Following recent reorganisation in the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), Brig Gen Samaila Uba on Tuesday took over as the new Director of Defence Information from Brig Gen Tukur Gusau at a brief ceremony held at Defence Headquarters.

Speaking at the occasion, Uba pledged to operate under 4 strategic priorities, namely unity of purpose, timeliness and transparency, digital innovation and media collaboration.

He appreciated his predecessor for his modest achievement during his tour of duty and wished him the best in his future endeavours.

Uba was born on 1 July 1968 in Tudun Wada Nassarawa Local Government Area of Kano State to the family of Alhaji and Mrs Uba. He began his military career at the prestigious Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of Short Service Combatant Course 30.

He was commissioned as a 2Lt on 13 Mar 93 and posted to the Directorate of Army Public Relations and later redeployed to the Infantry Corps.

In his search for knowledge, the senior officer attended several institutions with corresponding qualifications. Some of these institutions include: Tudun Wada Primary School, Kano and Saint Thomas Secondary School, Kano, for his First School Leaving Certificate and West African School Certificate in 1981 and 1986, respectively.

Uba eventually proceeded to Bayero University Kano, where he bagged a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Mass Communications in 1990.

The senior officer also attended the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration for his Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Administration in 2009, as well as the Bangladesh University of Professionals for his Master’s degree in Strategic and Development Studies in 2019.

In the course of his illustrious career, Brig Gen Uba has attended all courses relevant to his career progression in the Nigerian Army, including the Senior Staff Course at Ghana Armed Forces Command & Staff College and National Defence Course at the National Defence College, Bangladesh.

He has held several appointments in command, staff and instruction. Key among these include: Officer in Charge of Administration at the defunct Infantry Centre and School, Officer in Charge of Demonstration Company, Depot Nigerian Army and Commander 401 Special Forces Brigade at Cross Kauwa Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno state.

While the Brigade Commander, Uba, gave a good account of himself by exhibiting a high level of professionalism and tactical acumen, by denied the ISWAP/JAS terrorists freedom of action while sustaining an excellent civil-military cooperation with the host community. He was also the contingent Public Relations Officer to the Nigerian Contingent, United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda and Public Relations Officer to one-time Chief of Army Staff, where he sustained the projection of a positive image of his principals.

Uba was a distinguished member of the Directing Staff and Chief Instructor at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji. Owing to his intellectual capacity and proficiency, the senior officer was also seconded to the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, as the DHQ Training Team Leader to train Nigerian Customs officers in command and staff responsibilities.

He was also the Deputy Director Peace Keeping Operations and Director Personnel Services, both at Army Headquarters in the Department of Operations and Department of Army Administration, respectively. Until he was appointed the Director of Defence Information, Brig Gen Uba was the Director Department of Joint Studies at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji.

The senior officer is a proud recipient of several awards, medals and decorations. Some of these include Grand Service Star, Distinguished Service Star, Field Command Medal, Passed Staff Course double dagger (++), National Defence College (Bangladesh), Nigerian Army Outstanding Tactical Command Medal and the Chief of Army Staff Commendation Award Medal.

Uba belongs to several professional bodies, including Fellow Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Member Nigerian Institute of Management, Member Nigerian Army Resource Centre and Associate Member Nigerian Society of International Affairs. (TRIBUNE)