Murtala Hamman-Yero Nyako was born at Mayo-Belwa, Adamawa State on 27 August 1943. His father, Alhaji Hamman-Yero, was a notable merchant and produce buying agent, whose mercantile activities was directly responsible for the establishment of John Holts and Sons Ltd centre at Mayo-Belwa. His mother, Hajiya Maryam Daso, was a housewife who was keen on Islamic studies and herbal medicine.
Murtala Nyako’s earliest education were at Mayo-Belwa Elementary School in January 1952. In the year 1958, Murtala Nyako had his secondary school education in Yola Middle School.
In June 1963, after his secondary school, he joined the Nigerian Navy as a cadet officer, there after, he proceeded for his officer training which he had at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, England in September 1963. On September 1965, he was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant.
Nyako returned to Nigeria in October 1966 to serve in the Nigerian Navy until September 1993. During that period, he held a number of on-board and shore appointments. He was at one time a Commanding Officer of a Patrol craft, a Landing craft and the first missile carrying ship of the Nigerian Navy. In February 1976, General Murtala Muhammad appointed Nyako governor of the newly formed Niger State, which had been split out from Sokoto State. He served in this post until December 1977. Later he became the Chief of Naval Operations at the Naval Headquarters, the Flag Officer Commanding the Western Naval Command and the Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Training Command from where he was appointed the Chief of Naval Staff in January 1990. Two years later, he was appointed the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff and retired from the Service in September 1993 with the rank of Vice Admiral.
Murtala Nyako was also seriously engaged in agriculture. He deals in both livestock like cattle rearing and horticultural crops farming. He exported musk melons to Europe in a commercial quantity in January 1990. He also exported mangoes from his mango orchard of 50,000 trees to Europe in the year 1993.
In the year 2006, he joined politics. He contested and was elected Governor of Adamawa State in April 2007. In February 2008 his election was nullified by the Election Petition Appeal Tribunal. Later, a fresh election was re-scheduled, and Nyako was reelected. Consequently, he resumed office on April 29, 2008.
Nyako is the President of the Horticultural Crops Growers Association of Nigeria, the Practicing Farmers Association of Nigeria and the Apex Farmers Association of Nigeria. He is a patron of numerous farmers' commodity associations in the country. Admiral is a successful integrated farmer of international repute. He is sole owner of one of the largest dairy farm in the country, Sebore (EPZ) Farms. In addition, Nyako owns the largest mango farm in the country leading to him being known as Baba Mai Mangoro (BMM)
(Organising Nigerian farmers for greater productive effici...)
2001("The Nigeria federal government's policy and strategy tow...)
1975(Admiral, patriot, gentleman: Vice Admiral M.A.H. Nyako ; ...)
1993(28 pages)
2012Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State has dismissed as fictitious, allegations that his government was discriminating against Christians, saying he was not a religious bigot. Nyako said all religious groups were given equal opportunities to practise their religions without let or hindrance, in accordance with the Nigerian Constitution. The governor also denied allegations that he refused to sign the Certificates of Occupancy, C-of-O, for Christian groups in Adamawa State, describing it as utterly false.
In a statement signed by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Mallam Ahmad Sajo, Nyako noted: “With concern, the deliberate falsehood being promoted by a group called Christian Elders Forum of Northern States which stated that the state government was discriminating against Christian minorities.
“This is not only blatantly false but a clear indication that the group has motives other than the promotion of peace and peaceful co-existence in our state. Their assertion is totally at variance with realities on ground in Adamawa State.” Nyako said the use of minorities in Adamawa State was a misnomer as the 21 local governments in the state have large and fair distribution of Muslims, Christians and other religions. He said: “The term Christian minorities is a misnomer in Adamawa State because we have 21 local government areas and about one-third is predominantly Moslim populated; another one-third predominantly Christian dominated while the remaining one-third has nearly equal populations of both. “The first eight years of the current democratic dispensation had a Christian governor in the state. “The first four years of Murtala Nyako’s leadership had a Christian Deputy Governor and a Christian Speaker of the House of Assembly and the Secretary to the State Government and Head of Service were all Christians. We have eight first class traditional rulers in Adamawa State, four are Muslims and four are Christians. ’’We are not aware of any outstanding C-of-O of any Christian group in Adamawa State. As a matter of fact, Governor Murtala Nyako had even given his personal piece of land to a Christian group while serving as governor. “Both the Commissioner for Higher Education, Dr. Drambi Ngidda and the Commissioner of Education, Mr. Gabriel Hamman Adama, are devoted Christians who will never superintend over a system that discriminates against any group in the education sector and the education policy of Adamawa State is and remains the same under the current democratic dispensation from 1999 when a Christian was governor to date.”
His political views are clearly seen during his time as a political leader. In February 2008 the Election Petition AppeaThe report found the governor guilty of all the 16 allegations of gross misconduct leveled against him by the House. Tribunal upheld nullification of his election, and the House Speaker James Barka was sworn in as Acting Governor on 26 February 2008. A fresh election was run, and Nyako was reelected with a landslide victory taking all 21 Local Government Areas, resuming office on 29 April 2008. Soon after, the House initiated moves to impeach Nyako, but was dissuaded after the personal intervention of President Umaru Yar'Adua. The relationship improved, and in March 2010 the Adamawa State House of Assembly passed a vote of confidence in Governor Nyako describing the Governor as a "messiah" to the people of the state. In 2012 after the Governor first tenure, he ran for a second term and was once again re-elected. On July 15, 2014, the governor was impeached as the state House of Assembly deliberated on the report of an investigative panel that probed allegations of financial misconduct against him.
Quotations:
“There have been attempts to assassinate the Senate President (Northerner) in Imo State, two Executive Governors of States in the North (the Governor of Benue State and my humble self), two of our most prominent Traditional leaders (Shehu of Borno and the Emir of Kano), Senators and others too numerous to mention, all from Northern Nigeria.”
“We no longer accept let alone believe that our prominent Mallams in the Mosques in Kano and Zaria have been killed by ‘innocent’ Boko-Haram members or Christians in the North, nor do we believe that the killing of the Pastor and other worshippers in the Christ Apostolic Church in Jimeta-Yola was done by any Muslim or Boko-Haram members.”
“the Administration has hired militia from all across especially North Africa who have been deceived into accepting to come because they were made to believe that they would be fighting infidels.”
“Fulani communities in parts of the North who have been in their locations for over 100 years are now being raided and uprooted by paid killers within the Nigerian Army for the satisfaction of the Federal administration.”
He has four wives, and children
