Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has mourned his former Chief of Staff, late Major General Abdullahi Adangba Muhammed, describing him as a patriotic and incorruptible Nigerian who served the country with diligence, loyalty, and uncommon integrity.
Major General Muhammed, who died at the age of 86, served as Chief of Staff to President Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007 and continued briefly under President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua from 2007 to 2008.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo said the death of his longtime aide came to him as a great shock.
According to him, “The late Maj-Gen. Abdul Muhammed was a diligent and conscientious soldier who served his nation with patriotic zeal and distinguished himself in many spheres of military and public life. He was a bundle of integrity and incorruptibility and one of the few I know that can be so described.”
Obasanjo recalled Muhammed’s tenure as Military Governor of the old Benue-Plateau State between 1975 and February 1976 under the administration of the late General Murtala Mohammed, noting that his leadership left a lasting impression on the people through dedication and incorruptible service.
The former President said he appointed Muhammed as Chief of Staff in 1999 to maintain a sense of military inclusion in the new democratic dispensation and because of his trust in Muhammed’s character and competence.
“At the point that I decided to have a Chief of Staff with a military background as part of the gradual transition from military to democracy to still give the military the sense and feeling of access to the seat of government at the highest level, and one who has to be someone I knew well and who knew me well; someone I could trust and have absolute confidence in; someone dedicated and committed, I could not find a better person than Maj-Gen. Abdulahi Mohammed,” Obasanjo said.
He added that Muhammed’s loyalty and efficiency made his administration easier to run, noting that the retired General continued to serve briefly in the Yar’Adua administration at his own prompting.
Obasanjo further described the deceased as “a true soldier and great nationalist who fought for the unity of Nigeria with fairness and justice,” adding that his contributions to national unity, democracy and good governance would remain indelible.
“Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that the history of our struggle for national unity, democracy and good governance cannot be written without ample reference to the patriotic, selfless, visionary and heroic role played by him,” the statement read.
The former President expressed his condolences to Muhammed’s family, praying that Almighty Allah would forgive his shortcomings and grant him eternal rest.
“On behalf of my family and on my own behalf, I extend heartfelt condolences to the entire family of Maj-Gen. Abdul Muhammed on the sorrowful passing of a great but humble Nigerian. May Allah (SWT) forgive him and grant him Jannatul Firdausi. Ameen,” Obasanjo said.
