Obote’s cousin, former minister and FUFA president Adoko Nyekon passes on

Former Minister of Tourism and first president of the National Association for the Advancement of Muslims (NAAM), Akbar Adoko Nyekon has died.

Nyekon according to family members passed on Friday afternoon at Nsambya Hospital where he had been admitted for quite some time.

The 87-year old veteran politician has been in and out of hospital. In March 2013, he was admitted to Kampala International Hospital with a spine problem. It was however corrected.

Born 1931 at Akokoro, Lango District to Jekeri Akaki and Abisagiri Koli, Nyekon is said to have served the nation as member of Parliament, Minister for Information and Tourism, Minister for Planning and Community Affairs, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Co-operatives, Minister for Health and   General Manager of the defunct Uganda Airlines.

Akbar Adoko Nekyon, was also the seating FUFA president in 1968 when the first ever national football league in Uganda was played.

He has received several honors in relation to his contributions to various aspects in Uganda; he was honored by parliament of the Republic of Uganda during the 50th independence anniversary celebration for life time achiever for Uganda, a warded Honorary Ph.D by Makerere University for his tremendous contribution to field of academics (English literature- published five literature Books)

Nyekon, a cousin to former President Apollo Milton Obote was the first president of NAAM, a group of Muslim elite supported by the Uganda Peoples Congress based at Wandegeya. Nyekon was deputized by Sheikh Obeid Kamulegeya and together convinced Sheikh Swaibu Ssemakula, who was a senior cleric at the Uganda Muslim Community of Kibuli to cross over to the NAAM before declaring him first Mufti of Uganda.

During their reign, NAAM allegedly used government patronage to seize mosques belonging to Kibuli. This resulted into bloody clashes between the Uganda Muslim Community headed by Prince Badru Kakungulu faction and NAAM.

However, since NAAM had government support, it won all battles that at one time Obote claimed that they had affirmed loyalty to state and thus had almost become a government unit.

With the overthrow of Obote in 1971, Idi Amin organised meetings to resolve the differences and as a result of this, the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) was created to replace the two factions.

Amin was advised that since the 1900 Agreement had not given land to the Muslim community, he had to allocate land to this community to build its headquarters and Amin gave Old Kampala Hill to the Muslims to build their headquarters.

Unfortunately, after the fall of Idi Amin in 1979, the supreme council also collapsed. Throughout the period 1981-1986, the Muslim leadership, again, due to political interference from the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC), fought battles against one another including some that were physical. There were conflicts between Sheikh Mulumba and Sheikh Kamulegeya, Shiekh Kakooza and Sheikh Luwemba.

In 1993, Yoweri Museveni appointed a reconciliation committee consisting of Prof. George Kanyeihamba, Mrs. Gertrude Njuba, Mrs. Anuna Omar and the solicitor general who finally worked towards the reconciliation of the Islamic community

 Quick Profile

Education:

Nyekon went to Ibuje Primary ,Ngora Secondary and Kings College Buddo.

He then joined Kerala University (India) for 5 years and obtained masters in economics with political science.

 

Work:

He served in the colonial civil service as a clerk-interpreter for one year.

He was elected and served as the first president of FUFA in 1968 after change of name from UFA.

He engineered formation of FUFA from UFA.

He founded the first Uganda National Football League in 1968 and founded the National Council of Sports in 1964 and appointed Mr Bataringaya Basil as the 1st chairman of NCS