Abubakar Saleh Michika

Abubakar Saleh Michika (1941 – 10 March 2018) was a Nigerian civilian governor of Adamawa State, Nigeria from 2 January 1992 to 17 November 1993. He was a member of the then ruling National Republican Convention (NRC). He worked with the British Bank of West Africa in 1966, then John Holt company before joining politics.[1] He was born in Michika, headquarters of the Michika Local Government Area (LGA), in what is now known as Adamawa State Northeast Nigeria. He attended his primary school and Secondary schools in Yola Middle School (now known as the General Murtala Mohammed College Yola) and done his post secondary education at the School for Arabic studies. He is married to four wives with 38 children, 17 boys and 21 girls, 105 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren, all from his four wives; Hajiya Daudu, Mairama, Aisha and Nana Saleh Michika of Algerian and Nigerien descent from Tamanrasset Province, Algeria.[2] Prominent among his children are Jalal-Eddeen Abubakar Saleh, PhD, an associate professor of public health, a consultant public health physician, a board-certified epidemiologist of the American College Of Epidemiology, a board-certified physician of the American College Of Physicians, member of the American Association for physician leadership, and an alumnus of the famous Imperial College London, the London School Of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Walden University U.S.A, And Lubna Jibril, a spoken word poet and motivational speaker, she is also the only person to have translated the Human rights declaration in fulfulde. Among all these, she is a women’s right activists, a Tv/radio broadcaster, a liscenced educationist and she offers free counseling to women.

Abubakar Saleh Michika
During a visit by Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai of Kaduna State
Governor of Adamawa State
In office
2 January 1992 – 17 November 1993
Preceded byAbubakar Salihu
Succeeded byMustapha Ismail
Personal details
Born1941
Michika, Adamawa State, Nigeria
Died10 March 2018(2018-03-10) (aged 76–77)
Political party
Courtesy Call to Governor Murtala Nyako

Saleh Michika created a stir when he said in 1992 that he would be willing to relocate to the neighbouring Cameroun if there were a military coup in Nigeria. Fourteen years later, he made a controversial statement that the solution to the problems of corruption and misrule in the country would be a diarchy, a mixture of military and civilian personalities, with a military head of state.[3]

A pragmatist, before the 1993 elections he refused to meet Bashir Tofa, the presidential candidate of his NRC party, but he was helpful when M.K.O. Abiola, candidate of the rival Social Democratic Party (SDP) came to his state.[4] However, in July 1993, after the Ibrahim Babangida administration had annulled Abiola's presidential election, he said "Much as I personally admired Moshood Abiola as an individual, the idea of a southern president was unrealistic".[5]

In January 2002, Michika described the National Assembly members as corrupt officials for whom he had no respect, and warned of the danger of another military coup.[6] In October 2002, Saleh Michika was a strong contender to become the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) candidate for the Adamawa governorship.[7]

In 2005, President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him as the chairman governing council of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi

In May 2006 a police corporal was killed by suspected armed bandits at his residence. However, the state commissioner of police, Alhaji Muhammad Sambo, said the attack was not an assassination attempt. The bandits just wanted to snatch the corporal's gun.[8]

Saleh Michika retired from active politics. He died after a brief illness on the 10 March 2018.[9]

References
  1. "Adamawa". WorldStatesmen. Archived from the original on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  2. Sola Balogun (December 4, 2008). "MICHIKA Home of 'Nyamiri Arewa'". Daily Sun. Archived from the original on April 11, 2010. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  3. Kenny Ashaka (March 11, 2007). "Maverick politician Saleh Michika breaks the 14-yr-old silence: Diarchy, not democracy is what Nigeria should be practising". Daily Sun. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  4. "Cold Calculations for Power". ThisDay. 2001-04-14. Archived from the original on 2005-09-23. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  5. Oladoyin Anthony Mayowa (2001). "State and Ethno-Communal Violence in Nigeria: The Case of Ife-Modakeke" (PDF). Africa Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2006. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  6. Abel Orih (2002-01-16). "Ex-Governor Chides Obasanjo, N/Assembly". ThisDay. Archived from the original on 2005-11-25. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  7. Asaph Zadok (2002-10-05). "Adamawa: Between the Press and the Truth". ThisDay. Archived from the original on 2005-09-29. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  8. Umar Dankano (May 22, 2006). "FG awards 28 police barracks contracts in Adamawa". Nigerian Newsday. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  9. First Executive Governor Of Adamawa State Dies In Yola
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