Forever on the Move
By Mikail Mumuni
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Abdulsalami Abubakar, Nigeria last military head of state, spends more time abroad than in Nigeria
General Abdulsalami Abubakar, retired, is General Ibrahim Babangida's neighbour on the exclusive Minna hilltop residential area. But he is not as accessible as the gap-toothed former military president. Folks in Minna said security is too tight at his residence and this was confirmed by Newswatch during a visit. The reporter was asked to go to Abubabar's office in another part of the city and book an appointment if he wanted to meet him. The office is located on Bosso Road.
Though he is apolitical, many indigenes of the state crave Abubakar's goodwill to attain high offices. "You cannot be anything in Niger State today without the blessing of the two generals," pointed out the chairman of a local government caretaker committee in the state who pleaded not to be identified in print.
While Abubakar was said to have assisted a few individuals to secure political appointments, he has been less forthcoming with respect to those seeking contracts. That however has not deterred some smart alecs with fraudulent intent.
Newswatch was told of the daughter of a prominent Kaduna-based First Republic female politician whose request to be given a letter of introduction for contracts was turned down by Abubakar. "The lady simply reprinted the letter headed paper of the general, wrote an introduction letter herself and forged his signature on the original letter and used it to secure a contract of about 28 million Naira from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation," disclosed a Minna based journalist who is familiar with the matter. She said the cat was let out of the bag when a top official of NNPC phoned the former president to inform him that the request had been granted. An alarmed Abubakar was said to have reported the matter to the police and the lady was promptly arrested. That explains how much respect the former Nigerian leader commands.
Abubakar does not spend much time in Minna. He is always on the move, travelling from one country to the other as an envoy of the United Nations. "He hardly spends one week at a stretch in Minna. He is most of the time out of the country on peace missions as a UN representative to some troubled spots in Africa," a source told Newswatch.
The former head of state is however a major employer of labour in the state and has invested heavily in farming, pharmaceuticals, bottled water production and a plastic company. He also has a school built for normadic Fulani cattle rearers.
His expansive Maizube Farms is located on the Bida-Minna Road and is involved in diverse projects such as cattle rearing, fish farming, planting of fruits and bee-keeping. The farm which is run by Israeli experts also produces yogurt, fresh milk, fruit juices and it also organises workshops for people wishing to go into farming.
The walls of the farm's conference centre are adorned with pictures Abubakar took with world leaders while he was in office as Nigeria's head of state between June 8,1998 and May 29,1999. The normadic school is located near the farm and at the other part of the outskirt of Minna city on Zungeru road is Maizube Bottled Water company. But Imrat Plastic Company, also owned by Abubakar has since been shut down by the general. A source said he did that following the mismanagement of the company's finances by some management staff.
Whenever he is in town, Abubakar could be found at his farm where he has a swimming pool or in his office. A source, however, said Abubakar's disposition of not mixing with the populace is not on account of arrogance or contempt for the people. "He has been a private person right from his youth," a source said.
He said Abubakar went into the army purely to pursue a military career and recalled that he had to be prevailed upon to become head of state, following the vacuum left by General Sani Abacha who died in office. "You could see that he ran a very short administration because he believes that the place of the military is in the barracks, not in government house," the source added.
It was not possible to speak with Abubakar when Newswatch visited Minna last week. He was said to be away in Kano on Monday when the magazine called at his office.
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