Why Zuru men prefer the army to other jobs – General Magoro

To start with, how was growing up like back then in Zuru, which is believed to be one of the areas where almost every family has a military officer or even a General? Well, it may not be true to say that every family in Zuru has a General. Yes, in those days, we used […]

To start with, how was growing up like back then in Zuru, which is believed to be one of the areas where almost every family has a military officer or even a General?

Well, it may not be true to say that every family in Zuru has a General. Yes, in those days, we used to say that the occupations of our people were two: farming and going to the army in particular. This had been going on for a very long time. In those days, you might be correct to say that in each family, there must be someone who had gone out to join the Nigerian Army. This is because, the other services came much later on, particularly the Air Force.
The Navy which is a coastal set up, we didn’t know much about that. But the army yes we also produced a large number of Generals. Comparatively, in the North – West, it is Niger State that would compare with Zuru because that is where Generals Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Gado Nasko, Muhammadu Wushishi, Mamman Kontagora and quite a number of them come from just like the Zuru area. I think that is the background I can give on that.
Growing up in those days was quite different from what obtains today. I recall that when I was in primary school, we were given free breakfast before going to the class. It was a very good meal and each and every one of us enjoyed that meal. The question is, is it obtainable today? The answer is no. I am talking about primary school not even secondary school.
By the time we went to senior primary school, everything was free. We had books; we had good teachers and we had no complaints. We went to secondary schools and were even given pocket money and so on. When you say growing up, I really enjoyed my growing up and I don’t have any regrets about it. I commend the Native Authority and the regional government under the leadership of the late Premier, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto. They really gave us what we are today yearning for through the dividends of democracy. We saw it and enjoyed it. Since it is now our time, we should be able to emulate what they did to us by replicating it now.

What inspired you to join the army? Was it a personal ambition or a family decision?

This is a very good question. What inspired me in particular and some of my colleagues I would not mention their names was the kind of leadership that was given by the Sardauna of Sokoto. If you recall, sorry you might not be able to recall because you were not there then, the Europeans were leaving Nigeria after the achievement of independence and there were so many vacancies to be filled, particularly in the army. The Navy was in existence but the Air Force didn’t come on board. Sardauna toured all the secondary schools existing then in the North, lecturing us to enlist into the Armed Forces and the police. I remember he came to our school at least three times.

Which school was that?

It was Niger Provincial School in Bida. He was enjoining us to join the Nigerian Army and the police. He also sent a contingent of the Nigerian Army to come and lecture us and demonstrate to us the benefits and opportunities that existed for us in the Nigerian Army. We were indeed carried away. This to the extent I would say, historically our class of 1962; we had the largest number of people who joined the Nigerian Army.  We also produced the highest number of Generals to be produced by any class in the Nigerian Army.
So it was the inspiration given to us by the premier that led us to join the army. Some of my classmates like I mentioned to you earlier, were Generals Babangida, Abdulsalami, Nasko, Colonel Sani Bello, my own Emir, General Sani Sami and a lot of us. We were in the same class and nearly each and every one of us became a General.

Can you compare the Nigerian Army you joined in those days, the one you left 25 years ago and the one today?

Yes one thing I should say is good and common in the Nigerian Army is the consistent training at all the levels. And I want to believe it is still going on today. I knew we had a gap during General Sani Abacha’s time. We were not sending our officers abroad for training. But since Abacha’s demise, I think the situation has been sorted out and officers are being sent abroad for training.
But internally, let me say it is the army to a certain extent the armed forces that has a system of training of officers and men at all the levels. When I say officers and men, I mean before you become a corporal, you have to attend a course. This is because there are responsibilities to be discharged when you come back to the unit you belong. A corporal is a section commander and there are men under him. He has to undergo a course and understand the roles he is supposed to play both in peace and in war time. 
The same thing obtains in the officer cadre. We have what was then called the Nigerian Army School of Infantry and the Staff School in Jaji now. The name of the Nigerian Army School of Infantry has been slightly changed now. I don’t know what it is called now. That was even my last command before I went to become a minister. To come back to your question, I want to believe that training is good. That is why if you meet officers and even non commissioned officers, you will realise that they know what they are doing, what they are saying and so on.

Having emerged from the class that produced the highest number of Generals in the Nigerian Army as well as holding the reins of the country for more than two decades, how is the relationship like among you?

We have maintained the relationship. There was no Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) during our time. What we had then was Nigerian Military College. We went to that college for over six months and then we were sent abroad to military institutions. I was sent to India for instance.  Babangida and quite a number of colleagues also went to India. Some went to Britain, some went to Pakistan; some went to Ethiopia and some Australia. That was the kind of structure that was fashioned out for the officer corps. Even some of the non-commissioned officers (NCOs) were sent abroad for training. We have maintained the relationship.

To what extent did the relationship you had in secondary school affect your relationship as Generals, particularly while you held forth as leaders of this country?

