Usman Faruk
Encyclopedia
Commissioner of Police Alhaji Usman Faruk (born 1935) was the first Military Governor of North-Western State
in Nigeria
from 1967 to 1975 after it was split off from the old Northern Region
during the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon
.
He was dismissed from office by General Murtala Mohammed
, who took power in a coup on 29 July 1975, and who then launched a probe that found him guilty of illegally enriching himself while in office.
He was later reinstated by the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida regime after being cleared of all charges, and was given his full benefits and retirement rank.
Shortly after he left office the state was split into Niger State
and Sokoto State
.
He published a pamphlet in 1988 that attacked the national population control program that the Nigerian military government was advocating. In it he said that "No good Muslim will ever accept any human directive which contravenes the laws of Allah." He said that widespread promotion of anti-pregnancy drugs and devices would lead to "an earthquake of moral laxity.
This view, common in the North, may have contributed to the spread of AIDS
and polio.
He supported establishing a commodity marketing board to fix or control the prices of produce and animals such as cows, goats and sheep.
The board would also preserve produce for times of need, and would set up processing companies for perishable produce such as tomatoes and other vegetables.
In a 2006 press interview he said that the poor pay and equipment of the police could not be justified, and was the cause of the state of insecurity in the country.
Usman Faruk was awarded Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration in September 2006.
In July 2009, his sixth son, Police Superintendent Abdulaziz Faruk, was killed during violence in Maiduguri
triggered by the Boko Haram
extreme Islamist sect.
North-Western State
North-Western State is a former administrative division of Nigeria. It was created on 27 May 1967 from parts of the Northern Region and existed until 3 February 1976, when it was divided into two states - Niger and Sokoto. The city of Sokoto was the capital of North-Western State.-North-Western...
in 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 1967 to 1975 after it was split off from the old Northern Region
Northern Region, Nigeria
The Northern Region was one of Nigeria's federal divisions. It was created before independence in 1960, with its capital at Kaduna. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the British Northern Cameroons, who had voted to become part of Nigeria....
during the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon
Yakubu Gowon
General Yakubu "Jack" Dan-Yumma Gowon was the head of state of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975. He took power after one military coup d'etat and was overthrown in another...
.
He was dismissed from office by General Murtala Mohammed
Murtala Mohammed
General Murtala Ramat Mohammed born was a military ruler of Nigeria from 1975 until his assassination in 1976.-Role during 1960s coups:...
, who took power in a coup on 29 July 1975, and who then launched a probe that found him guilty of illegally enriching himself while in office.
He was later reinstated by the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida regime after being cleared of all charges, and was given his full benefits and retirement rank.
Shortly after he left office the state was split into Niger State
Niger State
Niger State is a state in the western part of Nigeria and the largest state in the country. The state capital is Minna, and other major cities are Bida, Kontagora, and Suleja. It was formed in 1976 when the then North-Western State was bifurcated into Niger State and Sokoto State.The state is named...
and Sokoto State
Sokoto State
Sokoto State is located in the extreme northwest of Nigeria, near to the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2005 it has an estimated population of more than 4.2 million...
.
He published a pamphlet in 1988 that attacked the national population control program that the Nigerian military government was advocating. In it he said that "No good Muslim will ever accept any human directive which contravenes the laws of Allah." He said that widespread promotion of anti-pregnancy drugs and devices would lead to "an earthquake of moral laxity.
This view, common in the North, may have contributed to the spread of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and polio.
He supported establishing a commodity marketing board to fix or control the prices of produce and animals such as cows, goats and sheep.
The board would also preserve produce for times of need, and would set up processing companies for perishable produce such as tomatoes and other vegetables.
In a 2006 press interview he said that the poor pay and equipment of the police could not be justified, and was the cause of the state of insecurity in the country.
Usman Faruk was awarded Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration in September 2006.
In July 2009, his sixth son, Police Superintendent Abdulaziz Faruk, was killed during violence in Maiduguri
Maiduguri
Maiduguri, also fondly called Yerwa by its locals, is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad...
triggered by the Boko Haram
Boko Haram
Boko Haram is a Nigerian Islamist group that seeks the imposition of Shariah law throughout the whole of Nigeria. The group presently has an undefined structure and chain of command...
extreme Islamist sect.