The General held an MSc in Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan. He also completed the Staff Intelligence and Security Course, School of Service Intelligence, Ashford, Kent, United Kingdom, and Combined Strategic Intelligence Training Programme, Defence Intelligence College, Washington DC, United States.
He was a graduate of the Command and Staff College, Nigeria, and the National War College, Nigeria, where he won the President and Commander-in-Chief’s merit award for best all round performance.
Azazi was said to have had one of the fastest growing military careers for wearing the ranks of Major-General, Lieutenant-General and General between May, 2006 and June, 2007.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo made him the Chief of Army Staff in 2006 and later Chief of Defence Staff.
On August 20, 2008, late President Umaru Yar’Adua replaced Azazi with Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike as CDS and announced Azazi’s retirement from military service.
President Goodluck Jonathan later appointed him as National Security Adviser on October 4, 2010 and sacked him in June 22, 2012.
He was married and had five children, a granddaughter and two grandsons.
PATRICK IBRAHIM YAKOWA was born December 1, 1948 in Fadan Kagoma, Jema’a Local Government Area, Kaduna State. He had his secondary education at St. Mary’s Secondary School, Fadan Kaje, and St. John College, Kaduna. He proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he graduated in June, 1972.
He was first appointed deputy governor of Kaduna State in July, 2005, and was re-elected as deputy governor in the April, 2007 general elections.
While the then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as President, due to the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, the then Governor of Kaduna State, Namadi Sambo, was appointed as Vice-President. Consequently, Yakowa replaced Sambo as governor on May 20, 2010.
Yakowa ran for the state’s governorship election in April, 2011 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party and won.