Murtala Muhammed, True Leader, Lives On

YESTERDAY, February 13, 2016 marked 40 years since one of the greatest Nigerian Hero – General Murtala Ramat Muhammed was assassinated. Understandably, Murtala represents different things to different people. One thing stands out: His six months reign as Head of State of Nigeria remains indelible in our history.

Murtala was a true son of Africa, who had a clear direction of where he wanted Africa to be and how he wanted Africans to be seen and accepted by the rest of the world. His speech at an extra-ordinary meeting of Organisation for Africa Unity OAU made him one of the most respected leaders of the time. For him, freedom was what Africa needs, freedom from western colonisation and hegemony.

During his famous speech at the OAU he said: “Africa has come of age. It is no longer under the orbit of any extra continental power. It should no longer take orders from any country, however powerful. The fortunes of Africa are in our hands to make or to mar. For too long have we been kicked around: for too long have we been treated like adolescents who cannot discern their interests and act accordingly…The time has come when we should make it clear that we can decide for ourselves; that we know our own interests and how to protect those interests; that we are capable of resolving African problems without presumptuous lessons in ideological dangers which, more often than not, have no relevance for us, nor for the problem at hand.”

To some conspiracy theorists, some sections of that speech signed his death warrant. Many believed he was a walking corpse. He was a strong believer of Africans for Africa.

Brigadier (later General) Murtala Muhammed became the head of state on July 30, 1975 in a bloodless coup d’état. It is to his credit the phrases, “Fellow Nigerians” and “with immediate effect” found their way to the Nigeria lexicon.

His policies won him broad popular support, and his decisiveness of critical national issues elevated him to the status of a folk hero. One of his first steps was the cancellation of the controversial 1973 census, which was believed to be “written” in favor of the northern Nigeria. He reverted to the usage of the 1963 census as the official figure with which Nigeria is known and official figure to be used in Government circuit.

He took several steps with “immediate effect,” restored public confidence in the federal government including dismissal of over 10,000 public officials and employees with or without benefits, on account of age, health, incompetence, or malpractice. This purge was said to have cut across all strata of the civil service.

Murtala was a man who didn’t believe in formalities. Throughout his days as the Head of State, he maintained a low profile policy, little surprise he lived in the same house he had occupied as Director of Army Signal Corps and drove to work at the Dodan Barracks every morning from his house with no siren, convoy nor outriders. There was a report that few days after his assumption of office, he shunned the sirens and convoy and rode alone with his driver, from Lagos to Kano in his personal car.

He was not just interested in amassing the wealth of our nation to himself. In an interview with The Punch of May 4, 1982, the late Chief MKO Abiola, a very close friend of Murtala, said that Murtala had only N7.22 in his bank account when he died.” He wasn’t like the parasitic leaders that came after him or we now have we have today.

Murtala Muhammad initiated a comprehensive review of the Third National Development Plan. Singling out inflation as the greatest danger to the economy, he reduced the money supply that had been swollen by government expenditures on public works. He also announced that his government would encourage the rapid expansion of the private sector into areas dominated by public corporations.

He reappraised Nigeria’s foreign policy; it was driven by the theme “Nigeria first”. This theme became apparent with respect to Angola. Nigeria had worked with the OAU to bring about a negotiated reconciliation of the warring factions in the former Portuguese colony, but late in 1975 Murtala Muhammed announced Nigeria’s support for the Soviet-backed Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, citing South Africa’s armed intervention on the side of the rival National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).

Adenekan Moruff writes from Lekki, Lagos.