When Air Commodore Dan Suleiman (rtd) woke up on Wednesday February 1, 2023, the idea of death was never on his mind. He had scheduled engagements with certain persons and was looking forward to receiving them. After prayers as he used to do every day with his wife, Tessy, the former military administrator of old Plateau State who was appointed Ambassador to Russia by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003, left to take some rest before commencing activities for the day. He would later collapse and was rushed to the hospital for medical attention. He gave up the ghost shortly before 1pm.
For Suleiman who was one of the first four Nigerians to enlist in the Air Force in 1962, he achieved greatness by hard work and commitment to dedicated service. Though a nationalist whose vision for his nation’s development was anchored on equality, the former Military Administrator of old Plateau State never left any stone unturned to ensure excellent performance in whatever position he was appointed to serve.
Coming from a modest background founded on honesty and dedication to work, the late Air Force officer was born to the family of Mallam Suleiman and Mama Rhoda Suleiman of Guyuk, Adamawa State. His father spared no efforts to ensure he got enrolled into Guyuk Elementary School in 1948. By 1954, young Daniel who would later be known as simply ‘Dan’ would gain promotion into the Senior Primary School in Numan where he obtained the First Leaving Certificate.
Securing admission into the Provincial Secondary School, Yola, he completed his secondary school education in 1962 and enrolled in the Nigerian Air Force the same year, having successfully passed the entrance examination and recruitment exercise in Kaduna.
The young Air Force officer was at the Ethiopian Air Force Base, Bishoftu where he got his ‘Primary Flying Wing Certification 1’ in 1963. He soon completed the ‘Basic Flying Wing Certification 2’ in 1964. In 1965, he completed the ‘Advance Transport Aircraft Certificate’ that qualified him to fly heavy military transport aircraft.
To equip him for the task ahead in becoming an excellent officer, he got promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant and became one-Star Commanding Officer Air Force Base, Ikeja in 1964. The outbreak of the civil war in 1968 saw him in action to keep the nation united. He miraculously survived a crash in 1968 with his fighter jet, before being sent abroad for further trainings from 1969 to 1971.
Highlights of his military career include his membership of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) during the General Yakubu Gowon and Murtala/ Obasanjo regimes. He not only worked for the improvement of healthcare delivery in Nigeria as Federal Commissioner of Health, he facilitated the establishment of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as the Federal Commissioner of Special Duties.
In 1980, after his retirement from the Air Force, he emerged as the first President of Lunguda Development Association. He held the position for decades to demonstrate his love for his community. While he tried to carry along his people for national participation, he enmeshed himself in advocacy and politics. Suleiman’s emergence as President of the Middle Belt Forum and untiring participation in the Transition Programme of the military from 1992–1998, demonstrated his zeal for the emancipation of ethnic nationalities of not only the North but also the South.
Though a military officer of excellent standing, he was a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). He served as one of the arrowheads of the move to revalidate the June 12 mandate, presumed to have been won by Chief Moshood Olawale Kashimawo Abiola, popularly known as MKO. He would remain steadfast in insisting for the de-annulment of the June 12 presidential poll.
His daughters, Habiba and Daniela, remember him as a “Father to the nation and to many people who always put God first. You have left big shoes to fill and we will try to live our lives to honor the legacy you left behind”
Jim, his surviving eldest son, recalls that his “Father’s principles were based on the biblical teaching of ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all other things shall be added unto you’. He neither sought fame nor fortune, rather he dedicated his life to the service of God and humanity. I’m blessed to have grown up in his home and learned from him”.
For another of his son, Daniel, “Dads are someone to look up to, someone to follow, someone to admire, someone to be proud of and someone to brag about, someone to hold and someone to cry with, someone to learn from and someone to respect, someone to listen to and someone to talk to, someone to try to impress, sometimes rebel against, and, someone, most of all, with whom you love absolutely”.
For Abu, his youngest son, “My father was an inspiration to me for his service and dedication to God, his family, community and country. He was greatly loved by all and his presence shall always be remembered and missed”.
His widow, Tessy, remembers him as a loving husband, father and grandfather who left nothing undone to assist the less privileged and poor people who daily visited for assistance. According to her: “ My husband was a man of peace and prayers. He loved to pray at all times. He would always wake me up at midnight for us to pray. He was a great man of faith and I shall miss him so dearly. He taught me humility and patience and to always be clear headed in whatever I want to do or achieve in life”.
The late NADECO chieftain was always willing to stand for justice and be identified with noble causes. He was a man of prayers at all times and was not willing to succumb to injustices and oppression. Wherever there was oppression, he was willing to break its chains and oppose it. Each time he fought for freedom, he remained resolute and unyielding. To him any struggle against injustice was not yet complete until the chains of bondage were shattered.
The late Air Force officer was a politician and a military man combined in one. He could best be described as a military democrat who knew the issues and worked so hard to ensure freedom for smaller ethnic nationalities of our nation. He yearned for democracy and was never willing to let go of the dream that Nigerians someday will enjoy full democracy, irrespective of their socio-economic, religious and ethnic inclinations.
As arrangements are concluded to commence his burial activities next week with a Song of Service and Commendation Service in Abuja, Suleiman’s hard work did not escape the attention of government in 1980 when the Alhaji Shehu Shagari-led administration conferred on him the ‘Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic’ (OFR) award. President Goodluck Jonathan would, in 2014, confer on him another national award of ‘Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON)’.
In life he was the symbol of the endless struggle for Nigerian ethnic nationalities’ quest for justice and fair play. Suleiman did not see people from where they hail from; he saw them as humans in need of equity. As he is buried next week in his hometown Guyuk, Adamawa State, the indelible footprints of this Consummate Man of Justice and Lover of Freedom remain an inspiration to both present and future Nigerian leaders
