On Sunday, December 9th 2012, Retired Lieutenant-General Theophilus
Yakubu Danjuma,
Nigeria’s former Chief of Army Staff from 1975 to 1979 and Defence
Minister from 1999 to 2003 will turn 75 years old.
After traversing the murky waters of the Nigerian military, politics and
business world, retired General Danjuma like every human being will certainly
have touched so many lives by given them hope and succour.
As we celebrate T.Y. at 75, I feel blessed to have known such a man
whose life style convince me that there is abundance of good among Nigerians in
a world where turmoil dominates our daily news and words of discouragement
often prevail.
In these days of corporate scandals and ethical breaches, I feel blessed
to have also known a leader, heads of business, and a supervisor, T.Y, whose
life is filled with integrity and moral fortitude.
In a time when echoes of crime, war, natural disasters, and disease are
common in our country, Nigeria, I feel blessed to have known a man, who is a
law enforcer, a military strategist, and a man who sacrificed much and whose
intentions are honourable.
General Danjuma’s true spirit of leadership is what has marked him out
for this piece. There are so many people in Nigeria today, who confuse the
position of leadership with the disposition of true leadership. My experience
in life has shown me that no matter what position one may be given; status in
an organisation does not automatically create leadership. Genuine leadership is
one’s internal disposition, which relates to a sense of purpose, self-worth,
and self-concept.
The remarkable difference between General Danjuma, and his former
military contemporaries still alive, is simple and clear. While his former
military colleagues believe that the title makes the leader, thus using such a
position to manipulate the emotions of others, play on their fears and needs.
T.Y. believes that true leadership is a product of inspiration, not
manipulations.
General Danjuma would always say, “what you believe about yourself
creates your world. No human can live beyond the limits of his or her beliefs.
In essence, you are what you believe. Your beliefs are a product of your
thoughts, your thoughts create your beliefs, your beliefs create your
convictions, your convictions create your attitude, your attitude controls your
perception and your perception dictates your behaviour. The result is that your
life is what you think it should be.”
Before the general election which brought ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo
to office on May 29, 1999, General Danjuma led the business community in the
country in mobilising huge financial, material and human resources for the
former president to prosecute the election, this hope he has long realised was
misplaced.
When it became clear that Chief Obasanjo in 2006 wanted a tenure
elongation, T.Y. was one of the very few Nigerians who kicked against the
project, even at the risk of being crippled economically.
The history of the Nigeria army would not be complete without the active
role played by General Danjuma. This played out during the Nigerian Civil War
when as one of the field commanders in Enugu, then an army officer, he held the
view that a properly trained and fairly treated Nigerian army could be the
finest in the world.
Danjuma's career in the military between 1966-1979, saw him play major
roles in the military rise to power but also witnessing a discordant tone in
the army and within the nation especially during events preceding the civil war
in 1967. Danjuma saw himself after the Nigerian civil war in the middle of a
national debate about the role of the military in governance and the return to
civil rule.
On July 29, 1966, Danjuma led a band of soldiers from the 4th battalion
in Mokola area of Ibadan to carry out the house arrest of both General Aguiyi
Ironsi and the then Western Regional Military Governor, Adekunle Fajuyi, while
the former was visiting the region. Danjuma's grouse with Ironsi was the
concern that the army dissidents or the January 1966 rebels being held in
prison were not facing trial and his perceived view that Ironsi was part of the
January, 1966 coup.
Prior to the commencement of the civil war when Igbos led by Ojukwu
declared Nigeria unsafe for them, Danjuma was on course in Britain along with
then Major Emmanuel Abisoye. He was immediately recalled and posted to Enugu.
During the Nigerian Civil War, he was a General Staff Officer in the First
Division and was involved in the capture of Enugu where fighting started from
Nsukka.
In 1970, Danjuma attended the International Court Martial in Trinidad
and Tobago as Nigeria's representative, when he was appointed President of the
Tribunal in a case brought against members of a failed coup attempt in Trinidad
and Tobago. Following his promotion to Colonel in 1971 he spent two years with
responsibility for court-martialling Army officers proven guilty of corruption
and indiscipline. In 1975, he was promoted to Brigadier and the position of
General Officer Commanding (GOC) and in the following year he became the Chief
of Army Staff to the Head of State, Olusegun Obasanjo. He played a prominent
role in supporting Obasanjo’s resistance of the Colonel Buka Suka Dimka’s Coup
in 1976.
After the end of the Nigerian civil war, there were growing debates
among the army ranks about the role and nature of military governance in the
county. While some military governors were interested in seeing an elongation
of military government, others were reluctant to suggest a prolongation of
military rule or civilian rule under a retired general Yakubu Gowon. By 1974,
Danjuma professed a desire to see the military return to the barracks as a way
to protect the reputation of the institution.
