URHOBO nation was Saturday, thrown into mourning as the cold hands of death snatched the President General of the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, General Patrick Aziza (rtd) away. He died at the age of 67.
Aziza who has been sick of cancer, reportedly died in Abuja about 3:45am . The news of his death took the urhobos and Deltans aback as people were seen in groups discussing the sudden death of the onetime minister of Communication under the military government of late General Sani Abacha.
His kinsmen at Adagbrasa who could not control their emotions were seen wailing and crying; “our iroko has fallen.” Reacting to his death, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Dr. Steve Oru, described Aziza’s demise as very sad. “The Urhobo nation has lost a true son, a General indeed who had served the nation in the armed forces so successfully and at a point, he was even a minister in charge of communication in our nation and he performed creditably well.
“He emerged as the President General of UPU and he has been steering the ship of state of the Urhobo nation quite creditably. He has succeeded in promoting peace and unity amongst the Urhobo people. We will all surely miss him, but there is a time to come and a time to go as the saying goes. ‘There is a time when one is born and a time when one dies’.
“If it was possible, we would have prayed God to postpone his death. We all love him, but God loves him more and we wish him a peaceful rest in the bosom of the lord. He will be remembered for his astute management of the UPU and his performance as a very sound member of the Nigerian Army who served our nation creditably.
“He will surely be remembered for being a man that stood for the Urhobo course and promoted the emergence of an Urhobo minister because I can remember, during his first tenure he led a delegation to MR. President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to advocate for the appointment of an Urhobo son and today I am one of those that benefitted at the national level, so my missing him is even more.”
On his advice to the Urhobo people, he said “I will tell them to mourn but also accept the will of God as the omnipotent and omnipresent that knows it all. Let them also take solace in the fact that those the lord calls early are the ones he loves most. They should take solace in that and pray for the soul of the reposed in the bosom of the lord.”
On his past, Senator representing Delta Central at the National Assembly, Senator Emmanuel Aguariavwodo described Aziza’s death as tragic and sad.
He said: “It is so sad that we don’t even know what to think. We have talked to some of our leaders and everybody is still in shock. In fact there is nothing to say now except to say that we are sad, we mourn his passage and we pray that for the repose of his soul that God should accept his soul. Meanwhile we await what the family will say and what UPU will say so that we can all have a meeting on what to do next.
“He stood strongly for the unity of the Urhobo nation and he was a fine soldier, he served Nigeria very well. After all that, he came home to serve his people. He was a true servant of the people.”

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/08/aziza-dies-67/#sthash.mOVT4bD8.dpuf

Major-General (retired) Patrick Aziza was the first military Governor of Kebbi State, Nigeria after it was split off from Sokoto State on 27 August 1991 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida.

Birth and early career
Aziza's was born in Okpe local Government Area in Delta State on 23 December 1947.[2] 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. He was commissioned 2nd lieutenant and promoted to lieutenant in 1970, and was posted to the 3rd Marine Commando. In 1971 he was promoted to captain. He was appointed ADC to the Chief of Army Staff, Major General David Ejoor. In 1974 he attended the Advanced School of Infantry in Fort Benning, United States for a 12-month course.[3]

Aziza was posted to Warri as a Battalion Commander, then promoted and posted to Kano as Brigade major. He attended the Command and Staff College, Jaji (1978–1979), and was then posted to Army Headquarters responsible for movement and planning. In this role he handled troop movement planning for the Nigerian contingent in the United Nations' operations, UNIFIL, in Lebanon. Aziza served in the Provisional Ruling Council.

Senior army positions
Aziza was the Brigade Commander of the Amphibious Brigade in Calabar when he was appointed the first military administrator of Kebbi State, holding office from 28 August 1991 to January 1992, when he handed over to the elected civilian governor Abubakar Musa at the start of the aborted Nigerian Third Republic.

