Umaru Mutallab
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Alhaji Hajji (; sometimes spelled Hajjeh, Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al-Hadj, Al-Haj or El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. Etymology ''Hajji'' is derived from the Arabic ' (), which i ...
Umaru Abdul Mutallab (born 15 December 1939) is a Nigerian businessman and financier, who served under the
military government A military government is any government that is administered by a military, whether or not this government is legal under the laws of the jurisdiction at issue or by an occupying power. It is usually administered by military personnel. Types of m ...
of General
Murtala Mohammed Murtala Ramat Muhammed (; 8 November 1938 – 13 February 1976) was a Nigerian military officer and the fourth head of state of Nigeria. He led the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup in overthrowing the military regime of Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi a ...
and
Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...
. Mutallab was described by ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' as "among Nigeria's richest and most prominent men", by ''
The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
'' as being "one of Nigeria's most prominent bankers", and by ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' as being "one of the country's most respected businessmen". His son,
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (; also known as Umar Abdul Mutallab and Omar Farooq al-Nigeri; born 22 December 1986) popularly referred to as the "Underwear Bomber" or "Christmas Bomber", is a Nigerian terrorist who attempted to detonate plastic exp ...
(the Christmas bomber) attempted to detonate
plastic explosive Plastic explosive is a soft and hand-moldable solid form of explosive material. Within the field of explosives engineering, plastic explosives are also known as putty explosives or blastics. Plastic explosives are especially suited for explos ...
s aboard
Northwest Airlines Flight 253 The attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 occurred on December 25, 2009, aboard an Airbus A330 as it prepared to land at Detroit Metropolitan Airport following a transatlantic flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Amsterd ...
on 25 December 2009 and is currently serving four life term sentences plus 50 years without parole at
ADX Florence United States Penitentiary, Administrative Maximum Facility (abbreviated as USP Florence ADMAX; commonly known as ADX Florence, Florence Supermax, and the Alcatraz of the Rockies) is a United States federal prison in Fremont County, Colorado, op ...
, a supermax federal prison in the United States.


Biography

Mutallab was born to the family of Abdul Mutallab Barade, an officer in the Funtua Works Dept. He lives in
Funtua Funtua is a local government area in Katsina State, Nigeria, and is headquartered in the town of Funtua on the A126 highway. It is one of the premier local governments in Nigeria created after the local government reforms in 1976. It is the he ...
, in
Katsina State Katsina State ( ; 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤢𞥁𞤭𞤲𞤢) is a state in the northwestern geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is bordered to the west by Zamfara State, to the east by Kano and Jigawa states, and to the south by Kaduna St ...
in Northern Nigeria, though reportedly the family owns homes in London and Ghana as well. The family owns at least three homes in Nigeria (in
Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...
,
Funtua Funtua is a local government area in Katsina State, Nigeria, and is headquartered in the town of Funtua on the A126 highway. It is one of the premier local governments in Nigeria created after the local government reforms in 1976. It is the he ...
, and Kaduna).


Education

He attended
Barewa College Barewa College is a college in Zaria, Kaduna State, northern Nigeria. Founded in 1921 by British Governor General Hugh Clifford, it was originally known as Katsina College. It switched its name to Kaduna College in 1938 and to Government College ...
,
Zaria Zaria is a List of Nigerian cities by population, metropolitan city in Nigeria, located at present time within four local government areas in Kaduna State. It serves as the capital of the Zazzau Emirate Council and is one of the original sev ...
,
Achimota College Achimota School ( /ɑːtʃimoʊtɑː/ ), formerly Prince of Wales College and School at Achimota, later Achimota College, now nicknamed Motown, is a co-educational boarding school located at Achimota in Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana. The school ...
,
Accra, Ghana Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population ...
, and the South West London College, London. He was awarded an honorary doctoral degree by the
Obafemi Awolowo University Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal university in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife by the regional government of Western Nigeria, which w ...
, Ile-Ife.


