When national and selfless services are concerned, these individuals have paid their dues in their contributions to the progress of their fatherland. In this report, ELEOJO IDACHABA asks where they could be now after they left public space.
Arthur Eze
Chief Arthur Eze is a businessman and philanthropist of note whose interest is in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria, Gambia, Liberia, Guinea and the United Kingdom. In fact, he is described as one of Africa’s richest men. Chief Eze is someone who has never indicated interest in political office, but has supported many aspirants for elective positions through his philanthropism. For example, while indicating interest to support one Anyaso, a House of Representatives candidate in Abia state, Chief Eze said, “We will continue to show our support for people like Chima who have over-looked all the pressures and complexities of politics to take a deep interest in it. For your well-deserved victory in the primaries, I am proud and would do all that is within my powers to support you. Your victory is well- deserved and I am convinced that you will bring development to Bende and indeed the entire Abia state.”
Writing about Chief Eze, a public affairs commentator, Olivia Arusuraire, said, “Apart from his successful oil business, Prince Arthur Eze is also known for his deep connection to Nigerian politics and is a major donor to Nigeria’s Peoples Democratic Party. He is also known for his royal lineage as the younger brother of the traditional ruler of Ukpo, a popular community in Anambra state. His royal background and accumulated wealth have earned him a spot at the top of Africa’s richest men.”
As a philanthropic personality, Prince Eze has been able to touch the lives of many souls. For example, in 2013, he donated $6.3 million to the flood relief efforts in Nigeria. In 2015, he donated N20 million to a church in Abagana community in Anambra state for musical instruments and for the renovation of the church building. He single-handedly built a medical research unit for Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. He was also part of those that contributed to the relief needs of victims of Boko Haram insurgencies of which he donated the sum of $800, 000 at a fund-raising event in Abuja.
In 2013, Prince Eze made a donation of $12 million for the construction of St. Stephens Anglican Deanery and Youth Development Centre in Otuoke, Bayelsa state. A few years ago, Prince Eze donated ₦50 million for the unveiling of the new Okunerere Adoration Ground, Nsukka, in Enugu state. He is one Nigerian whose philanthropic gestures are second to none. Those who are aware of his rare display of patriotism always wonder why he has ventured into the sometimes slippery terrain of Nigeria’s political firmament. Yet, others wonder what exactly he is doing now when the country is in dire need of patriots like him.
Dangiwa Umar
Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (retd.) is the former military governor of Kaduna state under former President Ibrahim Babangida from August 1985 to June 1988. A fiery and outspoken military officer, he has remained one of the few northern critics of every regime in the country. To buttress this fact, after retiring from the army in 1993, he became a social critic and founded the Movement for Unity and Progress which was to translate into a political party.
Umar joined the army in 1967 and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in 1972. He held various positions, including ADC to late Gen. Hassan Katsina and at another time as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters. At some point in his military career, he was appointed General Staff Officer in the Department of Armoury, Army Headquarters. At the time of the coup of August 27, 1985, in which Gen. Ibrahim Babangida assumed power, he was a Major and the chairman of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) from 1984 from 1985. He was said to have supported the coup and after it succeeded, he was appointed as the governor of Kaduna state and thereafter he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. As military governor of the state, he had to deal with a serious religious crisis which almost made him unpopular.
Speaking on the sidelines of the crisis, he said, “If you win a religious war, you cannot win a religious peace. Since the killing started, how many Christians have been converted to Islam? How many Muslims have been converted to Christianity? It is an exercise in futility.” He opposed the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election because of the role he allegedly played to install the presumed winner of that election, Chief MKO Abiola, a development that led him to be detained on allegation of conspiracy. This, according to analysts, was the proverbial knife that severed the relationship he had with IBB. On retirement from the army in 1993, he became the chairman of Work and Worship Gas Company Limited in Kaduna, combining it with activism. He joined the G-18 Group of politicians that publicly opposed Abacha’s self-succession plan. Since 1999 up to 2015, he had been vocal at criticising every administration based on principles. For instance, in March 2004, he wrote a letter to former President Olusegun Obasanjo to accuse him of complicity in the June 12 annulment, among other fiery comments of that government. After the exit of Obasanjo from power, in 2008, he supported the controversial removal of Nuhu Ribadu as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), saying the erstwhile EFCC boss merely carried out the directives of President Obasanjo without question.
In August 2009, he accused President Umaru Yar’Adua of nepotism in his appointments. In December 2009, he called on the ailing president to resign. He did not spare the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari whose government he has accused of being selective in its fight against corruption. He said, “There is enough proof that the Buhari government’s anti-corruption war is meant to silence the opposition and other vocal voices in the country.”
In the drive towards the 2019 general elections when it was being bandied that there was no one with impeccable record in public service to take over from Buhari, he was pinned down to lead what many called the ‘third force’ in the wave-making Nigeria Intervention Movement (NIM). Not too long after the idea started, it died and since that time, not much has been heard about this ex-military officer.
Austen Oniwon
Mr. Austen Oniwon is the former group managing director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). He was appointed by the late President Umar Musa Yar’ Adua in 2010. He was, however, relieved of the appointment by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in 2012 in a major reshuffle within the oil industry as other top management staff of the organisation were affected. Their offence, according to industry sources, bothered on several scandals including the petroleum subsidy payment scandal. Oniwon, under whose purview as boss of the NNPC the controversial oil swap deal was entered, told the House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee on Crude Oil Swap probe in 2017 that a debt of over N3 billion necessitated the deal entered into by the government then. According to him, the shortage of cash flow in the system also made it imperative for the Corporation to look for alternative ways to remedy the situation.
He said, “I met a debt of over $3 billion when I took over as managing director and it became a primary responsibility to see what I can do because our cash flow was in serious trouble to the extent that we could no longer service the federation account and pay for products.”
Not much has been heard about this Kogi state-born technocrat since he left the NNPC almost eight years ago.
