Nigeria’s Ex-Ambassador To China, AbdulAzeez, Dies At 71

• Kwara governor, emir mourn

A retired top intelligence officer at the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and Nigeria’s former ambassador to China, Ambassador Sheikh Uthman AbdulAzeez, is dead.

The 71-year-old AbdulAzeez died on Saturday night after a brief illness.

The passing of the Ilorin, Kwara State-born diplomat and former president of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) was announced on Sunday by the incumbent president of the Union, Alh AbdulMumin AbdulMalik.

AbdulAzeez was born in Ilorin, Kwara State, on February 18, 1952. He earned his First School Certificate in December 1966 from the then Native Authority Primary School, Bussa. He also trained as a teacher at the then Ilorin Teachers College (now Sheikh Abdulkadir College), Ilorin, from 1967 to 1971.

He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography from the then Abdullahi Bayero College of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1977. He was also trained at the University of Jos, Plateau State, where he bagged his M.Sc. degree in Urban and Regional Planning.

AbdulAzeez also attended the University of Ibadan, from where he earned his Master of Science degree in Strategic Studies in 2002. He was equally trained at the then National War College (now National Defence College), Abuja, at the end of which he bagged two awards for his brilliance.

Following his graduation from the University, AbdulAzeez was posted to the Old Sokoto State for his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). He served at the Advanced Teachers College, Sokoto, from 1977 to 1978 and was subsequently retained as a lecturer by the college authorities, becoming the Head of the Geography Department.

In 1985, Abdulazeez transferred his services to the Federal Government as a founding member of staff of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), where he rose through the ranks to the top echelon of the service.

AbdulAzeez, who served as director, Financial Crimes in the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Drugs and Financial Crimes between 2000 and 2001, was one of those whose efforts culminated in the establishment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He served as an intelligence technocrat in several countries, including Egypt, Angola, Liberia, and the People’s Republic of China, where he was appointed Ambassador in situ in 2010. While in China, Ambassador AbdulAzeez hosted the launch of Nigeria’s satellite on December 21, 2011.

Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, commiserated with the IEDPU on the death of Sheikh AbdulAzeez.

The Governor described the deceased as a man of great character and virtues, with a profound impact on the community.

He asked Allaah to ease the accounts of the deceased, admit him to al-jannah Firdaus, and give his family, associates, and friends the patience to bear the colossal loss.

For his part, the Emir of Ilorin, Alh Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, in a condolence message by his press secretary, Dr Abdulazeez Arowona, described the death as a monumental loss to the Ilorin Emirate and humanity in general.

Sulu-Gambari commiserated with the immediate and extended family members of the deceased, associates, friends, the leadership of IEDPU home and abroad, as well as sympathisers over the colossal loss.