Ibrahim Mahmud Alfa (14 August 1946 – 16 March 2000) was an air marshal in the Nigerian Air Force. He previously served as Military administrator of Kaduna State and Chief of Air Staff for the Nigerian Air Force. He died on 16 March 2000.

Early life

Born in Garkida, Adamawa State, he started his educational career at the Central Primary School,

Jimeta Jimeta is a town in Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria. The town's population was 73,080 in 1991. The elevation of Jimeta is 135 m, and it lies along the Benue River The Benue River (french: la Bénoué), previously known as the Chadda River or T ...

, Yola, in 1948 and went on to complete his primary and secondary school education in 1960 at Yola Middle School, later known as the Provincial Secondary School. Soon after his graduation, he enrolled for his Higher School Certificate (HSC) course in

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, which he completed in 1962.

Military career

Ibrahim Alfa was one of the pioneering sets of officer cadets who enlisted into the Nigeria Air force in June 1963. On 28 August 1963, he was flown, along with a team of 83 other Nigerians, to

Uetersen Uetersen (, formerly known as ''Ütersen (Holstein)'') is a town in the Pinneberg (district), district of Pinneberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approximately south of Elmshorn, and northwest of Hamburg at the small Pinnau Ri ...

, Germany, for Basic and Advance Military Training. He was in Germany until 21 June 1966, when he was recalled home with the team and commissioned into the

Nigerian Air Force The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is the air branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the youngest branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is one of the largest in Africa, consisting of about 15,000 personnel and aircraft including eight Chinese Che ...

with the rank of second lieutenant. At the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he commanded the NAF Detachment in

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...

. In 1967, Alfa attended the Conversion Course on MIG 15 and 17 in USSR. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 1969. In 1970 he was appointed the Commanding Officer, Nigerian Air force (NAF) Flying Training Wing, Kano. In 1972 he was promoted to the rank of Major. From December 1972 to August 1973, Ibrahim Alfa enrolled for the T-38 Instructor Pilot course at Lockheed and Randolph Air Force Base, in the United States. In 1973 he was appointed officer Commanding 64 Fighter Squadron, Kano, Nigeria. In November 1974 he attended a conversion course on MiG 21 followed by a back seat check in USSR. In 1975 he was promoted Wing Commander. He was appointed a member of the Supreme Military Council between 1976-78 as one of its younger members with the rank of Wing Commander. During this period, he attended the Advanced Staff College, l, England. In 1978 Alfa was promoted to the rank of Group-Captain and he was also appointed as the Military Administrator of Kaduna State by the then Head of State, General

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its pres ...

, where he also took charge as Commander, Ground Training Group in Kaduna. In June 1980, he enrolled at the Air War College in Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, USA. On his return from the Air War College in 1981, Ibrahim Alfa was appointed the Air Officer Operations (AOO), with the rank of Air Commodore. In 1982, he attended the International Defence Management Course, Lagos, Nigeria. In 1983 Alfa was promoted to the rank of Air Vice Marshal. On 1 January 1984, he was appointed the eighth Chief of Air Staff by General Muhammadu Buhari's regime. After General Ibrahim Babangida took power in August 1985, he retained Alfa as Chief of Air Staff. On 1 October 1987, Ibrahim Mahmud Alfa was promoted to the rank of Air Marshal, the first Nigerian Air force officer ever to attain the rank. Alfa retired from the Nigerian air force as the Chief of Air Staff in 1990. Ibrahim Mahmud Alfa also served as a member of the supreme military council from 1984-85, the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) 1985-90 as well as the chairman of the National Transition Committee in 1990.

Military Administrator of Kaduna state

In July 1978, Alfa was appointed military Administrator (position now called Governor) of

Kaduna State Kaduna State ( ha, Jihar Kaduna جىِهَر كَدُنا; ff, Leydi Kaduna, script=Latn, ; kcg, Sitet Kaduna) is a state in northern Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna which happened to be the 8th largest city in ...

, a position he held until October 1979.

Chief of Air Staff, Nigerian Air force

Alfa was appointed the eighth Chief of Air Staff, Nigerian Air Force, under General

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015. Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 Au ...

’s regime on 1 January 1984. He was retained as Chief of Air Staff during General

Ibrahim Babangida Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (born 17 August, 1941) is a retired Nigerian Army general and politician. He served as military president of Nigeria from 1985 until his resignation in 1993. He rose through the ranks to serve from 1984 to 1985 as Ch ...

’s administration until 1990.

Personal life

Ibrahim Alfa was married to Laraba, they had three sons and one daughter together.

Awards

Air Marshal Alfa (Rtd.) received several awards and medals. In alphabetical order they include: *Defence Service Medal (DSM) 40px, Defence Service Medal (Nigeria) *Distinguished Flying Star (DFS) *Distinguished Service Medals (DSM) *General Service Medal (GSM) 40px, General Service Medal (Nigeria) *Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) *National Service Medal (NSM) 40px, National Service Medal (Nigeria) *Republic Medal (RM)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfa, Ibrahim Mahmud 1946 births Nigerian Air Force air marshals 2000 deaths Governors of Kaduna State Barewa College alumni People from Adamawa State