AVM Hamza Abdullahi (1945-2019)

On Wednesday, January 2, 2019, Hadejia Emirate Council, announced the death of Air Vice Marshall Hamza Abdullahi, who died in a German hospital after a brief illness. Born in Hadejia, Jigawa State, Abdullahi attended the Nigeria Air Force Tactical Training Wing, Kaduna in 1964. He completed the Aircraft Technical Officer’s Course in West Germany (1964–1966), […]

On Wednesday, January 2, 2019, Hadejia Emirate Council, announced the death of Air Vice Marshall Hamza Abdullahi, who died in a German hospital after a brief illness.

Born in Hadejia, Jigawa State, Abdullahi attended the Nigeria Air Force Tactical Training Wing, Kaduna in 1964. He completed the Aircraft Technical Officer’s Course in West Germany (1964–1966), and studied at the Royal Military Training Centre in Chichester, England in 1974. In July 1975, Lt. Colonel Abdullahi was air provost marshal.

AVM Abdullahi held several positions in the Nigerian Air Force, and he was appointed the Governor of Kano State in January 1984; Minister of Works, then that of Federal Capital Territory from 1985 to 1989.

Abdullahi oversaw the construction of Abuja – Kaduna – Kano dual carriage road, Phase 1 of Abuja among others. He was promoted Air Vice Marshal in October 1988 and retired from the Nigerian Air Force two months later.

He died at the age of 73. The remains of late Abdullahi was flown in to Malam Aminu Kano International Airport from Germany on Friday, January 4, and was received by the Governor of Kano, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the Emir of Hadejia, HRH. Alhaji Adamu Abubakar Maje, among other top government officials. The body was then conveyed to the Emir’s Palace in Kano where the funeral prayer took place around 10pm. He was buried at Tarauni cemetery.

In what appeared to be a combination of immense respect and rare display of humility, the Emir of Hadejia, HRH Adamu Abubakar Maje was at the grave working until the end of the burial rites.

The Emir suspended his palace activities in Hadejia for several days to receive condolences at the Hotoro residence of the deceased in Kano. It is little wonder, as the Emir described late AVM as no less a personality than a father to him.

“Late AVM Hamza Abdullahi, was a father to me and I grew up to see him together with my father. They were neighbours and very close friends even though my father was older than him. He was very instrumental to the emergence of my father as the Emir when he was Governor of Kano state. It was indeed a great honour for the family and we held him dearer to our hearts.

The emir said, Abdullahi had played the same fatherly role as he prevailed on Governor Saminu Turaki to ensure that he (the emir) ascended the throne.

“I would never forget his contributions. We would continue with the good relationship with his family, we would take care of them as he took care of us,” the emir has said.

He described Abdullahi as someone who loved humanity, loved education, both Islamic and western. He built Islamic schools and a Juma’at Mosque in Hadejia. “About one-and-a-half-years ago, he disclosed his intention to reconstruct the Hadejia Central Juma’at Mosque, he already started moulding blocks, but Allah took him before he realized his mission.”

President Muhammadu Buhari expressed his profound grief and sorrow over the death of Hamza Abdullahi, saying “he would be missed by his family and the nation for a long time”.

The President stated this in a condolence message, signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, and delivered by a Federal Government delegation led by the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari in Kano.

Shehu said the president observed that the deceased’s services to the military, the FCT, the old Kano State and the nation as a whole would be long remembered.

Governor Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State, during his condolence visit, described the demise of AVM Hamza Abdullahi as “a terrible loss to the people of Jigawa State and indeed the people of Nigeria.

“He has been a pillar of development, especially to those of us that are in leadership. He was a father to us, he advised us, counselled us on how best to serve people and his hands were always open to welcome us and advise us. It’s a terrible loss!

“The likes of AVM Hamza are always there for the people, they think about the people daily, they think about how to develop human beings, how to make their citizens happy. I mean, their lives are all about service to humanity,” the governor said.

Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, described the demise of AVM Hamza Abdullahi as a great loss.

“The real meaning of a loss is that you are deprived of somebody who had been very relevant and important in your life, the life of his family, the life if his community, amongst his friends and indeed the life of the nation, Nigeria.

“AVM Hamza Abdullahi was a straight forward man, a man of himself but definitely a man who took care of everybody who came across him. As a public servant, rising through the ranks to reach the enviable position of Air Vice Marshall in the Nigerian Air Force, Hamza Abdullahi was a name in his own profession. He was picked up because of his rare quality of leadership, to enjoy appointments during so many military regimes.

“As minister of works and later FCT, building the FCT was solely the work of AVM Hamza Abdullahi. He had the confidence of the Commander in Chief, President Ibrahim Babangida, and was allowed to do everything that could give us a befitting capital.He did a lot of things, and was a man of standard, a man of taste. Whatever he did will stand the test of time,” he said.

Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Muhammad Yahuza Bello described AVM Abdullahi as an administrator per excellence, a man of the people, who did a lot when he was the governor of Kano State and his contributions were general in different sectors including education.

In his tribute, a colleague and friend for over 50 years, General Halliru Akilu, said “AVM Hamza Abdullahi needs someone to go into his history, make a research and write a book now that he is no longer here.

He was one of those who believed whatever they are doing, they are doing it for the sake of Allah, for the nation and for humanity.

“Wherever he was posted to, Hamza left his excellent marks. I tell you excellent marks, up to the time he became Air Officer Commander of the Training Wing, Kaduna. Some of his students will testify to his commitment and excellence in whatever he was assigned to do. That’s professional as a Military officer.”

General Akilu said AVM Hamza was a man of commitment who worked to promote the welfare of the people.

“If you go to the ministry of works, find out what AVM Hamza has done to the education sector of Kano state. . The schools were well supervised, well equipped, well funded. Go to any other sector, health, agric, name them, you would find great achievements that can only be quantified by someone who conducts a research on the life of late AVM Hamza.
Akilu said at Federal level, it was Hamza who resuscitated the idea of Abuja-Kaduna-Kano dual carriage road which was neglected for long, and the project was done within a record time.

He oversaw the building of Maitama, Asokoro and Jabi Districs. Equally, Aso Rock Villa was the idea of Hamza Abdullahi, the military barracks built by the Babangida administration was one of the ideas of AVM Hamza. And they are world standard barracks.

Alhaji Musa Gwadabe, a one time Minister of Labour and Productivity, described AVM Hamza as an honest, kind and patient man. “A person you would never see in any kind of controversy. He was trustworthy and worked diligently in wherever he was posted for the upliftment of the people. He held a lot of responsibilities and you would never find him wanting in anything he did and he was never accused of mismanagement,” he said

On the part of his family, his eldest son, Ibrahim Hamza Abdullahi, described his father as a strict but really loving, caring and compassionate man.

“My father was a very rigid man, a very strict man, but a very loving man, a very compassionate man. He did the right thing and he was a very fair person. He was a very loving father, he was my best friend and my memories of him as a young boy are too many, I was always with him,” he said

He added that life without his father would be very hard but his father was the smartest man he has known, “Because he has prepared us all in a humble way, and he has prepared us all in different ways and he has given us all that we needed for life without him on this earth. I trust that he has done a lot with the wisdom, the intellect, the knowledge that he had to prepare us and he didn’t leave anything to chance.”

His best legacy, according to Ibrahim, was honesty, which was his greatest quality. “And I think that honesty came with that strength and discipline. That honesty, the strength and the discipline are all interlinked,” Ibrahim said.

Alhaji Ibrahim Ismail, who served as Commissioner for Internal Affairs and then Education, during Hamza’s administration in Kano State, said: “ I believe the then military administration found him roundly befitting, trusted with the task of being the military governor of Kano state.

He was a very thoughtful person, and he brought with him good sense of professionalism and that was what guided his conduct in office and he came to government as a very honest, decent person and he recognized talent, he tapped on talent. And he was sophisticated in his life style. He was somebody who has loyalty to service, and he was thorough and highly energetic.

His first ADC was Air Vice-Marshal Nashehu Hassan Abubakar. He said late AVM had so many qualities that one could not briefly describe. “I understood late AVM Hamza to be a man of impeccable character. He has been very hard working that I really found it very difficult to cope up. But eventually when I understood him, and then I understood his methodologies of work I worked with him successfully.

“The best lessons I have learned from him are objectivity, forthrightness, discipline and hard work. I could remember he made us to open the old documents of former Kano state Governor, Alhaji Audu Bako( may his soul rest in peace), he dusted that book and made use of a lot of important elements of national development from there. Audu Bako’s name kept on recurring in his mouth. He really appreciated that booklet.

“And last and foremost is that, most of the good qualities I imbibed from him, I applied them in my own career and I made a successful career. He left as AVM and by the Grace of Allah I also rose to the rank of AVM till I retired. He was actually my mentor. What I learned from him carried me into my career successfully,” he said.

Abdullahi was described as a very religious man, a man of deepest commitment to service and loyalty, a statesman who fought for the unity of the country, a man of integrity and honesty, a man of discipline, humility and humanity.

A straightforward man, a man of decency and impeccable character. He was loving, caring and compassionate, a father, a friend, a philanthropist and an organizer.

He was survived by three wives; Hajiya Amina, Hajiya Halima and Hajiya Maryam, 17 children; seven males and 10 females., and his aged mother, brothers and sisters. May Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Jannatul Firdausi.