“Former Chief of Army Staff Reveals: ‘I Left Service with an Empty Bank Account'”

General Ishola Williams (retired), a former Chief of Army Staff, recently opened up about his post-military life during an interview on Trust TV’s “Reminiscences.”

Williams, who joined the Nigerian military in 1964 and rose through the ranks to become the Commandant of Army Signals, Commander of Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), and Chief of Defence Training and Planning, retired in July 1993.

Reflecting on his transition from military to civilian life, Williams admitted that if given the choice, he would have preferred to be born in Namibia rather than Nigeria. He cited Namibia’s smaller size and better organization as reasons for this preference.

In the interview, Williams shared the difficulties he faced after leaving the army without a financial safety net or concrete plans. “I think I left on or around November 20, 1993, and had to figure out what to do next. I left without any plan or preparation, and my bank account was empty,” he said.

Williams described his early challenges, including relying on public transportation after a donated car proved unreliable. He was offered office space and business opportunities, such as cement distribution, but found them impractical due to a lack of capital. “People offered me office space and tried to encourage me to start a business, like cement distribution. However, I needed to deposit a large sum of money, but my bank account only had a single naira. There were many similar offers that I couldn’t pursue,” he explained.

Despite receiving support from some contacts in the North to engage in contracts, Williams felt a lack of support from his Southern peers, who questioned his whereabouts while others were profiting. He had hoped to run a non-governmental organization (NGO) but struggled to secure funding. “It was painful that while a few people in the North were willing to help me with contracts, my own people in the South questioned where I was when others were making money. I had planned to start an NGO and needed money for it. I thought that if I could secure a contract, I could use the funds to run the organization. I wasn’t interested in business for profit’s sake. That’s how I began running this organization,” he said.