Didi Ndiomu: Why late army chief Ibrahim Attahiru should be immortalised

Didi Ndiomu, chairman of the Ibrahim Attahiru Foundation, says Nigeria must immortalise Ibrahim Attahiru, the late chief of army staff.

On May 21, 2021, Attahiru was four months into his tenure when he died with 10 officers in an aircraft crash in Kaduna.

The military officers were on their way to Kaduna to attend the passing out parade of 80RRI in Depot Nigerian Army scheduled for the following day.

In his short tenure, many bandits and insurgents were captured or killed.

The military also recaptured some communities held by Boko Haram after Attahiru gave the soldiers 48 hours to go after the insurgents and reclaim the areas.

Ndiomo, in a statement on Wednesday, said the contribution of the late chief of army staff to Nigeria was so phenomenal that his friends and family had to consider a foundation in his memory.

He also described Attahiru as a patriotic and unbelievably civil soldier who had so much to offer Nigeria and had the guts to pursue the same.

“I knew the things that he wanted to do. There’s something he always said about the triumvirate for peace; that it had to be a covenant between the government, army, and the people who all have to speak with one voice,” said Ndiomo, who is an entrepreneur and chairman of the Nigerian Machine Tools.

“Otherwise, the battle was a waste of time. He constantly thought about how to make the government, armed forces, and the people all be on the same page. And he kept saying if we don’t get that, we’ll never be visible.”

Ndiomu said to immortalise Attahiru, the General Ibrahim Attahiru Foundation (GIAF) will launch on May 21, 2022, in Abuja.

According to him, a documentary titled “Ibrahim Attahiru: A soldier’s soldier” will also be screened as part of the event.

The documentary was produced and directed by Adeola Osunkojo.

In addition, the book “the man, the soldier, the patriot”, the posthumous biography of the late army chief, will also be presented.

It was written by Niran Adedokun and published by Cable Books, an arm of Cable Newspaper Ltd.

Ndiomu said the foundation will focus on leadership training, education, mental health, and the welfare of soldiers.