Today, as he turns seventy, Nigeria celebrates far more than a birthday. We honour a life shaped by duty: first in uniform, then on one of Africa’s most consequential traditional thrones. Born on 24 August 1956 into the royal house of the Sokoto Caliphate, he was formed by inheritance and service alike. Barewa College and the Nigerian Defence Academy prepared him for a career in which discipline was not an ornament but a daily demand. He served at home and abroad, in command and diplomatic assignments, and rose to the rank of Brigadier General.

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