People

Chef d'Etat Nigeria
Description of Work:
Reported to have had an initial reluctance to accepting the position, Abubakar was sworn in as president after the death of military dictator Abacha; he shortly declared a weeklong period of national mourning. Several days after assuming office, he promised to hold elections within a year and transfer power to an elected president. (Nigeria has been ruled by military leaders since Muhammadu Buhari seized power from Shehu Shagari in a 1983 coup.) It was during his leadership that Nigeria adopted its new constitution on May 5, 1999, which went into effect the day Obasanjo became president. Surprising some critics of the country's military, Abubakar kept his word and transferred power to elected president Obasanjo on May 29, 1999.

Following his short rule Abubakar received multiple honors, including the Rainbow/Push Coalition Peace Prize, the Economic Community of West African States International Gold Medal, and the Star Award of Ghana. In 2000, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed him to try to shore up the UN Mission (MONUC) to the Congo-Kinshasa.

However, Abubakar's legacy is mixed. A lecture circuit at Chicago State University in Chicago, Illinois, United States featuring him encountered opposition, due to the fact that he had supported Abacha's government. (Abacha's administration was notorious for its human rights abuses). He was also sued in that country by other Nigerians who claimed he was responsible for the death of 1993 president-elect Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, who died in custody after being prevented by the military from taking office, and for the violation of the rights of others during his administration.
Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar was born on June 13, 1942 in Minna, Niger State. He was educated at Native Authority Primary School in that city, the Provincial Secondary School in Bida, and finally the Technical Institute, Kaduna. After this, he joined the military. Abubakar led Nigeria's mission to Lebanon and eventually rose to the role of Chief of Defence staff. His wife's name is Fati and they have six children. (source wikipedia)

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