Tuesday, December 9, marked the 87th birthday of General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (rtd) whose famed taciturnity has continued to portray him as a national enigma whose footprints in his military career have continued to awe many. He significantly boasts of a large followership that has refused to wane. Apart from leaving behind footprints in an inspiring military career, the General from Taraba State is a business magnate versed in philanthropy.
Working Silently
Born over 87 years ago, the young Theophilus whose initial dream was to be a principal of his alma mater in Katsina Ala, Benue State, would abandon his dream to join the military. Understanding one of Nigeria’s most feared and admired former army officers, fondly called TY, is akin to comprehending a human puzzle. Of all the mysteries surrounding the personality of the former Chief of Army Staff during the Murtala /Obasanjo administration, his constant resolve to remain silent and speak only if absolutely necessary set him apart as a patriot whose altruistic disposition is for the common good of the overwhelming majority.
Danjuma discovered early in life that silence, when put into use, becomes the pathway to greatness. TY has come to recognise silence as the creative force of divinity. Away from the tumultuous crowd in the street, Danjuma sees silence as an attribute of the man who knows the road. Embracing the South African great strategist and writer, Donald Pillai, the serious-face of an army general seems in love with the amazing power of silence:
“There is immense power in silence, we must learn to be silent and not react to the different types of people we encounter or will encounter on our journey towards a greater life. We remember to always maintain our class and composure under all circumstances and to ignore the naysayers and those who try to bring us down to their level,”
Stern But Kind
Those who wear frowning faces most times demonstrate kindness. Though soft hearted, they normally wear a frown to put up a defence against those who are likely to take advantage of their vulnerability. During his younger days when someone pushed him into a wrestling arena to combat a wrestler stronger than him, the young Danjuma refused to back out from the ring. After succumbing his fears of avoiding his father by not going home through the night over a broken hand in the wrestling arena, his distraught father would engage the service of a traditional bone settler to save his son’s hand, but not without telling him:
“I hope that this will teach you to be wary throughout your lifetime. You will find that people on your side will continue to push you into situations that you don’t wish to enter yourself.”
Against human expectations and the indispensable role of divine powers in shaping his future, Danjuma would get healed and went ahead to complete his primary education in Wusasa and secondary school in Katsina Ala in Benue State. Despite adopting silence as his language, Danjuma remains one of the most discussed army officers in the country who refused to succeed General Murtala Mohammed after he was assassinated in the Dimka coup of February 13, 1976. He burst into public consciousness when he was involved in the July 29 coup described as a “revenge coup” staged by northern army officers in response to the January 15 coup that resulted in the murder of prominent politicians and top military officers from the north.
Despite several interviews and narrations by the former war commander of the Nigerian civil war, his foes won’t let him be as they have never been tired of accusing him of leading the coup that resulted in the killing of the first Military Head of State, General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, and his host and military governor of the South-west region, Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, in Ibadan. In a clear attempt to not allow him to wriggle out of the position they want him to be, the narration of what happened in Ibadan can’t be reconciled as the story tellers are divided.
Ceaselessly In Service
After going to war to preserve the unity of a nation, TY is at the forefront of telling power what they don’t want to hear. Blessed with enormous wealth, the old soldier has refused to let down the gauntlet as he is always willing to stand up in service of a country that made him what he is today. He is concerned with the crippling poverty plaguing the land and has never been weary in telling the government that poverty in the midst of prosperity is a recipe for disaster.
If the poverty in Nigeria is making TY to be sleepless at night, the gale of insecurity decimating communities and making a bonfire of our brotherhood is now an issue of grave concern. Sadly, those who should be seen speaking up against the present evils have been frightened into silence and emboldening powers to abdicate responsibility in the protection of the citizens. In the conspiracy of silence between the government and the governed, General Danjuma has always led the way in repudiating the excesses of political leadership, with the passage of years not diminishing his desire to lighten the burden of living for fellow citizens
Happy 87th birthday to the General who is never weary of working silently for the common good. Continue to age gracefully, with your lovely wife and children by your side, always!