Career

After completing his school certificate examinations in December 1959, Mutallab began work as a clerk with the firm of Pannell, Fitzpatrick and Company in Kaduna in January 1960. He then travelled for further studies, returning to Nigeria in 1968, when he was appointed Chief Accountant of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria. In 1971, he became the financial controller of the New Nigerian Development Company in Kaduna, before becoming the companies general manager in 1975. Mutallab served as a government minister under General
Murtala Mohammed Murtala Ramat Muhammed (; 8 November 1938 – 13 February 1976) was a Nigerian military officer and the fourth head of state of Nigeria. He led the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup in overthrowing the military regime of Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi a ...
and General
Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...
between 1975 and 1978. First as Federal Commissioner (''i.e.'', Minister) of Economic Development (1975), he was relieved of the position after the 1976 military coup d'état attempt that led to the death of General
Murtala Mohammed Murtala Ramat Muhammed (; 8 November 1938 – 13 February 1976) was a Nigerian military officer and the fourth head of state of Nigeria. He led the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup in overthrowing the military regime of Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi a ...
.Seye Kehinde. (22 January 1990). Umaru Mutallab: Man of Figures. ThisWeek, P. 29. However, he was later named the new Minister of Cooperatives and Supplies (1976). In 1978, he left the cabinet and was made executive vice-chairman, managing director, and CEO of the
United Bank for Africa United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) is a multinational pan-African financial services group headquartered in Lagos Island, Lagos and known as Africa’s Global Bank. It has subsidiaries in 20 African countries and offices in London, Paris and New ...
(UBA). He held the office until 1988, and was a major financier of the 1979 presidential election, which brought the
National Party of Nigeria The National Party of Nigeria (NPN) was the dominant political party in Nigeria during the Second Republic (1979–1983). History Formation The party's beginning could be traced to private and sometimes secret meetings among key Northern Nigeri ...
to power in the Second Republic led by President
Shehu Shagari Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari (; 25 February 1925 – 28 December 2018) was a Nigerian politician who was the first democratically elected president of Nigeria, after the transfer of power by Military Head of State of Nigeria, military head of sta ...
. Mutallab has also served on the boards of directors of several companies, including Arewa Textile Limited,
NEPA The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a United States environmental law designed to promote the enhancement of the environment. It created new laws requiring List of federal agencies in the United States, U.S. federal government agenc ...
, NACB, NCC, Nigeria
Agip Agip S.p.A., acronym for Azienda generale italiana petroli, was an Italian automotive gasoline, Diesel fuel, diesel, Liquefied petroleum gas, LPG, lubricants, fuel oil, and bitumen retailer established in 1926 and Subsidiary company, subsidiary ...
Oil, and Cement Company of Nigeria, From 1999 to 2009, he was the chairman of
First Bank of Nigeria First Bank of Nigeria is a multinational bank and financial services company with headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria. First Bank was founded in 1894 by Sir Alfred Jones and is currently owned by First HoldCo PLC, which in itself has diversified own ...
Plc, Nigeria's oldest and largest bank. In 2009 was he chairman of several companies, including Impresit Bakolori Plc, Incar Nigeria Plc, and Spring Waters Nigeria Limited (SWAN). He is the major shareholder in Barade Holdings and Barumark Investment and Development Company. Muttalab played a major role in introducing
Islamic banking Islamic banking, Islamic finance ( ''masrifiyya 'islamia''), or Sharia-compliant finance is banking or financing activity that complies with Sharia (Islamic law) and its practical application through the development of Islamic economics. Some ...
into Nigeria, and he is the chairman of the Nigeria's first Islamic bank, Jaiz Bank International Plc, which was established in 2003. Mutallab is chairman of the Business Working Group of the Vision 20:2020 Committee in Nigeria, and president of the Old Boys Association of Barewa College. He is a Fellow of both the
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is the global professional accounting body offering the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification (CCA). Founded in 1904, It is now the fourth-largest professional accounting body ...
(FCCA) and the
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) is a professional accountancy body in Nigeria. It is one of the two professional accountancy associations with regulatory authority in Nigeria, the other being the Association of National A ...
(FCA). Mutallab was awarded the title of Commander of the
Order of the Niger The Order of the Niger (OON) is the second highest Award, national award in Nigeria. It was instituted in 1963 and is junior to the Order of the Federal Republic, the highest order of merit in the country. Award The two highest honours, the Gr ...
, one of Nigeria's highest honours.


Personal life

Though very religious, Mutallab does not consider himself a religious extremist, explaining that he learned the capacity for tolerance while attending Barewa College which had students from many parts of the country and 'gives' a feeling of togetherness. He is also a member of the Kaduna Mafia, a loose group of Nigerian businessmen, civil servants, intellectuals and
military officers An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...
from
Northern Nigeria Northern Nigeria (or Arewa, Arewancin Nijeriya) was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962, it acquired t ...
, who resided or conducted their activities in Kaduna, the former capital of the region towards the end of the First Republic. Mutallab was a close friend and associate of the mafia's financier Hamza Zayyad, who convinced him to take on accounting as a profession.


Son: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

Mutallab had agreed in July 2009 to allow his son,
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (; also known as Umar Abdul Mutallab and Omar Farooq al-Nigeri; born 22 December 1986) popularly referred to as the "Underwear Bomber" or "Christmas Bomber", is a Nigerian terrorist who attempted to detonate plastic exp ...
, the youngest of his 16 children and a son of the second of his two wives (who is from
Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
), to return to the Sanaʽa Institute for the Arabic Language in Yemen to study Arabic from August to September 2009.Sengupta, Kim; Usborne, David (28 December 2009)
"Nigerian in aircraft attack linked to London mosque"
''The Independent'', accessed 28 December 2009
His son apparently left the institute after a month, while remaining in Yemen. In October, his son sent him a text message saying that he wanted to study ''
sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...
'' and Arabic in a seven-year course in Yemen. His father threatened to cut off his funding, whereupon his son said he was "already getting everything for free". Mutallab reported to two
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
officers at the
US Embassy The United States has the second largest number of active diplomatic posts of any country in the world after the People's Republic of China, including 272 bilateral posts (embassies and consulates) in 174 countries, as well as 11 permanent miss ...
in
Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
, on 19 November 2009, regarding his son's "extreme religious views", and told the embassy that he might be in Yemen. His son's name was added in November 2009 to the US's 550,000-name
Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment The Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE) is the U.S. government's central database on known or suspected ''international'' terrorists, and contains highly classified information provided by members of the Intelligence Community such a ...
, a database of the US
National Counterterrorism Center The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) is a United States government organization responsible for national and international counterterrorism efforts. It is based in Liberty Crossing in McLean, Virginia. The NCTC advises the United States ...
. His US visa was not revoked. On 25 December 2009, Umar was implicated in the attempted bombing of
Northwest Airlines Flight 253 The attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 occurred on December 25, 2009, aboard an Airbus A330 as it prepared to land at Detroit Metropolitan Airport following a transatlantic flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Amsterd ...
.


References


External links


Mutallab, an accomplished banker


* * Egene, Goddy,

" '' ThisDay'' via AllAfrica.com, 28 December 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mutallab, Umaru 1939 births Living people Federal ministers of Nigeria Nigerian bankers Nigerian economists Nigerian accountants Nigerian Muslims People from Katsina Commanders of the Order of the Niger Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Barewa College alumni Alumni of Achimota School Nigerian financiers Nigerian chairpersons of corporations