Suraj Abdurrahman

Suraj Alao Abdurrahman (9 September 1954 – 28 January 2015), was a Nigerian Army general [1] who served as the Command Officer in Charge of the Armed Forces of Liberia, with former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf the Commander-in-Chief. [2][3] According to then-President Sirleaf Johnson, “General Suraj Abdurrahman’s exceptional dedication to service endeared him to Liberians, and we honored him with the Distinguished Service Order which is Liberia’s highest military honor, and then, the national honor of Knight Commander in the Humane Order of African Redemption in 2009 and 2014 respectively. He was an exceedingly exceptional gentlemen officer whose contributions lifted Armed Forces of Liberia to professional greatness and emplace our military amongst UN peacekeepers”. [4][5][6]

Abdurrahman, as Command Officer-in-Charge of the AFL, hands over a guidon to personnel of the reactivated Liberian National Coast Guard, 16 April 2010.

History

Abdurrahman was born in Kaduna where he had his primary education at LEA Primary School, before proceeding to Keffi Government College for his secondary education. He graduated with division 1 distinction in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination in 1972. He thereafter proceeded to the School of Basic Studies of the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria until July 1973 when he was admitted into the Nigeria Defence Academy in Kaduna as a member of the 14th regular Combatant Course. In 1975, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Nigeria Army Corps of Engineers. Abdurrahman held multiple commands, instructor and staff appointments in the course of his career both locally and internationally. In January 2007, he became the Chief of Policy and Plans for the Nigerian Army. It was from that post that he was appointed the Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL). He effectively commanded the AFL from 6 June 2007 to 11 Feb 2014, when he handed over to a Liberian Officer.

In the course of his Service, General Abdurrahman attended various military and civil courses. He was an alumnus of the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineers (NASME). Nigerian Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) as well as the National War College where he graduated with distinction. The General returned to the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria for his BSc: (Arch.) in 1979 and M.Sc. (Arch.) in 1981, capping it with a Ph.D. (Arch.) from the Herriot-Wyatt University in Edinburgh (UK) In 1985. [7][4]

Personal life

He was survived by his wife, Fatima Wali- Abdurrahman and his four sons, Surajudeen, Abduljabbar, Abdulaziz and Abdulmalik. [4]

Honors and awards

The General received the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) conferred on him by the Nigerian President in 2014. He was also the recipient of the National Honour Award of “Knight Commander” in the Humane Order of African redemption by the President of Liberia in 2014, Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) from Nigeria in 2007 and the Liberia’s highest military honour, the Distinguish Service Order (DSO) from the president of Liberia in 2009. [8][4]

Appointments
  • GSO 3 Training, HQ Nigerian Army Engineers, Lagos 1976/77.
  • Staff Officer Architecture Army HQ, Lagos 1981/83.
  • Instructor, School of Military Engineering, Makurdi 1986/88.
  • Commanding Officer, 21 Support Engineer Regiment, Kaduna 1989/91.
  • Military Observer, UN Iraq Kuwait Observer Mission, 1991/92.
  • Commanding Officer, 13 Field Engineer Regiment, Jos 1992/93.
  • Directing Staff, Command & Staff College, Jaji 1993/95.
  • Directing Staff, Ghana Command & Staff College, Teshi 1995/97.
  • Colonel Personnel Services, Army HQ, Lagos 1997/99.
  • Commander, 43 Engineer Brigade, Jos 1999/2000.
  • Director Army Real Estate, Army Engineer HQ, Lagos 2001/2002.
  • Directing Staff, National War College, Abuja 2002/2004.
  • Director of Operations, DAOPs (AHQ), Abuja 2004.
  • Director of Policy (DHQ) 2005.
  • Chief of Army Standards and Evaluation 2006 to the point he left for Liberia. [8]

References
  1. "Major General Suraj Alao Abdurrahman". www.bundesheer.at. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  2. Press, C. Q. (10 May 2013). Worldwide Government Directory with Intergovernmental Organizations 2013. CQ Press. ISBN 978-1-4522-9937-2.
  3. "allafrica.com". 29 January 2015. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016.
  4. Chila Andrew Aondofa. "Maj General Suraj Abdurrahman: Commanding Officer, Armed Forces of Liberia [2007-2014]". TheAbusites. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  5. "President Sirleaf Consoles Nigeria Following The Death Of Chief Of Staff Abdurrahman". www.mofa.gov.lr. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  6. "Liberia: Former Liberian Army Chief, Abdurrahman, Dies in New York", FrontPageAfrica, 29 January 2015
  7. Suraj Alao Abdurahmann. The Housing of Soldiers in Military Barracks. Heriot-Watt University. Retrieved February 2014. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  8. "Immediate Past COS – Ministry of Defense". Retrieved 5 May 2020.
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