Retired General Jeremaih Timbut Useni ((February 16, 1943 - January 23, 2025) alias Jerry Boy, who answered the final call in Paris, France, was partly a fulfilled man.
The then Head of State, Major General(rtd.) Muhammadu Buhari (82) appointed him as the Governor of Bendel State (now Edo and Delta states) in January 1984. He was there between January 1984 and August 1985. On September 12, 1985, General Ibrahim Babangida (83) appointed him Minster of Transport and Aviation, while General Sani Abacha appointed him Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, between 1993 and 1998. He narrowly missed being Head of State after General Sani Abacha (September 20, 1943 - June 8, 1998) died on the night of June 7, 1998.
That is 27 years ago, this month.
If General Useni had become the Head of State on June 8, the course of history would have changed. He was alleged to have been among the last persons along with Group Captain Emeka Omeruah ( August 14, 1943 - December 4, 2006) and who served as governor of Anambra State from 1985 to 1987 and as Minister for Information, Youth, Sport and Culture, to see General Abacha, before he drove to the Guest House in The Villa where he died. Group Captain Omeruah (rtd.) was in THE VILLA that night for the financial approval of the budget for the 16th FIFA World Cup edition held in France from June 10 to July 12, 1998.
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Till today, General Abacha's passage is still full of mystery.
All that is known is that the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Leader, Yasser Arafat (August 1929- November 11, 2004), flew to Abuja on Sunday, June 7 and he invited General Abacha to a meeting of the Organisation of African Unity, OAU, to hold in Ouagadougou, Burkina Fasso on Monday, June 8. The meeting was to decide on the internal crisis that rocked the OAU. In addition, President Blaise Compaore (74) of Burkina Faso, was to take over the leadership of OAU from President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Monday June 8.
If General Useni had become the Head of State on June 8, the course of history would have changed; he was alleged to have been among the last persons to see General Abacha before he drove to the Guest House in The Villa where he died
General Abacha declined to attend the meeting and instead, he instructed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Gidado Idris ( March 15, 1935 - December 15, 2017), who was also the Head of The Cabinet Secretariat to summon a meeting of the Provisional Ruling Council, PRC, for that week.
Part of the schedule of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation at that time was also to serve as the Secretary to the National Council of States, Secretary to the Federal Executive Council, Secretary of the Provisional Ruling Council, Secretary of the Security Council and head of the staff of the then State House. The Villa at that time had no Permanent Secretary or Chief of Staff. It was under the office of the Principal Secretary to the Head of State.
The PRC was summoned to decide on the report of General Victor Samuel Leonard Malu,rtd (January 15, 1947 - October 9, 2017), who was then the Commander of the Lagos Garrison.
At that time, the following were members of the PRC: General Abdusalam Abubakar, who was the Chief of Defence Staff and Rear Admiral Mike Okhai Akhigbe, who was the Chief of Naval Staff. Others were Air Vice-Marshal Adamu Musa Daggash (Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna), Chief of Army Staff - Maj. Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, Chief of Air Staff - Air Vice Marshall Nsikak Eduok, the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Jubril Ayinla, Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Coomassie, Lt. Gen. Jeremiah Useni (Minister of the Federal Capital Territory), Commandant, Command and Staff College and Maj. Gen. John Inienger, Commandant, National War College, Abuja.
Others were Maj. Gen. Chris Abutu Garuba, Commandant, Nigeria Defence Academy Kaduna; Brigadier Gen. Bashir Magashi; Maj. Gen. Abdullahi Muktar, General Officer Commanding 1st Division at Kaduna, GOC 2nd Division (Ibadan); Brig. Gen. Felix Mujakperuo, GOC 3rd Division (Jos); Brig. Gen. Peter Shaa, GOC 82nd Division (Enugu); Maj. Gen. Oladayo Popoola, Commander, Lagos Garrison; Maj. Gen. Victor Malu, Flag Officer commanding Western Naval Command; Rear Admiral Rufus Eyitayo, Flag Officer commanding Eastern Naval Command; Commodore Victor Ombu, Tactical Command (Benue); Air Commodore Emmanuel Edem Training Command, Lagos Commander of ECOMOG Forces; Air Vice Marshal G.Y. Kontagora, Representing Defence Headquarters, Lagos; Maj. Gen. Timothy Shelpidi Representing Defence HQ, Lagos; Air Commodore Ibrahim Musa, Representing Defence HQ, Lagos; Brig. Gen. Muftau Balogun, Representing Defence HQ, Lagos; Commodore Taiwo Odedina, Representing Defence HQ, Lagos ; Naval Captain Anthony Oguguo, Representing Defence HQ, Lagos; Air Commodore Cannis Uwenwaliri; Brig. Gen. Patrick Aziza (Minister of Communications) and Lt. Gen. Mohammed B. Haladu.
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On Tuesday, April 28, 1998, General Malu's Tribunal sentenced General Diya and others to death.
Those sentenced to death were Lieutenant-General Oladipo Diya, former Vice Chairman, Provisional Ruling Council, and Chief of General Staff; Major General Abdulkareem Adisa, former Minister of Works and Housing; Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, former Minister of Communications; Major Seun Fadipe, Chief Security Officer to Diya; Colonel Olu Akiode, former Military Assistant to General Olanrewaju and a civil engineer, Bola Adebanjo, an associate of Diya.
To be concluded
·Teniola, a former director at the Presidency, wrote from Lagos.
