28 August 1991 to January 1992, when he handed over to the elected civilian governor Abubakar MusaAbubakar Musa
Alhaji Abubakar Musa is a Nigerian politician who was elected on the National Republican Convention platform as Governor of Kebbi State, Nigeria, holding office between January 1992 and November 1983 during the Nigerian Third Republic....
at the start of the aborted Nigerian Third Republic
Nigerian Third Republic
The Third Republic was the planned republican government of Nigeria in 1993 which was to be governed by the Third Republican constitution.- Founding :...
.
Aziza was a member of the group of officers that planned the coup in which General Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
took power.
He was Chairman of the Special Military Tribunal that convicted Olusegun Obasanjo and Major General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua
Shehu Musa Yar'Adua
Major General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua was a Nigerian businessman, soldier, and politician. He was the older brother of former Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua. Following his training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Sandhurst, England, Yar'Adua participated in the Nigerian Civil War...
for involvement in an alleged 1995 coup plot.
He was also head of a tribunal that tried six journalists for treason, based on publishing accounts of the coup. The trials were swift and the conclusion appeared to be decided in advance.
Aziza served as communications minister in the military regime of General Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
. In this role he revoked the licenses of 12 companies that had earlier been given the go-ahead to provide various telecommunications services.
In March 1998 Aziza said that Nigeria was seeking six billion U.S. dollars to "meet our immediate requirements of over three million telephone lines and 200,000 cellular lines."
He was appointed Minister of Commerce and Tourism during the transitional regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar
Abdulsalami Abubakar
General Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar is a Nigerian general who was President of Nigeria from June 9, 1998 until May 29, 1999. He succeeded Sani Abacha upon Abacha's death. It was during Abubakar's leadership that Nigeria adopted its new constitution on May 5, 1999, which provided for multiparty...
.
Later career
Aziza was required by President Olusegun Obasanjo to retire from the army in June 1999 after the return to democracy with the Nigerian Fourth RepublicNigerian 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...
, along with other former military administrators.
In October 2000 he appeared the Oputa panel on violation of human rights sitting in Abuja, investigating the Special Military Tribunal that sentenced Obasanjo to jail over the alleged 1995 coup.
He denied ordering torture in connection with the tribunal.
In July 2001 the Justice Michael Edem Commission on the Cocoa Export Levy and Cocoa Buffer Stock Funds indicted Aziza for wrongly appropriating money while Minister of Trade and Tourism.
Aziza became a successful businessman, and also a successful amateur golfer.
He was given the chieftaincy title of Ajaguna of Okukuland by the Olokuku of Okuku Kingdom, Osun State
Osun State
Ọṣun State is an inland state in south-western Nigeria. Its capital is Osogbo. It is bounded in the north by Kwara State, in the east partly by Ekiti State and partly by Ondo State, in the south by Ogun State and in the west by Oyo State. The state's current governor is Rauf Aregbesola, who was...
, and was named a Commander of the Federal Republic.