Abdullahi Mohammed, ex-chief of staff to Obasanjo, dies at 86

Abdullahi Mohammed, former chief of staff to Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Yar’Adua, is dead.

Mohammed died in the early hours of Wednesday in Abuja. He was 86.

Born in 1939 in Ilorin, Kwara state, Mohammed began his military career at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in the UK and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1958.

He quickly progressed through the ranks, becoming the director of military intelligence; and played a pivotal role in the 1975 coup that ousted Yakubu Gowon, paving the way for Murtala Mohammed’s leadership.

Following this historic change, he served as the governor of Benue-Plateau state from July 1975 until March 1976.

During Olusegun Obasanjo’s military regime, he took on the role of director-general of the National Security Organisation (NSO), the forerunner of today’s Department of State Services (DSS), a position he held until 1979.

After retiring, Mohammed transitioned into the private sector, becoming the managing director of Atoto Press Limited, a prominent printing company in Ilorin.

In 1998, he returned to public service as the national security adviser (NSA) to Abdulsalami Abubakar, which he held until Nigeria’s shift to civilian rule in 1999.

With the commencement of the fourth republic, he was appointed chief of staff to Obasanjo, continuing in this role under President Umaru Yar’Adua, until his resignation in June 2008.

The Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) has described the death of the retired general as a monumental loss to the emirate and Nigeria at large.

In a condolence statement, the IEDPU said the death of the elder statesman was “even more painful at this critical time when the nation needs the wisdom of tested patriots to navigate its challenges”.

The union praised Mohammed for his pioneering roles, noting that he was the first son of Ilorin to serve as a state governor and the first to attain the rank of a two-star general in the nation’s armed forces.

“General Mohammed played critical roles in Nigeria’s history. He was a patriot who fought to keep the country united and later served as National Security Adviser and the first and longest-serving Chief of Staff to the President,” the statement reads.