Group Captain Abubakar Salihu is a retired Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

n air force officer who was appointed Military Governor of Gongola State

Gongola State

Gongola State is a former administrative division of Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from Adamawa and Sardauna Provinces of North-Eastern State, together with the Wukari Division of the then Benue-Plateau State; it existed until 27 August 1991, when it was divided into two states -...

 in December 1989 by General Ibrahim Babangida

Ibrahim Babangida

General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...

. After the state was split on 27 August 1991 into Adamawa State

Adamawa State

Adamawa is a state in northeastern Nigeria, with its capital at Yola. It was formed in 1991 from part of Gongola State with four administrative divisions namely: Adamawa, Ganye, Mubi and Numan. It is one of the thirty-six States which constitute the Federal Republic of Nigeria.-Geography:Adamawa...

 and Taraba State

Taraba State

Taraba State is a state of Nigeria, named after the Taraba River which traverses the southern part of the state. Taraba's capital is Jalingo.-History:...

, he continued as governor of Adamawa State until January 1992.

During his term in office, Gongola state suffered severe financial constraints. Judges were forced to use ordinary papers, loose sheets and exercise books for their writing and judgments.
The Adamawa State Polytechnic

Adamawa State Polytechnic

Adamawa State Polytechnic is a tertiary educational institution in Numan, Adamawa State, Nigeria. It was established in 1991 through a merge of the College of Preliminary Studies Yola and the Staff Development Institute Numan....

 was established in 1991 while he was in office through a merge of the College of Preliminary Studies Yola

Yola, Nigeria

Yola is the capital city and administrative center of Adamawa State, Nigeria. Located on the Benue River, it has a population of 88,500 . Established in 1841, Yola was the capital of a Fulani state until it was taken by the British in 1901. Daytime temperatures can easily exceed during the dry...

 and the Staff Development Institute Numan.

After retiring as an Air Commodore, Salihu remained influential in politics. In December 2009 he was among northern leaders resisting the transfer of power to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan

Goodluck Jonathan

Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria.He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the...

 during the incapacity of President Umaru Yar'Adua.