General Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar (born June 13, 1942) was President of Nigeria from June 9, 1998 until May 29, 1999. He succeeded General Sani Abacha upon Abacha's death. Abubakar transferred power to President-elect Olusegun Obasanjo on May 29, 1999.
Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar hails from the Gwarii ethnic group and was born in Minna, Niger State. He was educated at Native Authority Primary School in that city, the Provincial Secondary School in Bida, and finally the Technical Institute, Kaduna. After this, he joined the Military. General Abubakar led Nigeria's contingent in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and eventually rose to the role of Chief of Defence Staff. His wife's name is Fati and they have six children.
