NADECO mourns as Dan Suleiman dies at age 81

One of the founders of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Commodore Dan Suleiman, is dead.

Suleiman, former military governor of Plateau State and a member of General Murtala Mohammed’s Supreme Military Council, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 81.

Suleiman served as the Federal Special Tasks Commissioner in the General Yakubu Gowon government and was considered instrumental in the establishment of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Secretary General, NADECO, Ayo Opadokun announced Suleiman’s death in a press statement on Wednesday.

Opadokun said he was informed of Suleiman’s death by the current Middle Belt Forum (MBF) chairman, Dr. Bitrus Porgu.

Opadokun, in the statement, described the late Suleiman as “consistently courageous, nationalistic, truly patriotic, whose life and times were rich in good causes and services to God and mankind.”

The statement continued: “The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) wishes to formally announce the painful and most unexpected death of one of our founders and titans, Commodore Dan Suleiman.

“Dan was a reliable, kind and diligent leader whose vacuum will be difficult to fill. Where will we find another Dan Suleiman?

‘After General Gowon’s overthrow
government by General Murtala Mohammed, Dan Suleiman was again appointed Federal Health Commissioner.

“Thirdly, when General Babangida annulled Bashorun MKO Abiola’s victory in the 1993 presidential elections and General Abacha also finally established his military dictatorship,
Suleiman opposed the annulment and the new strongman.

Four, as the guiding light of the Middle Belt Forum Leadership, when the Forum decided at a meeting held at Chief DB Zang home in Jos to attend the preliminary meetings and consultations that spawned NADECO in Lagos, DS was one of the founders and Titans from NADECO.

“He was a leading member of the Apex body, the steering committee, the policy decision body. Five, as a result of his leadership role, General Abacha was extremely pained by Dan Suleiman’s membership of NADECO and separately tried to reclaim Suleiman, but failed.

“In fact, during a number of critical meetings at DS’s home in Lagos on Victoria Island, General Abacha took advantage of the friendship between the late founder of the Guardian Newspapers, Chief Alex Ibru, who was his Home Secretary, to always support NADECO reached via Suleiman.

“But NADECO rejected any formal meeting
with the bespectacled general Abacha, who insisted on having an agenda and both sides informed the other side of their position on the agenda. Even when NADECO proposed an agenda and stated its positions on each one, General Abacha only sent a government plane to take us to Abuja and we declined the offer.

‘Six, DS had to be forced into exile in August 1994 when we had reliable information that General Abacha had spread his dragnet to arrest and/or capture Dan. It was a
painful decision that we had to decide that Dan had to leave Nigeria that night. That decision was made in my hideout, Chief Olu Falae’s office in Osborne, Victoria Island.

“Seven, Dan became the first chairman of NADECO ABROAD, then based in London. He did not return home until 7 October 1998 after the death of General Abacha and the amnesty granted to all exiles by the government of General Abdusalami Abubakar. “On his return, he joined the group that formed the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and held various positions, including that of
Nigerian Ambassador to the Soviet Union and Chairman of the Middle Belt Forum.”