Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (Retired) shot into national reckoning and public limelight in 1984.
That was shortly after Major-General Muhammadu Buhari and Major-General Tunde Idiagbon’s coup, which toppled the civilian regime of Alhaji Shehu Shagari on 31st December 1983.
He was appointed the Chief Executive of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA). Umar, then with the rank of a Major, was a dashing looking young man filled with effusive display of public intellectualism and altruistic intentions.
He immediately caught the fancy of the probing media that was suspicious of military intervention in our polity and national life.
But with his captivating swagger and radical pronouncements, and dress sense reminiscent of revolutionary Che Guevara, the Bolivian revolutionary save for the Goatee beard, he instantly became the object of media scrutiny and public attention.
He promised to revolutionize the housing sector and his outspokenness was a breath of fresh air in the autocratic regime of Buhari/Idiagbon, which cultivated taciturnity as an art of governance.
Before Nigerians could critically x-ray him and his housing policies, the palace coup of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) took place on 27th August 1985. His reign as FHA boss came to an abrupt end.
For those who thought that was the end of the unusual military officer imbued with radical ideology had more than they bargained for.
It soon emerged that Col. Umar was one of the three musketeers middle ranking officers who were the foot soldiers and masterminds of the IBB coup.
The other members being Colonel Lawan Gwadabe and Colonel Abdulmuminu Aminu.
As an officer in armoured Corps, Umar was very essential to the success of IBBs coup.
He was appointed as military governor of old Kaduna State (comprising today’s Kaduna and Katsina states). He was only 36 years old, and on the rank of a Major.
For credible reasons, not a few Nigerians were worried by Umar’s duty post, especially for his youthful age and rank in the Army, considering the fact that Kaduna State was home to many top retired military Generals, and also serving top military officers as many military formations were located in the state.
Kaduna State was also home to the powerful and all-controlling amorphous group called the Kaduna Mafia.
Hence, his appointment was like throwing a small fish in a shark infested water. But Umar was not only equal to the task, he distinguished himself with vibrant policies and pronouncements, fearing or favouring no one, only with a heart for the downtrodden masses.
His messages and policy direction resonated with the people. Although, a royal blue blood, as a Scion of the famous Sokoto Caliphate, since he was that son of one of the king makers, the Wazirin of Gwandu, he was more in the company of the ordinary people. He carried himself with the elan of a liberator from feudalist tendencies.
He was credited with statements challenging the all-powerful traditional institutions in the North to reform or face extinction.
His leftist proclivities and socialist pronouncements were not really surprising to those who know him well.
He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and was one of the famous radical students on campus referred to as BUBU (Bala Usman Brought Up).
The late Dr. Yusuf Bala Usman was an uncompromising and unrepentant socialist ideologue and lecturer in ABU. Umar was one of his ardent supporters and students.
Therefore, while in government, Umar was only practicing and experimenting all that he learned under the tutelage of Dr. Usman.
Another remarkable achievement of Umar as military governor of Kaduna State was how he brilliantly without insolence managed and tamed the retired military henchmen who preponderate Kaduna State polity, business and social life.
He was fair but firm in dealing with all to ensure sustainable peace, growth and development of the state under his watch.
Then Kaduna State used to be a hotbed of religious crises and tension, especially between the Muslims in northern part of Kaduna and the Christians in the southern part.
When one of such religious conflagrations occurred in 1987, those who expected him to take sides with his fellow Muslims were shocked. In his usual cerebral dissection of issues, he was on the side of sociological reality and truth.
He emphasized on the futility of religious wars, as he noted, “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 essence, religion being an opium of the people (apology to Karl Marx) is usually a facade to brew social and political blood bath.
For Umar, most times when people fight under the guise of religion, it is mostly occasioned by hunger, poverty, deprivation and ignorance largely due to poor leadership that lacks accountability and transparency.
Some critics often point to Umar as an IBB’s boy and cloth him with the inadequacies of that era. Not many knew that Umar in his characteristic bluntness was by a mile the biggest insider critic of the Babangida era.
From the beginning of Babangida’s regime, Umar stamped his authority and voice of reason. A knowledgeable source and colleague of Umar once told the writer that immediately after the success of the IBB coup, it was time to choose the second in command, the Chief of General Staff, CGS.
The late General Sani Abacha and some Hawks within harped on the need for a northern officer to occupy the position and proposed General Domkat Bali.
It was almost sailing through when Umar, even though a junior officer raised an observation.
He, therefore, nominated Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe. His choice shocked and angered Abacha because he felt Umar should be on his side as he was the one who nominated Umar for the position of Chief Executive of FHA under Major General Buhari.
It was the FHA job that thrusted Umar into national reckoning and limelight. However, Umar has a mind of his own and chooses to be on the side of history, supporting ethnic balance. Even Bali reportedly aligned with Umars proposition. That was how Ukiwe got the job of CGS. Abacha never forgave Umar for it.
My investigations as a journalist revealed that Umar wrote the highest number of internal memos and petitions against Babangida’s policies and programmes.
When General IBB said there was no alternative to the Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP, Umar just like Chief Gani Fawehinmi disagreed. They noted that everything including life has an alternative, which is death!
One of the most salutary characteristics of Umar is that he is not materially driven. When IBB introduced the culture of settlement into our polity, where corruption became a norm anyone who had access to him became instantaneously wealthy.
But Umar was different.
Today, there is no record of his acquiring houses across the country despite being the Chief Executive of FHA. He doesn’t own any property belonging to FHA, not even in Lagos and Abuja (the Federal Capital Territory, FCT).
Indeed, when he got bored with the routines of a soldier holding political office he approached the military high command and tendered his resignation without media fuss after three years as a military governor.
He proceeded to obtain a Master’s degree in Political Science from the prestigious Harvard University, in the U S.A.
On his return from the United States of America, he was posted to head the Armoured Corp school, in Bauchi State. Although, he was a professional soldier, at heart and in principles, he was a true democrat.
His uncompromising belief in promoting the liberties, freedom and dignity of his fellow citizens was clearly made manifest during the annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election, which was widely acclaimed to have been won by Chief M.K.O Abiola.
On hearing about the annulment of 12 June presidential election, he drove from his Bauchi base to Abuja. IBB was already surrounded by the military Hawks who were unwilling to surrender power to civilians. He sought audience with the benevolent military dictator.
Umar pointedly told his boss to complete the announcement of the presidential election and handover to the winner, Chief Abiola.
Umar reportedly told IBB that it would be a travesty of justice to deny Abiola of his victory.
Indeed, it will amount to a gross disservice to the nation by the military if the annulment is sustained.
He reiterated that he would not want to be counted as a usurper of democracy, therefore, he threatened to resign his commission if the military refused to handover power to Abiola, the winner of the election.
And he did. How brave, and a rare display of courage and patriotism! Thereafter, he declared himself a 12 June fundamentalist!
He joined forces with the like of Balarabe Musa and Yohanna Madaki to form Movement for Unity and Progress (MUP). They were the northern wing of NADECO (National Democratic Coalition).
He never held back in the battle to restore democracy, suffering harassment, intimidation and loss of income in the process.
Since the birthing of civilian rule on 29th May, 1999, he has remained consistent in his advocacy for good governance.
He has never shied away from offering suggestions, at times biting criticisms against the successive civilian regime from 1999 till date.
As Umar celebrates his 75th birthday, he has lived a notable life worthy of celebration. Unfortunately, Nigerians only celebrate the dead. No one is a hero in Nigeria until he or she is dead.
But Nigerians must realise that nothing will change until we learn to celebrate the living who are progressive in their thoughts and actions, and encourage them to make more positive impact.
Hence, I doff my hat for retired Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar, a veritable soldier of democracy.
Osa, a journalist and lawyer can be reached @DirectorOsa on Twitter (now X).
