Major-General Paul Chabri Tarfa (rtd): A tribute at 80

By the grace of God, General Paul Chabri Tarfa, one of Nigeria’s senior and finest Generals, who was among the oldest Generals who fought for the unity of this country during the Nigerian Civil War, has attained the noble age of 80 today. General PC Tarfa, as is popularly known, was born on August 6, […]

By the grace of God, General Paul Chabri Tarfa, one of Nigeria’s senior and finest Generals, who was among the oldest Generals who fought for the unity of this country during the Nigerian Civil War, has attained the noble age of 80 today.

General PC Tarfa, as is popularly known, was born on August 6, 1941 in Garkida, Adamawa State. He joined the Nigerian Army in April 1962 and had his initial military training at the Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC), now (Infantry Centre and School) Jaji, Kaduna and later, he was selected for Regular cadet training at the Royal Canadian School of Infantry. He was commissioned into the Nigerian Officers Corps as an Infantry Officer. General Tarfa is an accomplished military officer known for hard work, loyalty and dedication to duty.

During his military career, spanning 26 years, he held numerous staff and command positions too numerous to detail here. General Tarfa also held political appointments at the national level, notable among such positions were Provost Marshall, Nigerian Army from July 1975 to February 1976. In the same period, General Tarfa was given the almost impossible task of reducing traffic congestion in Lagos during the Murtala/Obasanjo regime, an assignment he accomplished creditably well. Perhaps, this was why in July 1978, he was appointed Military Governor of old Oyo State, a position he also held with distinction. In 1984, General Tarfa was appointed Commandant of the prestigious Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), a position he held up to 1988. It was during his tenure as the Commandant, the degree programme in the Academy was introduced and actualised. He saw and prepared the passing out of the first set of degree-awarding cadets of the Academy, which he witnessed, unfortunately, as a retired General.

After a meritorious and distinguished career in the Army, General Tarfa retired in January 1988. Immediately after his retirement, he was appointed as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railways Corporation, a herculean task he handled successfully and effectively. During the regime of General Sani Abacha, General Tarfa was invited to head a Panel that reorganised and reformed the activities of the Nigeria Customs Service, which he handled very successfully.

Still willing to serve his fatherland, the Buhari Administration appointed him Chairman of the North East Development Commission, a position he currently holds. General PC Tarfa has had an accomplished military career. He is a silent achiever who is highly respected by all who know him, because of his integrity, humility and candour. He was unquestionably hardworking and loyal throughout his military service years. .

Late in 1979, I was posted as a Battalion Commander under his command, when he was the Commander of 3 Brigade, Bukavu Barracks, Kano. He supported my command in rehabilitating the Janguza Barracks where the Infantry Battalion had a permanent base. He saw to the training of the troops, which were used in quelling the Maitatsine uprising in Kano in December of 1980. After our service in Kano, we were both posted to different units based in Kaduna and occupied neighbourhood quarters along Wurno Road. We became family friends and that bond, still exists with our children being very close friends of each other.

General Tarfa was blessed with a wonderful wife Deborah of blessed memory. Deborah left us at a remarkable age as a result of a ghastly motor accident along Zaria-Kaduna road, near Jaji.  It was a very sad and terrible accident for our families and other families who knew Mrs Tarfa. If you want to know how a humble family lives, go close to the Tarfa family. I had the privilege of experiencing that by living close to that humble and decent family when my family lived as a next door neighbour to the Tarfas. May Allah bless General Tarfa at 80 and his dear family. Congratulations, Sir.

 

Brigadier General Haliru Akilu (rtd)