General Wushishi Death: Ex-Chief of Army Staff Dies At 81
A former Chief of Army Staff Lt General Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi has passed on at the age of 81, NGNEWS247 has learnt.
Wushishi served as COAS from 1981 to 1983 during the Second Republic.
The elder statesman, who was born in 1940 in Wushishi, Niger State, died in a London hospital after a protracted illness. His burial arrangement will be announced by the family, it was learnt.
He is survived by a wife Kande Muhammadu Wushishi and seven children including Kabiru Muhammadu Wushishi, a former Commissioner of Investment in Niger State.
Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, in a statement by his media aide Mary Noel-Berje, described Wushishi’s death as a great loss to the state and the nation at large considering his statesmanship roles over the years.
The governor had, in a statement celebrating the 81st birthday of the late Wushishi in January this year, described him as a perfect gentleman, father, soldier and an administrator of high ethics and impeccable morality.
According to Wikipedia, the late Wushishi joined the army on 21 April 1961, and attended the Nigerian Military Training College, Kaduna and then the Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot in the United Kingdom. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 12 January 1962. He later attended the United States War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Wushishi served as a member of the United Nations Peace Keeping force in Congo in the early 1960s. He was appointed Deputy Commandant, Army School of Infantry in July 1975. He served as Federal Commissioner for Industries (January 1975 – March 1976) and was a member of the Supreme Military Council from 1976 to 1978. He was Chief of Army Staff (COAS) from October 1981 to October 1983 during the Shehu Shagari administration.
Wushishi was required to retire on 3 January 1984, after the 31 December 1983 coup in which General Muhammadu Buhari came to power. After retirement, he entered business. He became chairman of the board of directors of UAC of Nigeria, retiring on 1 January 2010 at age 70. He was also Chairman of the board of UPDC (property development), a director of Stanbic IBTC Bank and MTS first Wireless, and a member of the board of Acorn Petroleum. He was a recipient of the national Honour, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger.