Mansur Muhammad Dan Ali (born 25 August 1959) is a retired

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the largest component of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The President of Nigeria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Army, and its professional head is the Chie ...

brigadier general and former

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

of Nigeria appointed by President

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general, he was the military head of state of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 Augu ...

in November 2015.

Early life and education

Dan-Ali was born on August 25, 1959, in

Zamfara State Zamfara (; ; Adlam script, Adlam: ) is a States of Nigeria, state in northwestern Nigeria. The capital of Zamfara state is Gusau and its current List of Governors of Zamfara State, governor is Dauda Lawal. Until 1996, the area was part of Soko ...

. He attended Birnin Magaji Town Primary School (1966 -1972) for his elementary education and Government Secondary School, Shinkafi (1972-1977) for his secondary education. He received his Higher National Diploma (HND) in Photogrammetric and Surveying from

Kaduna Polytechnic Kaduna Polytechnic is one of the earliest polytechnics in Nigeria, located in Tudun Wada (Kaduna State), Tudun Wada area of Kaduna South local government of Kaduna state, Northern Region, Nigeria, North-Western Nigeria. History It was establi ...

(1977-1982) and possesses a master's degrees in Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) from

Bayero University Kano The Bayero University Kano (BUK) is a university situated in Kano, Kano State, Nigeria. It was founded in 1975, when it was renamed from Bayero University College and upgraded from university college to university. It is the first university i ...

(2004-2005) and a master's degree in Security Studies from the

Bangladesh University of Professionals Bangladesh University of Professionals () (abbreviated as BUP) is a public university in Mirpur Cantonment of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. Established on 5 June 2008, it is controlled by the Bangladesh Armed Forces and is affiliated w ...

(2009).

Army career

Dan Ali was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the

in 1984 through the Short Service Commission at the

Nigerian Defence Academy The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) is a military university based in Kaduna, Nigeria, that trains officer cadets for commissioning into one of the three services of the Nigerian Armed Forces: the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. The duration ...

. Dan-Ali has served in different command and staff capacities, some of which include commanding the Nigerian contingent supporting the United Nations Africa Hybrid Mission in Sudan. Dan Ali was on the Directing Staff of the

Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji The Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji is a training facility for the Nigerian Armed Forces, including the army, air force and navy. It is near the village of Jaji, Nigeria, about northeast of Kaduna in the Igabi Local Government Area ...

from 2003 -2005 and was Chief Instructor (CI) at the

in 2010. He was also Acting Director Military Training before getting posted to the Ministry of Defence's Logistics Department as Deputy Director. He retired from the Nigerian Army on August 30, 2013.

Minister of Defence

Dan Ali was confirmed as a Cabinet Minister by the Nigerian Senate in October 2015 and was appointed Minister of Defence by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dan Ali, Mansur 1959 births Living people Defence ministers of Nigeria Nigerian generals Instructors at the Nigerian Armed Forces Command and Staff College Nigerian Defence Academy alumni Nigerian Defence Academy people Kaduna Polytechnic alumni Bayero University Kano alumni Federal ministers of Nigeria Buhari administration personnel People from Zamfara State