Abba Kyari

Brigadier (retired) Abba Kyari (born 1938) was the first Governor of North-Central State, Nigeria after it had been formed from part of Northern Region during the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon.

Background
Abba Kyari was born in 1938. He attended Borno Middle School and Barewa College, Zaria. In 1959 he enlisted in the Nigerian Army as an Officer Cadet. He attended the 12th Regular Officers’ Training School, Teshia, Ghana (March 1959 - September 1959) and then the Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot, England (October 1959 - March 1960). Later he attended the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, Boston, USA. He held various appointments in the army, including Platoon Commander and then Transport Offices in the 1 Brigade Transport Company, 	Second-in-Command and then Commander in the Nigerian Army Artillery, commander of 1 Brigade, Kaduna and Commanding Officer 5th Battalion, Nigerian Army, Kano.

Gowon administration
During the outbreak of violence against the Igbo people in Northern and Central Nigeria in 1966, Abba Kyari assisted Igbo soldiers in escaping from Kaduna, including Major Samuel Ogbemudia, who later was appointed Governor of Mid-West State in September 1967 following the state's liberation from secessionist Biafran forces. General Yakubu Gowon appointed Colonel Kyari Governor of North-Central State in July 1967. As governor, he commissioned a master plan for the Kaduna metropolis, but in practice the plan was not followed by his successors. He was not tolerant of the free press. For example, in April 1975 he strongly attacked the New Nigerian for publishing a picture of officers attending a conference that mainly showed junior officers. Towards the end of Gowon's administration, Kyari was a cautious advocate of return to civilian rule.

Later career
Kyari led the Northern delegates to the 1994 National Constitutional Conference, and was appointed Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the conference. After retiring, he was appointed to the board of directors of First Bank of Nigeria, Standard Alliance Insurance and Merchant Bank of Commerce. He became Chairman of Gamah Flour Mills and of Alif Engineering and Construction.