Biography
A Soldier, a Patriot, an Intellectual and an Entrepreneur.
Late Sam Momah lived a life that was selfless and one that continually shouldered other people’s responsibilities. His priority, however, was education.
A prolific author, an avid reader, and a two-time member of the University of Jos and Nnamdi Azikiwe University Governing councils, he placed priority on education. He single-handedly sponsored the education of all his siblings, children and numerous beneficiaries he and his wife of fifty-one years (Christy Ifeoma Momah) came across.
To Sam, “it was (and is) more blessed to give than to receive”, and he epitomized it.
1943
General Sam Ifeanyichukwu Momah (6th July 1943 – 29th July 2020) was born in Kano, Nigeria on July 6th, 1943 into the Momah family of the Ezewabachili clan from Okpunegwu, Umudim, Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria. He was the third child of the union between Keziah and Nathaniel Momah, and lived his teenage years in Kano, Minna and Issele-Uku (all in Nigeria).
1963
He attended high school at the Anglican Grammar School Ubulu-Ukwu (in modern day Delta State, Nigeria), and on graduation in 1963, was accepted into the highly esteemed Indian Defense Academy (following a rigorous application process).
1967
He graduated in 1967 from the academy, and on his return to Nigeria, joined the Nigerian Army. While visiting his parents in Nnewi, however, he was conscripted into the Biafran army which had just started a civil war with the Nigerian Army. On being posted to the Owerri axis of the war, he was re-united with his teenage heartthrob – Ifeoma Christy Anakwenze – whose family had moved there from Issele-Uku. In that early stage of the war, Sam lost his older brother – Bennet – and in order to maintain his family tree he elected to marry Ifeoma at the tender age of twenty-six.
1969
Their love for each other triumphed over their families’ fears for Sam’s life, their differing religious denominations (Ifeoma was Catholic and Sam Anglican), and their financial solvency. They eventually got married on January 25th 1969 in St. Stephen’s Church Umudim, Nnewi surrounded by debris and sounds of detonating bombs. Today, that marriage is blessed with five children – Emeka, Nkem, Tobe, Ada and Amaka – and twelve grandchildren Malobi, Nonso, Muna, Melie, Olana, Meto, Mego, Nebo, Neriah, Chetanna, Kingsley, and Gloria.
1970
At the end of the Nigerian-Biafran civil war in 1970, Ifeoma went back to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka to complete her degree in Education. Sam, meanwhile, spent a few months in a Lagos hotel before the Adebayo panel (constituted to determine which former Nigerian army officers should be re-absorbed), and after a two-year wait was re-absorbed into the Nigerian Army. He was then seconded to the Engineers brigade in Port-Harcourt, and from there to Jos and then back to Lagos.
1973-1991
As a result of his stellar services at these stations, Sam was nominated by then Engineer Commander – Olusegun Obasanjo – to undertake a degree in Civil Engineering at the Advanced School of Engineering, Nowshera, Pakistan. His studies lasted between 1973 and 1977, and at the end he obtained a first-class degree in Civil Engineering. He rose through the ranks, quickly obtaining his PSC (Passed Staff College) in 1984, MNI (Member National Institute) in 1989, and FWC (Fellow War College) in 1991.
1994
In 1994, he was appointed a member of the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC) – the highest ruling body in Nigeria at the time. That was after serving as the Adjutant general of the Nigerian Army and being the commandant of the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Minna, Nigeria. In 1995, he was appointed Federal Minister of Science and Technology for the Federal Republic of Nigeria and served under two different military heads of State before retiring in 1999.
During his tenure as federal minister, he obtained a Doctorate degree in strategic studies, and served as the vice-president of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). He pioneered several programs that were pivotal to advancing the cause of Science and Technology in Nigeria. This included launching the National Space and Research Developmental Agency (NASRDA), setting up twenty-six national technology incubation centers all over the country, and starting a weekly television program called Science and Technology Digest. He also implemented a local content policy for the National Building Road and Research Institute (NBRRI) that encouraged use of local building materials amidst several other innovations.
1999
He retired from the Nigerian Army in 1999, as a Major-General, and entered the private sector. He set up two hotels – one each in Abuja and Enugu, Nigeria, and opened a liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and fertilizer factory in Abuja, and Enugu, respectively. He also veered into farming, and real estate, seeing his business endeavors as his contribution to uplifting the Nigerian economy. The private sector was not without its challenges for Sam. He, however, faced them with fortitude and equanimity. Rather than complain, he channeled his energy towards redeeming the ills in the society. He believed that the only way to change the future was to confront it with logical plans, and not by wishful thinking. In thrust of this philosophy, he penned twelve books, including National Defense Policy, Global Strategy, Global Disorder And The New World Order, Technology Is Power, Amalgamation of Nigeria: Mistake or Mission, Nigeria On The Brink, Nigeria: Beyond Divorce, Nigeria: The Miracle of A New Dawn, Nigeria’s Break Up: Grave Consequences And Solutions, Pulling Nigeria Off The Brink (The Rescue Imperatives), Restructure to save Nigeria from post-oil disintegration, and Why We Must Restructure Now.
His greatest joy, however, were his family. He spent countless hours dotting on his wife (Ifeoma) and enjoyed discussing mutually beneficial issues with his siblings which included Florence, Blessing, Nathan, Ifeoma, and Ezinwa. Even though they spanned the earth, in distance terms, they always stayed in contact and Sam was the glue that held them together. As the head of the Momah clan, Sam was an ardent advocate for the family unit’s prosperity and peace, and inculcated these same values in his children and grandchildren.
2000
In recognition of his contributions towards the development of Engineering and Civil governance in Nigeria, Sam was (in 2000) conferred a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE) and Commander of the Fellow Republic (CFR) of Nigeria by the Nigerian Society of Engineers and the Federal Government of Nigeria respectively. As a detribalized Nigerian, Sam had a passionate dedication to Nigeria and saw himself first as a Nigerian before he saw himself as Igbo. His friends and contemporaries cut across religious, ethnic, political, social and racial alignments, as he felt just as at home with the elite in Abuja as he did with the market woman in Nnewi. He was an unrepentant advocate for peace, and a keen stalwart for jaw-jaw rather than war-war. Sam’s legacy would, however, be incomplete without a mention of his pet project – the Sam Momah Foundation. He set up this foundation to improve the reading culture among Nigerians and geared it up to do so by providing resources that will ensure the adequate equipping of Nigerian educational institutions and libraries with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. The foundation plans to also organize reading competitions among students across Nigeria and donate books to different libraries and schools with the intention of building individual capacity in the next generation for good governance.
Sam lived a full life. He came, he saw and he conquered. Like apostle Paul, of blessed memory, he can rightfully say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Awards and Recognition
A mention of some of the awards received by Late Sam Momah.