A retired Major General Abdullahi Iyanda Muraina in Nigerian Army and the owner of popular event centre and hotel in Ibadan is dead.
The Ibadan-born ex-military officer, according to sources, died in Dubai in the United Arab Emirate (UAE) on Friday.
The retired major-general halls from Adeoyo area in the present Ibadan North Local government area of Oyo state.
Muraina was until his death the president and chairman of the Council of Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered).
The cause of the death of the retired major-general has not been ascertained as at the time of filing this report on Friday.
It was gathered on Friday evening that he died in United Arab Emirates, Dubai.
Before his death, Major General AI Muraina (Rtd) had an early Koranic education and attended the Islamic Mission School, Odoye Ibadan for his primary education before proceeding to the Nigerian Military School, Zaria for his secondary education between 1972 and 1976. He was at the Polytechnic Ibadan for his Advanced Level course between 1976 and 1978. Due to his search for more academic laurels, Muraina later proceeded to the prestigious University of Lagos where he obtained a B.Sc. in Accounting and then to University of Ilorin for Master of Business Administration.
Muraina had a distinguished career in the Nigerian Army and retired voluntarily after 35 years of meritorious service as a Major General. He was until his retirement from the Nigerian Army in September 2014, the Chief of Accounts and Budget (Army). Some of the positions he held during his illustrious career included but were not limited to Instructor, Nigerian Army School of Finance and Administration; Military Assistant to the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company; Bills Officer, Command Finance Office (CFO); Cashier, Directorate of Military Pensions (DMP); SO2 (A) HQ Nigerian Army Finance Corps (NAFC); Cashier, Nigerian Army Personnel Pay Office (NAPPO); Deputy Chief Paymaster, Nigerian Army Personnel Pay Office (NAPPO); GSO1 Finance HQ DAPP; Deputy Chief Inspector of Accounts, Nigerian Army; Cashier, Nigerian Army; Assistant Director, Army Finance and Accounts (ADAFA) – Budget; Director of Finance, Nigerian Defence Academy; Assistant Director, Army Finance and Accounts – 1 Division, Nigerian Army; Director, Finance and Accounts– Defence Intelligence Agency; Commander, Command Finance Office; Director Army Finance and Accounts; Commandant, Nigerian Army School Finance and Administration, and Commander, Corps of Army Finance and Accounts. He was the first ever Chief of Accounts and Budget Army (CAB)A, and held that appointment from 2010 until his retirement in 2014.
In addition, the retired General who was a participant of the Senior Executive Course 27 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, equally held several command, staff and instructional appointments during his time with the Nigerian Army. These included member of the Nigerian Army Training and Assistance Group in The Gambia and served as Head of the Gambian National Army Finance and Records; a role he performed creditably in the quest for repositioning that country’s Army’s Finance. Whilst in the service of the Nigerian Army, retired Major General Muraina was decorated with Forces Service Star (FSS), Meritorious Service Star (MSS), Distinguished Service Star (DSS) and Grand Service Star (GSS). He was also honoured with General Service Medal of Honour, Command Medal of Honour and Field Command Medal of Honour amongst others.
Whilst in the Nigerian Army, he held Regimental and Extra Regimental appointments which included Secretary AHQ Task Force on Payment of Pensioners; Entertainment Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of Command Mess 2 at various times; Secretary and Chairman (at various times) NA Table Tennis Association; Secretary Committee on Restructuring of NASFA Curriculum; Chairman Board on Accounting Policy and Guidelines for Command Secondary Schools; Secretary NA Visitation Panel on Command Secondary Schools; President Board on Career Plan NAFC – Soldiers; Secretary Committee on Review of NA Training Cycle; Secretary Armed Forces Committee on Harmonization of Salary Structure; Member Armed Forces Committee on Harmonization of Salary Structure; Secretary Board on DHQ Establishment NDA Input; Chairman NASFA Admission Board; Member Committee on Internal Generation of Revenue for the Nigerian Army; Member, AHQ Monitoring Committee for Command Guest House, Abuja; Member NA Change Management Retreat Committee; President Mess Committee – AHQ Command Mess I; Chairman NAFC Transformation Committee; Chairman, NBTE Re-accreditation Team on Accountancy Programme at Kaduna Polytechnic; Chairman Planning and Organizing Committee NAFC Biennial Training Conference and Member, General Court Martial on PHL among many others. MajGen Muraina(rtd) was the Chairman of the Committee that produced the Manual of Financial Administration for the Armed Forces of Nigeria in 2012.
The new President and Chairman of Council of the Institute’s pedigree as a thoroughbred, seasoned and tested professional and military officer is not in doubt as he had distinguished himself creditably in every assignment he had been saddled with.
This member of the International Academy of Business and Public Administration Disciplines (IABPAD) who is well travelled having visited almost all the continents of the world had attended courses in diverse areas spanning strategy and management, leadership and administration. He had attended the Second National Training Programme for Senior University Managers in 2000; International Conference on Defence Finance Management India in 2006; and Top Leadership Training Programmes of the NIM in Manchester, Cape Town, Washington at various times between 2007 and 2013; amongst others.
A research enthusiast in the areas of Leadership and Management; Defence Economics and Funding; and Strategic Management, the retired General is an acclaimed author, credited with amongst others the following papers, articles and book:
LWATI: a Journal of Contemporary Research on “Stakeholders Perception of Transparency and Accountability in Higher Education Financing in Lagos State” by Stella Ahunanya, Okpara Enyinna and Muraina Abdullahi – December 2010: (ISSN:1813 – 2227) Vol.7, pp 62 – 70.
Changing Roles of the Nigerian Armed Forces and Funding Implications (Gold Press ISNN: 979 – 978 -8428 – 39 – 8 2014).
Strategic Funding of the Nigerian Military and Contemporary Security Challenges: A Suggested Way Forward (Volume 12 Number 2 Fall 2015 IJBPA-ISSN 1547-4844).
Apart from being a Fellow of NIM, he is also Fellow, Certified National Accountant and Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria. In addition, he is Member, Institute of Directors Nigeria and the National Institute being an alumnus of the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies.
Muraina who joined the Institute in 2003 as Member has served the Institute in various capacities at different times. In the course of his contributions to the Institute, he received several awards of recognition amongst which were, Meritorious Service to the NIM Ibadan Chapter; NIM National summit Southwest zone award and NIM Southwest zonal Summit award. He was the Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Institute of Management between 2015 and 2017 and was elected to the Institute’s Council in 2014. He won the Institute’s Presidential Award for his consistent support of the Institute’s programmes in 2014. In recognition of his meritorious service to the Institute he was elected National Treasurer of the Institute in 2017 and he went on to become the Deputy President in 2019, a position he held until October 28, 2021 when he was elected the 23rd President and Chairman of Council.
In retirement he is an honourary life member of the prestigious Ibadan Recreation Club.
The retired General, owing to his commitment to the ideals of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) was hosted to a special luncheon as part of the flag-off activities marking Ibadan Cultural Festival 2019 Celebration. He holds the chieftaincy title of Are Ajagundola of Iseyinland.
He is now engaged in agriculture and management consultancy. He also has a passion for the hospitality industry. His hobbies are travelling, reading and table tennis.
A devout Muslim, he is married and blessed with children and grand children.
