Abdulsalami Abubakar, a retired Nigerian army general, served as the 11th Head of State of Nigeria from 1998 to 1999. He succeeded General Sanni Abacha's regime and facilitated the transition of power to the democratically elected president, Olusegun Obasanjo.
Born on June 13, 1942, in Minna, Niger state, Nigeria, Abdulsalami Abubakar was the son of Abubakar Jibrin and Fatikande Mohammed. He received his primary education at Minna Native Authority Primary School and pursued his secondary education at Government College, Bida. Later, from January to October 1963, he attended Kaduna Technical College.
Abdulsalami Abubakar commenced his military career by joining the Nigerian Air Force in October 1963, and subsequently, he became a Cadet officer in the Nigerian Army in 1966. In 1999, he oversaw the peaceful transition of power to the democratically elected civilian government and subsequently retired from the army.