…He Is A Reformer, Bridge Builder, Says Journalist
A former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Aliyu Atta, has been receiving encomium from influential Nigerians and Police officers who served under him as he marked his 88th birthday.
Among them is another former IGP, Dr Solomon Arase, who shared a glowing report, describing Attah as a ‘trailblazer.”
Atta was appointed IGP in 1990 to succeed Muhammadu Gambo Jimeta and was succeeded by Ibrahim Coomassie in 1993. He is the 8th IGP, born 12th in May, 1937, from Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria.
Attah joined the Police during the British colonial era. His father, a monarch, had earlier wanted him to study Medicine. He served in different positions as a police officer and went overseas for further training and courses.
He went to the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, where he was promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG). He took over from IGP Gambo Jimeta.
Atta, who retired in 1993, established a community bank for the police through the support of the then Minister of Finance, Abubakar Alhaji, and the then governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ahmed Abdulkadir.
He also organised the first-ever police sports fiesta, tagged Rivers ’92 and established the Police Cooperative Society.
Speaking with Daily Trust on the Police Sports Fiesta, Atta said: “I had attended an Interpol 50th anniversary in Vienna, Austria in 1973, where I learnt how to make it possible. When I became the IGP, I consolidated it. Also, the Police Insurance Scheme came to fruition despite cynicism from some police personnel.”
Singing a birthday song for Atta, Arase, tunes: “As you mark your 88th birthday today, I join your family, friends, and admirers across the world in celebrating a man whose name is etched in the golden annals of the Nigeria Police Force.
“Your legacy as the 8th Indigenous IGP remains a beacon of professionalism, discipline, and service. You led with clarity of purpose and unshakable integrity, leaving behind a Force enriched by your vision and steadied by your wisdom.
“Your calm strength and commitment to nation-building inspired not only those who served under you but also generations that followed in your footsteps, myself included.
Even in retirement, your stature as a statesman, mentor, and patriot has remained undiminished. On this auspicious occasion, I pray that the Almighty continues to preserve you in health, happiness, and peace. Happy 88th Birthday, Sir. The Nigeria Police Force and the nation at large are proud of you.”
According to Arase, Atta, aside from being an innovative and hardworking person, valued education and intentionally enhanced those with education to progress.
“He is a reformist and a progressive,” Arase enthuses.
A veteran Journalist, Mr Attah Folurusho, said of the birthday celebrant: “Alhaji Aliyu Ibrahim Atta was appointed as IGP by Military President Ibrahim Babangida in 1990 to succeed Mohammed Jimeta Gambo.
“A reformer and a bridge builder, Atta mooted the idea of promotion courses for higher cadre of police officers. This, in essence, is that for senior officers from Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP, to Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG, to be elevated to the next rank, they must attend various courses at the police Staff School in Jos. According to Atta’s blueprint, such will equip officers for future leadership positions.
Atta also fought the authority over the quota system. He believes promotion of officers must be done on merits. The Aliyu Atta era (1990-1993) was peaceful. The crime level in the country was at the lowest ebb.
“One of his greatest achievements is the establishment of the Nigeria Police Micro Finance Bank, NPFMFB. Today, the bank is stronger and healthier than some of the nation’s commercial banks.”