In 1975, he became the Chief of Staff (army) and later that year; his
support would prove crucial to the removal of General Gowon in a coup plot led
by middle ranking soldiers and divisional commanders such as Joseph Navil
Garba, Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, Abdullahi Mohammed and Ibrahim Taiwo. The new
regime led by Murtala Mohammed introduced a right to veto government programs
by the then Supreme Military Council and gave the council decision making
powers on broad government programmes.
The new council included new entrants like the aforementioned plotters
and other officers such as Ibrahim Babangida, Muhammadu Buhari and Alfred
Aduloju. Danjuma along with Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo became the
key decision makers of the military government with Danjuma largely in control
of the army. Although the new government had made steps to acquiesce themselves
with the people, the old regime was already witnessing eroding support from the
people. General T.Y. Danjuma retired from the Nigerian army in 1979.
Army reorganization
On return to civil rule in October, 1979, the new administration carried
out some far reaching decisions to gain support from the populace. Such
measures include administrative and military purges and the re-organisation of
the army. The re-organization of the army led to a proposed demobilisation
exercise affecting soldiers, many of whom were recruited during the civil war
without adequate training but had field and combat experience. The
re-structuring also emphasized the need to have all soldiers in the barracks by
1979 and to retrain army personnel.
Early life
Retired General T.Y. Danjuma was born in Takum, Wukari Division in
present day Taraba State, North-Eastern Nigeria. His place of birth is close to
the Cameroonian border. His father was known as Kuru Danjuma who witnessed the
spill over of World War 1 into his Jukun town, at the time, Cameroon was still
controlled by Germany. Danjuma's mother was known as Rufkatu Asibi.
The young Danjuma had his early education at Takum Elementary School,
Katsina-Ala Provincial School before entering the Nigerian College of Arts,
Science and Technology. At Zaria, he joined the Cadet Corps and was enthralled
by the army mufti and atmosphere. Though, his original intention was to pursue
an academic and teaching career before finally choosing to take the cadet
officers' course in 1959 and joined the army in 1960 as an officer cadet. He
subsequently enrolled in the Nigerian Military Training College, Kaduna and
received his commission into the Nigerian army in March 1961; he was later
commissioned as a commanding officer of a platoon in Congo.
Military career
In the early to mid 1960s, Danjuma attended various military courses
including stays at Wales, Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot, and Fort Bragg.
He was also involved in the Congo conflict as a company leader and on duty in
Tanzania. He became a Captain in 1963.
Business career
Since retiring from the Nigerian Army, General Danjuma has shown
interest in a number of businesses and has made huge success of them. He was a
former Chairman of South Atlantic Petroleum and formed the Nigerian America
Line in 1979.
General Danjuma owns various interests in the shipping sector where he
founded Comet Shipping and the Nigerian American line. He has also chaired the
board of Chagoury and Chagoury Construction, former Universal Trust Bank and
was a former board member of S.C.O.A. Nigeria. General Danjuma was at various
times on the board in the following firms: MED Africa Group, First Universal,
Nigerian American Ltd, Sahel Publishing Company, Tati Hotels, Jos, Continental
Re-Insurance, Guinness Nigeria, Elf Oil, Nigeria Eagle Flour Mills, Eastern
Bulchem, Ideal Flour Mills, Pan Ocean oil and Michelin Motor Tyre Services.
Politics
Since 1999, Danjuma has played active roles in Nigerian politics, some
of his key appointments include: Minister of Defence in 1999; Chairperson for
investigative committee on the Warri conflict in 2003; Chairman of the Presidential
Advisory Council in 2010.
T.Y. Danjuma Foundation:
In December 2008, the T.Y. Danjuma Foundation was created in Nigeria
with the principal aims among other things to provide durable advantages
through the implementation of development programs. The Foundation today
operates more as a philanthropic organisation. This has enabled the foundation
to seek out other deserving causes and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to
partner with and make grants available.
The TY Danjuma Foundation is also doing its best in the area of
alleviating poverty in communities by providing basic amenities, education for
children and young adults while also providing free medical care for indigent
people. Presently about 500,000 United States dollars have been given out as
grants to NGOs working to relieve people suffering in Danjuma’s home state of
Taraba. The State is historically one of Nigeria's most impoverished states,
compounded by the absence of a health service which catered for the masses.
Furthermore, the state has the highest cases of river blindness and other
illnesses in the country.
One of the many NGOs which is being supported by the Foundation is CASVI
working in Takum, Wukari and Donga. CASVI's main area of expertise is the
provision of free eye care services such as the treatment of river blindness in
Wukari, Ibi and Donga.
As you celebrate yet another year of productive service to humanity, let
me join your brother and friend, Alabo Tonye Graham-Dogulas in wishing you a
happy birthday. The people’s General!!!
Mr. Omonhinmin is a Lagos based Media Consultant.
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