Nigeria recently lost two elder statesmen whose lives had profound impact on national development. The passage of Umaru Shinkafi and Shettima Ali Monguno, is by all standards, an immense loss to the country. Both men have since been buried, according to Islamic rites.
Shinkafi, who died at the age of 79 in the United Kingdom, was an outstanding public servant and a consummate politician. He shot into national consciousness as the Director General of the defunct National Security Organisation (NSO), the forerunner of the present Directorate of State Services (DSS), from 1979 to 1983.
As the boss of NSO, his critics accused him of running a gestapo-like security organisation that undermined civil liberties. The NSO at that time was a dreaded outfit. But that, apparently, was his interpretation of what was required to secure the nation and its leadership at that point in Nigeria’s history.
Shinkafi was eventually removed from office by the military regime of Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in late 1983 when the civilian administration of Alhaji ShehuShagari was overthrown in a coup d’etat.
Undeterred by his removal, Shinkafi became a politician and made his mark. For example in 1989, he, with like-minded associates, formed the Nigerian National Congress (NNC). In 1992, he vied for the presidency on the platform of National Republican Convention (NRC). He did not realise his ambition. Nonetheless, he tried again, and became the vice presidential candidate to Dr. Olu Falae in the 1999 APP/AD alliance, which lost to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the ticket of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and AtikuAbubakar.
Shinkafi was trained as a police officer at the Nigeria Police College, Kaduna in 1959. He was also a lawyer. Among the important appointments he held was that of Federal Commissioner of Internal Affairs and Pro-Chancellor, Sokoto State University. He also conferred with the traditional title of Marafan Sokoto.
Shinkafi was a notable politician whose life should be an inspiration to the younger generation of public servants and politicians. He served his country for many years as a leading light in the national security apparatus of his time. We wish him peaceful repose.
Ali Monguno, who died in his home in Maiduguri, Borno State, on July 8, was undoubtedly one of Nigeria’s foremost administrators. He was an educationist, technocrat and philanthropist. He was 90 years. Ali-Monguno traversed many fields and excelled in all of them. His public service was full of remarkable accomplishments.
Born in Monguno village, Borno state, he attended Monguno Primary School; Teachers’ College, Bauchi; Katsina College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria and University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. He won a seat as a member of Nigeria’s parliament in 1959, and was later the education secretary and Councillor for Education, Works and Social Welfare, Borno Local Government (1959 -1965). He was also Federal Minister for Air Force and Internal Affairs, 1965 – 1966; Federal Commissioner for Trade & Industries, 1967 – 1971 and Minister, Mines and Power, Petroleum and Energy, 1972 – 1975.
One of his most remarkable achievements was his position as President of Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), a position he held from 1972 – 1973. In 1968, he was appointed the Leader of the Nigerian delegation to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), a principal organ of the UN General Assembly. He was also a member of the Nigerian delegation to the United Nations for 10 years. He will be remembered as one of the Nigerians who received keys to the cities of Louisville, Kentucky and New York, in the United States, as well as the keys to the cities of Quito, Ecuador and Lima, Peru.
His philanthropy is one of his greatest legacies. He is known to have committed his time and resources to charity through his Foundation, which focused primarily on the education of the poor, in particular the girl child. In this pursuit, he reportedly sold his house in Abuja and used the proceeds to build a female hostel at the University of Maiduguri.
As an educationist, he was Pro-Chancellor, University of Calabar, 1977 – 1980 and Pro- Chancellor, University of Nigeria, 1980 – 1984, among other eminent positions. In 1982, he was conferred with the National Honour – Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR). In the Second Republic, he was elected the Deputy National Chairman of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).
Ali-Monguno is one of the greatest public servants to have emerged from northern Nigeria. His life of service and unblemished integrity is commendable to all Nigerians. We commiserate with his family and the entire country on his demise. May his soul rest in peace, Amen.