The former Chief of Staff to Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Yar’Adua, Abdullahi Mohammed, has passed away.
Mohammed died in the early hours of Wednesday in Abuja at the age of 86.
Born in 1939 in Ilorin, Kwara State, Mohammed began his military journey at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, United Kingdom, and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1958.
He rose steadily through the ranks, serving as Director of Military Intelligence, and played a significant role in the 1975 coup that removed Yakubu Gowon, leading to Murtala Mohammed’s rise to power.
Following the coup, he was appointed Governor of Benue-Plateau State from July 1975 to March 1976.
During Obasanjo’s military regime, Mohammed served as Director-General of the National Security Organisation (NSO), the precursor to the Department of State Services (DSS), a role he held until 1979.
After retiring from the military, he moved into the private sector as Managing Director of Atoto Press Limited, a notable printing company in Ilorin.
In 1998, Mohammed returned to public service as National Security Adviser (NSA) to Abdulsalami Abubakar, holding the position until Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
With the start of the Fourth Republic, he was appointed Chief of Staff to President Obasanjo and continued in the role under President Yar’Adua until his resignation in June 2008.
The Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) described his death as a monumental loss to both the emirate and the nation.
In a condolence message, the union said the passing of the elder statesman was “even more painful at this critical time when the nation needs the wisdom of tested patriots to navigate its challenges.”
The IEDPU also commended Mohammed’s trailblazing achievements, noting that he was the first son of Ilorin to serve as a state governor and the first to attain the rank of a two-star general in the Nigerian Armed Forces.
“General Mohammed played critical roles in Nigeria’s history. He was a patriot who fought to keep the country united and later served as National Security Adviser and the first and longest-serving Chief of Staff to the President,” the statement reads.