Colonel Joshua Umaru Anaja was the military governor of Plateau State

Plateau State

Plateau State is the twelfth largest state of Nigeria, and is roughly located in the center of the country. It is geographically unique in Nigeria because its boundaries totally surround the Jos Plateau, having the Jos Plateau totally in its central and northern part...

, Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

 from July 1978 to October 1979 during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo.
On 1 October 1979 he handed over to the elected civilian governor Solomon Lar

Solomon Lar

Chief Solomon Daushep Lar is a Nigerian politician who has held various offices at the National level for over 50 years.He was a member of the first national parliament when Nigeria gained independence in 1960....

, who assured him that his government would inherit any realistic obligations made the out-going military government.
Promoted to Brigadier, Anaja was Director of the Department of Joint Studies at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji

Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji

The Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji is a training facility for the Nigerian Armed Forces, including the army, air force and navy. It is near the village of Jaji, Nigeria, about 35 km northeast of Kaduna in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria.-History:The Army...

from 1 February 1984 to 25 May 1985.
Anaja died in mysterious circumstances.