Hassan Katsina

Hassan Katsina Biography / Profile

Hassan Usman Katsina was born on March 31st, 1933 in Katsina, Nigeria to the royal house of Nagogo. He was an army general, elder statesman, polo player, and business man.

Hassan Katsina Age

Hassan Katsina would have been 91 years old, if he were alive today. May his soul rest in peace.

Hassan Katsina Early Life

Katsina was the third child of their father Usman Nagogo who was the emir of Katsina from the mid-40’s to the early 80’s, and a grand-son of Muhammadu Dikko the first emir from the Sullubawa dynasty. He attended Kankiya Elementary School and Katsina Middle School. After finishing middle school, he went to Barewa College in Zaria and the Nigerian School of Arts, Sciences and Technology also in Zaria.

Hassan Katsina Career

Katsina joined the Nigerian army in 1956 after earlier education at Kankiya Elementary School, Katsina Middle school, Katsina College (later Barewa College) around the 40’s to 50’s. NCAST Zaria in 1953. He attended several military institutions all over the world, including: Royal officer training school, Teshie, Ghana, Mons Officer Cadet, Alder shot, UK, Royal Military college Academy, Sandhurst, Small arms school, Kent, School of infantry Warminster, England, US Army School of infantry Fort Benning, Staff college Camberley, England and Royal college for defence studies, England.

He was commissioned as a second lieutenant officer of the Nigerian army in 1958, promoted to a lieutenant a year later. A captain by March 1961, and then Major in 1963. After the 1966 coup, Major Hassan Katsina was appointed Governor of the Northern state of Nigeria by the Supreme Military council in Jan. 1966, a position he held for about 16 months. Northern state was later dissolved to Kano, Kaduna, Benue-Plateau, North-Central, North-west, North-East when additional 12 states were created by the military government. Katsina was promoted to Lt. Col. same year,1966.

He was appointed Army chief of staff from 1968 to 1971 and subsequently promoted to the rank of a Colonel less than 2 months after his appointment and to a Brigadier-General later in April 1969. Gen. Yakubu Gowon (then head of state) appointed Major-General Katsina as the Deputy Chief of staff supreme military headquarters later. The Major-General was to be later appointed Federal commissioner of establishment a post he occupied for about 2 years before his retirement from service on 29th July 1975 that’s shortly after the Murtala-led bloodless coup that brought Gowon’s government down, at just 42.

He refused several appointment offers from government after he retired. 6 years later his father died, his elder brother Kabiru Usman who was then the Magajin-Gari was selected by the emirates council to succeed thier father. The governor of Kaduna state then (comprising of the old Katsina) Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa rejected Kabir Usman as the new emir, a move General Hassan objected stiffly. The governor later left unceremoniously, as he was impeached three months later by the then dominated NPN house of assembly, a party Hassan Katsina contributed to it’s formation.

Hassan Katsina Personal Life

Major Katsina was married to Asiya and had children. He died on July 24th, 1995 in Kaduna where he was been living since his retirement, at the age of 62! His funeral was attended by then head of state, General Sani Abbacha, former head of state, General Babangida, and the Late Umaru ‘Yaradua.

Schools and other centres have been named after him including; Hassan Usman Katsina polytechnic, Katsina, General Hassan Katsina house, Kaduna, Hassan Usman Katsina park, Kaduna, and many streets, roads in Zaria, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina.