Umaru Dikko

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Umaru Dikko (born 1936, Wamba) is a Nigerian politician and was a trusted adviser to President Shehu Shagari. He was also the Nigerian minister for Transportation from 1979-1983.

He started playing a role in the nation's governance when he was appointed as a commissioner in the North Central State of Nigeria in 1967. He was also secretary of a committee set up by General Hassan Katsina to unite northerners after the coup of 1966. In 1979, he was made campaign manager for the successful presidential campaign of the National Party of Nigeria. During the nation's second republic, he played prominent roles as a minister and head of the presidential task force on Rice under President Shagari. A coup on December 31, 1983 overthrew the government of Shagari, Dikko then fled for exile with a few other party officials. On July 5, 1984, he was found drugged in a crate labeled diplomatic baggage at the Stansted Airport, an apparent victim of a government sanctioned but aborted kidnapping. The crate's destination was to a minister in Lagos.

[edit] References

• Quentin Peel, "Why Dikko was seized; KIDNAP IN LONDON", Financial Times (London,England), July 7, 1984
• JO THOMAS, "BRITISH SEEK FOUR MORE IN KIDNAPPING OF NIGERIAN", The New York Times, July 12, 1984