General Abdulsalami Abubakar became head of state in Nigeria on 9 June 1998 after the death of General Sani Abacha.[1] Abubakar replaced or transferred the military administrators of most of the states, and instructed the new team to prepare for a smooth transition to democracy in May 1999. The elected president Olusegun Obasanjo required all former military administrators to retire from the military in June 1999.