Major General Salihu Zaway Uba, Commander of the Training and Doctrine Command of the Nigerian Army (TRADOC), has been appointed as the Force Commander for the United Nations Mission in Liberia, (UNMIL) by United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.
Uba will succeed Major General Leonard Muriuki Ngondi of Kenya. He brings 32 years of national and international military experience to the new position.
The TRADOC commander acquired invaluable experience in peacekeeping duties at the UN, Regional ECOWAS monitoring group (ECOMOG) Liberia and in the united nation protection force (UNPROFOR). His operational performance at UNMIL Liberia, was acknowledged by the special representative of the UN Secretary General Ellen Margrethe Loj, as unprecedented in the history of UNMIL. She lauded Uba’s devotion to duty, attention to details, selflessness and determination as the instruments to the success of UNMIL operations throughout his areas of responsibility.
On the provision of election security to the Government of Liberia, which was the main mandate of UNMIL in 2011, and during security and uncertainty which took UNMIL by surprise, the Force Commander Maj Gen Muhammad Khalid (PA) commented on the professionalism of Gen Uba’s immediate and unhesitating action, sterling leadership quality, good command and control and positive imagination coupled with the understanding of the fluid nature of Liberian political scenario that undoubtedly saved the situation from escalation.
With such experience and understanding of the activities of UNMIL in Liberia, Ki-moon believes Uba is the best man for the job.
The 55-year-old holds three Masters Degrees; Master of Business Administration (MBA) with specialization in management, Masters degree in strategic studies from the University of Ibadan and Master of Science degree in Peace and Conflict Resolution from the National Open University (NOUN). He is currently a research/PhD student on Public Policy and Administration majoring in Terrorism Mediation and Peace with the Walden University Minnesota USA.
