Dambazau’s Ministerial Nomination In Perspective
The recent Ministerial nomination of retired Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Dambazau (CFR) by President Muhammadu Buhari does not occur as a fluke, but a product of diligence, commitment, dedication to nation building and above all, a product of firm and abiding faith in God. Apart from being the former Chief of Army Staff, it is also an incontestable fact that the General is the first Nigerian Army Chief to acquire Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) in the country; a prove of what an anonymous philosopher mean when he said: “The expectations of life depends upon diligence”.
However, just as a writer once said: “Greatness is a journey; it begins with the impossible and turns in to unforgettable… Greatness is not given rather it is earned. The journey of General Dambazau to greatness is not something that was wished in to being; rather, it took some processes, which employed commitment, industry, loyalty, and perseverance before the improbable vision of yesterday was turned in to the reality of today.
Born on March 14, 1954, General AB Dambazau began his military career at the Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA) after successfully completing his secondary education at the famous Barewa College, Zaria in 1974. At NDA, he was a member of the 17 Regular Combatant Course and was later commissioned as the second Lieutenant in to the Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army in June 1977. In 1979, General Dambazau attended the United States Army Military Police School in Fort McClellan, Alabama. Having seen that versatility is the key to overcoming the challenges posed by the realities of the 21th Century, in 1980, General Dambazau went to Kent State University in Ohio United States where graduated with Bachelor of Science Degree (Bsc) in Criminal Justice. After completing his Master of Arts (MA) in International Relations as well as Master of Education (MEd) in Higher Educational Administration in 1989, he went to the University of Keele in the United Kingdom to acquire his Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) in Criminology from the renowned Institute.
Having served as a Military Officer, Aid De Camp (ADC) to a former Chief of Army Staff in 1979 and having also commanded the Military Police Units as well as Special Investigator at the Special Investigation Bureau of NACMP from 1984 to 1985, he was appointed as the Registrar (Academic Branch) of the Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA) from 1993 to 1999. Thereafter, he served as Chief Instructor, Support Weapon Wing of the Infant Centre and School from 1999 to 2001. Later, he served as Directing Staff and Director, Higher Military Organization and Operations at the National War College now known as the National Defense College from 2004 to 2006. He once served as the General Officer Commanding 2nd Division Ibadan from 2007 to 2008. Having distinguished himself in various task handed down to him, in August 2008, he was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff; a position he held until his retirement in September 2010.
Worthy of note is the fact that Dr. AB Dambazau was once a part-time Lecturer (Gratis) where he taught his students Criminology at the Faculty of Law, Ahmadu Bellow University (ABU) Zaria. Outside the military, Dr. Dambazau is also an erudite scholar and author of five widely read books as well as several academic articles in notable journals.
As a technocrat, he is a member of several international professional organizations such as the World Society of Criminology, World Society of Victimology, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, American Society of Criminology, British Society of Criminology, International Police Executive Symposium and Fellow, Institute of Public Relations.
He is also the founder and Chairman Board of Trustees, Foundation for Victims of Child Abuse (VCAF) which is dedicated to the victims of child abuse in Nigeria. In recognition of his several services to the nation at various levels, the Federal Government of Nigeria honored him with a national honor of the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) and the National Productivity Order of Merit Award.
Upon retirement from active service in 2010, General Dambazau veered in to politics to contribute his own quote to the nation’s political development; an adventure that made the then Presidential Candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) and the current leader of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) to appoint him as Chairman, Security Committee in the 2011 Presidential Campaign Council. It was because of the satisfactory services rendered that PMB once again appointed him as the Director of Intelligence and Security during the just concluded 2015 Presidential Election, a feat that has since paid off as the former opposition party in the country is now the ruling party in Nigeria.
Nevertheless, before his current ministerial nomination, Dr. AB Dambazau was a Senior Visiting Fellow of the Centre for Peace, Democracy and Development, University of Massachusetts, Boston. He is also a Fellow and Associate of the Weather head Centre for International Affairs, Harvard University, all in the United States of America. While he is a Visiting Professor at the Department of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, Igbinedion University, recently the University of Ibadan Governing Council appointed the General the Board Chairman, University Advancement Centre.
Finally, as Confucius would say “If you want define the future, study the past”, I can say that with the encouraging past of General AB Dambazau, there is no doubt that the future would be greater. In lieu of this, I want to end with a quote from Vince Lombardi who said: “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand and determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand”.
Comrade Edwin Uhara is a Journalist and Public Affairs Commentator based in Abuja.
Reach him on 07065862479 or [email protected]