Nigeria still searching for true leaders 40 years after Murtala

Today, February 13, 2016 marks 40 years since one of the greatest Nigerian heroes – General Murtala Ramat Mohammed was assassinated. Understandably, Murtala represents different things to different people. One thing stands out though: his six months reign as head of state remains indelible in our history. Murtala was a true son of Africa, who […]

Today, February 13, 2016 marks 40 years since one of the greatest Nigerian heroes – General Murtala Ramat Mohammed was assassinated. Understandably, Murtala represents different things to different people. One thing stands out though: his six months reign as head of state 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 the defunct OAU made him one of the most respected leaders of the time. For him, freedom was (and still is) 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.
“For too long has it been presumed that the African needs outside ‘experts’ to tell him who are his friends and who are his enemies. 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 Mohammed 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 into the Nigerian 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 favour of northern Nigeria. He reverted to the usage of the 1963 census as the official figure with which Nigeria was known and official figure to be used in government circles.
He took several steps with ‘immediate effect’ to restore public confidence in the federal government, including dismissal of over 10,000 public servants and employees with or without benefits, on account of age, health, incompetence, or malpractices. 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 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, Lagos every morning from his house with no siren, convoy or 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 for himself. In an interview with The Punch of May 4, 1982, the late Chief MKO Abiola, a very close friend of Murtala, said that the late head of state had “only seven naira twenty-two kobo (N7.22) in his bank account when he died.” He wasn’t like the parasitic leaders that came after him or that we have today.
Even as a military head of state, Murtala did not detain any person in the six months that he led the Nigerian nation. A case in focus here is a former University of Lagos lecturer, Dr. Obarogie Ohonbamu, who wrote in his magazine, African Spark, that Murtala had corruptly enriched himself before becoming head of state, and accused him of owning fleets of trailers and houses. Murtala did not descend on him as a soldier! He quietly instituted a libel case against the lecturer in an Igbosere magistrate court in Lagos. At the last hearing, the case was adjourned till March 17, 1976, but Murtala was assassinated on February 13. No State Secret Service was involved.
During his reign, 12 of the 25 ministerial posts on his cabinet went to civilians, but the cabinet was secondary to the executive Supreme Military Council <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Military_Council_(Nigeria_1966)>.
In managing the nation’s economy and our international relations, Murtala initiated a comprehensive review of the Third National Development Plan. Singling out inflation <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation> as the greatest danger to the economy, he reduced the money supply <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angola>. Nigeria had worked with the OAU <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OAU> to bring about a negotiated reconciliation of the warring factions in the former Portuguese <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal> colony, but late in 1975 Murtala announced Nigeria’s support for the Soviet-backed Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_Movement_for_the_Liberation_of_Angola> (MPLA), citing South Africa’s armed intervention on the side of the rival National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). The realignment strained relations with the United States of America which argued for the withdrawal of Cuban <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba> troops and Soviet advisers from Angola. In October the Nigeria Air Force took delivery of Soviet-built aircraft that had been ordered under Gowon.
As we remember this great leader of Africa 40 years after, the best we can do for him is to remember what he stood for. His values are captured in what his family has put together as Murtala Mohammed Foundation. He fought for our freedom from those who believed they could dictate to us, those who thought themselves superior to us and those who were taking advantage of us. Murtala set our feet on the path to continental freedom.
May the labour of our heroes past never be in vain. Amen 
Adenekan Moruff sent in this piece from Lekki, Lagos.