A country that is bleeding – Part 2

Continued from yesterday
In 1997, General Bashir Magashi was appointed a member of the Provisional Ruling Council headed by General Sani Abacha, GCFR. It was the Council that was to decide on the fate of General Oladipo Diya, Major General Tajudeeen Olanrewaju alias Jasper, Major General Abdulkareem Adisa, Major Seun Fadipe, Colonel Olu Akiode and others. The 22 members of the Provisional Ruling Council included General Sani Abacha, Lt. General Jeremiah Useni, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie, Inspector General of Police, Major General John Inienger, Major General Abduallahi Sarki Mukthar, Major General Mufu Balogun, Rear Admiral Taiwo Odedina, Major General Victor Malu, Rear Admiral Rufus Eyitayo, Commodore Victor Ombu, Lt. Gen. B. Haladu, Air Commodore Kamis Uwenwailiri, Major General Felix Mujaperuo, Major General Ishaya Bamaiyi, Major General Peter Shaa, Rear Admiral Mike Akhigbe, Commodore Anthony Oguguo, Major General Bashir Magashi and the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Abdusalami Abubakar. The Provisional Ruling Council was scheduled to meet on June 8, 1998 but it could not because of General Sani Abacha’s death on that day. If you read the book “The Vindication of a General” by General Ishaya Bamaiyi, you will be better informed on who Major General Magashi is.

After General Sani Abacha’s death in 1998, he was appointed as a member of the Provisional Ruling Council headed by General Abdulsalam Abubakar, GCFR. It was this council that handed power to President Olusegun Obasanjo on May 29, 1999. Other members of the Provisional Ruling Council at that time were Musiliu Smith (Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zonal Headquarters, Kano, Group Captain Ikechukwu Nnamani, Commodore Emmanuel Acholonu, Rear-Admiral Victor Ombu, Major-General Idris Garba, Major General Yunana Nom, Air Vice-Marshall Mohammed Ndatsu Umaru, Air Vice-Marshal Emmanuel Edem, Air Vice-Marshal Isaac Mohammed Alfa, Rear-Admiral Peter Ebhaleme, Rear-Admiral Taiwo Odedina, Rear-Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi, Major-General Samuel Victor Leo Malu, Major-General Oladayo Popoola, Major-General Ekpo Archibong, Major-General Peter Gyang Sha, Major-General Abdullahi Sarki Muktar, Air Vice-Marshal Idi Musa, Major-General Suleiman Said, Major-General Bashir Salihi Magashi, Major-General John Mark Inienger, Major-General Godwin Abbe, Lt-General Rufus Kupolati, Ibrahim Coomasie, Air Marshal Nsikak Eduok, Vice-Admiral Jubril Ayinla, Lt-General Ishaya Rizi Bamaiyi, Air Marshal Al-Amin Daggash, Vice-Admiral Okhai Mike Akhigbe and General Abdusalam Abubakar.

On his assumption of power on May 29, 1999, President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, later retired 93 military officers who had earlier served in various political positions during the military era. General Magashi was one of them. The others are Major-Generals Leo Ajiborisha, Samud Omlago Ango, Patrick. Aziza, ldris Garba, Joshua Madaki, Bashir Salihi Magashi, Abdul-One Mohammed, Garba Ali Mohammed, Abdullahi Sarki Mukhtar, Brigadier Generals Yusuf Abubakar, Sule Ahman, Ibrahim Aliyu, Bassey Asuquo, Ernest Attah, Salihu Tunde Bello, Samai!a Bature Chamah, Cletus Komena Emein, Lawal Ja’afaru Isah, Aliyu Kama, Fidelis Makka, Mohammed Buba Marwa, Yakubu Mu’azu, Dominic Oneya, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, John Yeri, Colonels Bzigu Afakirya, Usman Ahmed, Daniel Akintonde, Hameed Ali, Anthony Amebo, Theophilus Bamigboye, John Dungs, Moses Fasanya, Dauda Musa Komo, Aminu Konragora, Mohammed Mana, Musa Mohammed, Anthony Obi, Peter Ogar, Aina Joseph Owoniyi, Habibu Idris Shuaibu, Musa Shehu, Ahmed Usman, Jibril Bala Yakubu, Tanko Zubairu, Lt-Colonels Joseph Akaagerger, Mohammed Bawa, Ahmadu Garba Hussaini, Abubakar Maimalari, Bawa Mande, Rear-Admiral Afolabi Afolahan, Oladehinde Joseph, Sunday Olukoya, Adetoye Sode, Commodore Emmanuel Acholonu, James Aneke, Temi Ejoor, Amadi Ikwechegh, Anthony Oguguo, Kayode Olofinmoyin, Navy Captains Adedurotimi Adeusi, Adewunmi Agbaje, Walter Feghabo, Joe Kalu-Igboamah, Omoniyi Olubolade, Anthony Onyearugbulem, Christopher Osondu, Rasheed Raji, Anthony Udofia, Atanda Yusuf, Air Vice Marshals Gregory Agboneni and Frank Ajobena, Air Commodore Ibrahim Dada, Peter Gana, Baba Iyam, Ibrahim Kefas, Ndong Essiet Nkanga, Abubakar Salihu, Group Captains John Ebiye, Sam Ewang, Rufai Garba, Lawal Haruna, John Ben-Kalio, Joe Orji, Wing Commander Adamu Mshelia and EU Ukaegbu, Assistant Inspector General of Police Dabo Aliyu, Simeon Oduoye, Amen Oyakhire and Commissioner of Police Mustapha Ismail.

After retirement, General Magashi vied to be Governor of Kano state under Democratic People’s Party (DPP) and later became the National Chairman of the Party. Along with President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, he became a member of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and in 2007, he was the Kano’s state governorship candidate of DPP. Major General Bashir Magashi is representing Kano state in the Federal Executive Council and at present Kano state has two ministers of full cabinet rank including Alhaji Sabo Nanono, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Unlike states like Ondo and Kogi states, who for the two terms of President Muhammadu Buhari are compensated with just Ministers of State. Leadership is a lonely job. Very lonely indeed. The success and failure of a leader is always judged by actions taken or actions not taken.

But a leader can only take an action based on information available to him. Sometimes friends and aides can misled a leader, because most of the time most leaders are imprisoned by those close around them. General Magashi is not just a Minister; he is a man who has been in power and government for years. He knows the mechanics and rudiments of power structure. For him to say that “Nigeria is bleeding”, we have to take him seriously.

I am told General Magashi is extremely close to his boss and friend, President Muhammadu Buhari. He should tell President Buhari not to allow Nigeria to bleed to death, the consequences of which will be too grave to imagine.

Concluded.

Teniola, a former Director at the Presidency, wrote from Lagos.