GENERAL AZIZA DIES AT 66

CHAIRMAN of the Special Military Tribunal that convicted former President Olusegun Obasanjo and late Major General Shehu Yar’Adua of involvement in an alleged 1995 coup plot, General Patrick Aziza (Rtd) is dead.
The 66-year-old first Military Administrator of Kebbi State reportedly died of cancer in the early hours of yesterday in an Abuja hospital.

Until his death, he was the President-General of the Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU).
Aziza, who was also a one-time Minister of Communication, was Minister of Commerce and Tourism during the transitional regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar until his retirement in 1999.
He was born in Okpe Local Government Area in Delta State on 23 December 1947.
He was raised in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
He went to Ibadan for his secondary education before joining the Army and participating in the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970).
Aziza then attended the Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna, graduating in 1970.
The Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, described the deceased an irreplaceable statesman.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sunny Ogefere, Uduaghan noted that the loss itself was devastating but worsened by the timing when the invaluable contribution and experience of the late general were needed at this critical period of Nigeria’s history.
”In General Patrick Aziza we have lost one of the finest military officers, administrators, peace builders, nationalists and more fundamentally a statesman of repute.
“My administration enjoyed unparalleled support and cooperation from General Aziza as President General of the UPU, who was always there to share his wealth of experience with me anytime I called on him,” he said.
The governor expressed deepest condolences to his immediate family, the Urhobo nation and the State.
His death threw the Urhobos into mourning.
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Dr. Steve Oru, described Aziza’s demise as very sad.