President Tinubu’s justice to General Shehu Yar’adua
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has redressed a historical injustice done to General Shehu Musa Yar’adua by upgrading an institute to a university and naming it after him. Many of us know who General Yar’adua was, but he is hardly celebrated in his state or across Nigeria for two reasons. First, there were the circumstances surrounding […]
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has redressed a historical injustice done to General Shehu Musa Yar’adua by upgrading an institute to a university and naming it after him.
Many of us know who General Yar’adua was, but he is hardly celebrated in his state or across Nigeria for two reasons. First, there were the circumstances surrounding his death in prison over an alleged coup plot during the regime of General Sani Abacha. Many Nigerians do not want to identify with anyone declared an enemy of the state. Second, Northerners hardly celebrate their heroes. Who is celebrating Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir Kashim Ibrahim, Mr. Joseph Tarka, or Chief Sunday Awoniyi today?
In his June 12, 2026, broadcast to the nation, President Tinubu announced the upgrading and renaming of the Institute of Petroleum Studies, Kaduna, to the General Shehu Musa Yar’adua University of Geological Sciences and Engineering Technology, Kaduna. Interestingly, the institute was built by General Yar’Adua’s admirer, Dr. Muttaqa Rabe Darma, the current Minister of Housing, when he served as Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTDF) under President Umaru Yar’Adua.
I was not close to General Yar’adua. In fact, I met him only once, and what he did during that meeting left a lasting impression on me. I accompanied Senator Abubakar Sadiq Yar’adua to submit a draft foreword he had requested for Abubakar’s book on the former Katsina State governor, Col. John Madaki, titled Jungle Expert, a title derived from a military honour bestowed on him.
After reading the draft, General Yar’adua requested a pen and paper, wrote an entirely new foreword, and directed us to review it and make any necessary corrections. Of course, we could not correct anything. It was reproduced in the book exactly as he wrote it. I was surprised because, like many people, I believed that a soldier should be known for strength and bravery, not intellectual prowess. Now, I know better.
My second impression of him was based on a story told to me by a professor of
Political Science at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. According to him, he returned to Zaria late one evening from Kaduna, whereupon his wife handed him an envelope left by a man who had come looking for him.
Before opening the envelope, he asked his wife who the man was. She replied, “I don’t know. He simply knocked on the door, and when I told him you were not at home, he returned to his car and came back with the envelope.”
The professor was shocked when he opened it and found a note from General Yar’adua. He was furious and asked his wife why such a prominent personality would come to their house without her making any effort to contact him.
“Who is he? I told you I didn’t know him and didn’t care to ask who he was,” she replied.
The professor immediately drove back to Kaduna and met General Yar’adua at his residence. General Yar’adua said:
“Haba, Professor! How can you drive at night with all the risks involved? Thank you for your effort. I am trying to establish an intellectual team for my campaign, and someone suggested your name. That is why I came to your house—to seek your permission before including your name.”
It was then that I understood the foundation of General Yar’adua’s intellectual prowess—he valued intellectuals and respected their profession.
My third impression of him came through my intellectual mentor, Dr. Yusuf Bala Usman. Through my association with him, I learned that there were people who were not academics but whom he held in very high regard for their intellectual capacity. They included Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and General Yar’adua.
Ironically, the first time I met Dr. Bala was also the first time I understood his regard for Chief Awolowo. I had compiled a book of quotations from his interviews, seminar papers, newspaper articles, and books. I went to his house on July 22, 1996, not far from the Zaria Post Office, but he was not at home, so I left the draft with his family.
When I returned on August 8, 1996, I found his children receiving lessons from an Islamic teacher. One of his twin sons went inside to inform him that I had arrived, but when the boy returned, his mood did not seem encouraging.
“Na shiga uku, ko?” (“Am I in trouble?”) I asked.
I was surprised when he replied confidently, “Ka shiga kawai” (“Just go in”).
When I met him, I showed him a book of quotations on the works of Chief Awolowo published by Sketch Newspaper and told him that I wanted to produce a similar book. He became furious and said:
“The hero worship we are discouraging is what you want to use against me. Do you know who Awolowo was? How can you compare me with Awolowo?”
Although he eventually granted me permission to produce the book, that is a story for another day.
As for General Yar’adua’s military career and political life, I leave those stories to people who knew him better. The little I know about his life comes from his biography published by the Shehu Yar’adua Foundation.
Allah ya gafarta masa!
Dikko lives in Abuja