Murtala Mohammed comes alive 40 years after

“General Murtala Mohammed when he died on February 13, 1976, had only N7.22k in his account. The 504 replaced Mercedes Benz as the official government car. Only the Head of State rode a Mercedes Benz: not bullet proof and not the 600 series type. For the 200 days Murtala was Head of State, he lived […]

“General Murtala Mohammed when he died on February 13, 1976, had only N7.22k in his account. The 504 replaced Mercedes Benz as the official government car. Only the Head of State rode a Mercedes Benz: not bullet proof and not the 600 series type. For the 200 days Murtala was Head of State, he lived in the house he had occupied as Director of Army Signal Corps. He drove to work at the Dodan Barracks every morning from his house accompanied by his driver, his orderly and his ADC. No convoy. No sirens. No outriders.”
This exemplary leadership and simple life of General Mohammed as described by Prince Adegboyega Ariyo, Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to Namibia in his lecture at the photography exhibition organized by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMMs), were the basis for the celebration of the life and times of the late statesman 40 years after his death.
The event tagged, ‘Our hero past: General Murtala Ramat Mohammed’ took place penultimate Friday at the National Museum Onikan. The photographs were a catalogue of the life of the late general from early childhood, education to the different stages of his military formation.
Commending the NCMMs for holding the exhibition, the minister said: “the late head of state deserves such remembrance and a lot more.  It is in appreciation of his great contributions to the social, economic and political development of the nation.”
He described the exhibition as “a challenge to a wide spectrum of today’s leaders to serve the nation with patriotic zeal, eschew corruption, nepotism, political thuggery and rigging, tribalism and personal aggrandizement.
“It is a call to the military to serve the nation with patriotism, help safeguard the unity of the country and protect our young fledging democratic process. It is a call to all Nigerians in all facets of life to love this country that we call our own so that we can individually make very meaningful contributions towards national development in tandem with the change agenda of this present democratic administration,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to see themselves as veritable tools in the change agenda and vision of the present administration and endeavour to make meaningful contributions to the socio-economic and political development.
Mallam Yusuf Usman, NCMMs boss, said: “The exhibition was specifically planned by the commission to commemorate the 40th death anniversary of the late General.
“This exhibition is the humble attempt by the commission to raise awareness of that glorious era, to celebrate the vanguard of that era and to promote the ideals for which he died as a befitting epitaph for the fallen patriot,” he said.
In his speech, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who was represented by the Director-General, Centre for Black African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) Mr. Ferdinand Anikwe, said the late General lived a patriotic and heroic life, worthy of emulation by the present generation of military and political leaders.
While urging Nigerians to remember with nostalgia the great contributions of the late General to our social, economic and political development taking into cognizance that today’s actions or inactions is history tomorrow, Usman said, “we should carry out our public responsibilities with honesty, integrity and dedication so that we can leave our imprint on the sands of time.”
In his lecture, Prince Ariyo,  stated that Murtala’s 201 days in office showed to the world the missing leadership qualities that Nigeria and Nigerians needed to start fulfilling their mission. “He gave new dynamism to the pursuit of governance in national interest.”
Responding to the gesture, Aisha Mohammed Oyebode, first daughter of the late General, said she was humbled by the legacy of her late father.
Aisha, who was aged 12 and a student of Queen’s College, Lagos, at the time of the incident said: “I also feel humbled when I see peoples’ attitude towards him 40 years after. It is something that makes me very proud. Many things that he talked about 40 years ago are the ones affecting us today”.
She narrated events of the fateful day.  “As soon as it happened, the head mistress called me into her office and said I needed to go home. The lady who came to pick me was the principal of my former school. It was when we got to Kano the following day which was on Sunday morning that my father’s mother told us that my father had been killed. That was after he had been buried. All that while my mother was away. Maybe if she were around we would have known earlier.”
Commenting on the exhibition, Aisha who is Chief Executive Officer of the Murtala Mohammed Foundation said: “It also allows us an opportunity to remind the younger generation of the rich heritage already laid down by our heroes past, which ultimately will enable us all to attain the full development and scope of the potential that this country is capable of attaining. Such an endeavour will surely be the greatest tribute we could pay to the memory of our hero past, General Murtala Mohammed.”
Usman further stated that General Murtala Mohammed’s tomb has been proposed as a national monument by the commission as a practical reminder of the great contributions of the late hero.
The event included the presentation of a collection of postage stamps by representatives of Nigerian Postal Services as memorabila celebrating Mohammed as well as a visit to the cenotaph marking the spot where he was killed on his way to work at Dodan Barracks along with his aide de camp, Akintunde Akinsehinwa.
The exhibition will run for three months.