Aziza was a member of the group of officers that planned the coup in which General Sani Abacha took power.[4] He was Chairman of the Special Military Tribunal that convicted Olusegun Obasanjo and Major General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua for involvement in an alleged 1995 coup plot.[5] He was also head of a tribunal that tried six journalists for treason, based on publishing accounts of the coup. The trials were swift and the conclusion appeared to be decided in advance.

Aziza served as communications minister in the military regime of General Sani Abacha. In this role he revoked the licenses of 12 companies that had earlier been given the go-ahead to provide various telecommunications services. In March 1998 Aziza said that Nigeria was seeking six billion U.S. dollars to "meet our immediate requirements of over three million telephone lines and 200,000 cellular lines."[8] He was appointed Minister of Commerce and Tourism during the transitional regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar.

Later career
Aziza was required by President Olusegun Obasanjo to retire from the army in June 1999 after the return to democracy with the Nigerian Fourth Republic, along with other former military administrators. In October 2000 he appeared the Oputa panel on violation of human rights sitting in Abuja, investigating the Special Military Tribunal that sentenced Obasanjo to jail over the alleged 1995 coup.[11] He denied ordering torture in connection with the tribunal. In July 2001 the Justice Michael Edem Commission on the Cocoa Export Levy and Cocoa Buffer Stock Funds indicted Aziza for wrongly appropriating money while Minister of Trade and Tourism.

Aziza became a successful businessman, and also a successful amateur golfer. He was given the chieftaincy title of Ajaguna of Okukuland by the Olokuku of Okuku, Osun State, and was named a Commander of the Federal Republic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Aziza

RIP, sir!

He was also the head of military tribunal that sentenced Obasanjo and co. To death in 1995.

nurus: He was also the head of military tribunal that sentenced Obasanjo and co. To death in 1995.

Correct, he did a fine job according to Uniform Code of Military Justice enacted by OBJ and Yaradua during the Dimka coup.

Rip sar

Oh really? - Then he did a good job jailing Thief Obasanjo!

RIP

nurus: He was also the head of military tribunal that sentenced Obasanjo and co. To death in 1995.

Aziza: An Irreplaceable Statesman, Laments Uduaghan

Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has lamented the death of President General of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Maj. Gen. Patrick Aziza, describing him as an irreplaceable statesman.

Governor Uduaghan in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sunny Ogefere described the death of General Aziza as a big blow and irreparable loss to Nigeria, Delta State and the Urhobo nation.

Dr. Uduaghan noted that the loss itself was devastating but was 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 also described the late General Aziza as an industrialist whose business interests, ranging from hospitality, oil and gas among others helped to create employment for a sizeable number of Deltans.

"We will miss General Aziza's calm demeanour, wise counsels and stabilising role in the politics and governance of Delta State," he added.

Governor Uduaghan expressed his deep condolences to his immediate family, the Urhobo nation and the people of the State on the loss of General Aziza.

For Those pathological sympathisers like atlwireles & gangs, please of what use was General Patrick Aziza to the Urhobo nation?

Don't give me those Peemos shits as an achievement because he was living in Sapele when the town was turned into a Gangster paradise & he did nothing about it.


All the same, rip to the dead.

Omen100: For Those pathological sympathisers like atlwireles & gangs, please of what use was General Patrick Aziza to the Urhobo nation?

Don't give me those Peemos shits as an achievement because he was living in Sapele when the town was turned into a Gangster paradise & he did nothing about it.


All the same, rip to the dead.

Why can't people like you, learn to mind your business? Of what use are you to yourself. That should be your problem.

Omen100: For Those pathological sympathisers like atlwireles & gangs, please of what use was General Patrick Aziza to the Urhobo nation?

Don't give me those Peemos shits as an achievement because he was living in Sapele when the town was turned into a Gangster paradise & he did nothing about it.


All the same, rip to the dead.

what little have u done 4 d urhobo nation? Are u even urhobo sef?

jared007: what little have u done 4 d urhobo nation? Are u even urhobo sef?

What is it to you?

Is this not the ex-NSA that died about 5 years ago?
Are they turning him?

atlwireles:

What is it to you?

no try me o becos I was talking to THE OMEN!