In fact, when we were in secondary school, we treated each other as brothers. What was normally found particularly in the army is the concept of espirit de corp. That is if I go into battle, I am ready to risk my life to save Nura out of the problem he is in even if he is surviving while I am dying. I think this happened during the Nigerian civil war.  
General Garba Duba was injured and General Babangida risked his life to go and recover him. That is espirit de corp. That is relationship that was developed since our secondary school days. General Duba was our classmate too. If you are talking about relationship, the enhancement of that was the training which we received in the various training institutions. We never forgot our background.

How did your Zuru cultural background which is believed to be war-like, influence your life in the army?

We have a tradition which is practiced by all the tribes in Zuru emirate, which we refer to as golmo. It is a tradition where once you are within an age group that is going to source for girls that you are going to marry, the parents of the girl you are proposing will say you have to do this golmo for a number of years. It may be four, five, six or seven years.  It is not just the farming that matters but the regimentation and the amount of discipline that is contained in the golmo tradition.
You walk bare- footed. This is apart from the small amount of food that you would be eating. There is also the seniority in the group. All these prepare you for a future life, which is usually in the army. What you find in the army is a child’s play compared to what you did under the golmo system. At the same time, our people found the army as a continuation of what obtained under the golmo system, which are the usual challenges.
It also suited our people very well because by the time you join the army, you will realise that what was done under golmo was the same thing that is being done there.  While your other colleagues from other areas are complaining about training and other military hurdles, you feel at home and you don’t find anything difficult. Your training at home has already prepared you for a life in the Nigerian Army in particular. That also explains the dismal number of people from Zuru who absconded from the army, which also partly explains the Hausa version of shiga sojan badakkare syndrome.  

What about the internal politics in the army. Was it not premature when you left the army in 1985 after General Muhammadu Buhari’s regime was toppled by some of your colleagues?

Yes. There was politicking. When you grow to a certain level within your career, particularly if you reach the rank of a Major General, politics come into whatever you do next. Even your deployment, politics come into play. By the time I retired, I was the Minister of Internal Affairs and General Babangida was the Chief of Army Staff. Buhari was our Head of State.
There were some few misunderstandings here and there. I am sure you must have heard of some of them like what happened which led to the coup that removed General Buhari from being the Head of State. Well, like I said, I was with Buhari and I was with Babangida and we were all classmates. It happened, I don’t have regrets and I don’t have grudges against anybody for what happened. But I had to leave with Buhari.

Were you retired by the regime that toppled Buhari or you retired voluntarily?

Well, from what I saw happening, I voluntarily retired.

What specifically made you to retire at that level of your career?

Where else would I have gone?

It was expected that you would join the new regime that was mostly made up of your classmates back in secondary school.

You see, you deployed people based on vacancies in those days. Where else could I have gone? I was not at that time in what is called S-1 list because I was seconded to be a minister. When the coup took place where could I have gone; to go and become a General Officer Commanding (GOC) or what? Others were already there. Since there was no place where I could have worked, so I decided to go.

Where were you when the coup that toppled Buhari took place?

I was in Lagos. The seat of government was in Lagos in those days. I was in Lagos when the coup took place.

Were you informed by your secondary school friends who planned the coup before it was executed?

I don’t think I would like to answer that question if you don’t mind. But I was in Lagos when it took place.

What was your experience as minister of transport and subsequently internal affairs?

Well, during General Olusegun Obasanjo when I was minister of transport, it was the time we expanded the Lagos-Apapa Port, we built the Tin Can Island, we built Warri Port, we built Sapele Port as well as the Calabar Port. All were achieved during that time. In fact, it was during my tenure that we carried out the survey of the country’s Nautical College in Oron. I also brought the Indians who structured the Nigerian railways to the point that we were even making profit at that time before I left.
As Minister of Internal Affairs, we opened offices to issue Nigerian passports at the local government levels by providing guidelines. This was because there were problems regarding the issuance of Nigerian passports at that time.  We made it in such a way that you can’t just be issued a Nigerian passport until your traditional ruler or your local government chairman identifies you. I hope that is being observed now? We did that to combat those who come from outside, get a Nigerian passport cheaply and get to commit crimes in the name of Nigeria. We brought a lot of reforms to the Nigerian Prisons Services. I actually took over from Umaru Shinkafi who started the prison reforms.
Was there anything that you could have done if you had stayed in the army beyond 1985?

Yes. If I had been made Chief of Army Staff, I think I would have done better for the Nigerian Army. This is because, by the time I retired, I had just come back from the United States War College, which is their highest institution of learning just like we have the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS)  in Kuru, Plateau State. That is the kind of position you look forward to impact what you have learnt as well as your experiences throughout your career. If I had the opportunity, that was the position I was looking forward to get.
I have no regrets in life. As a combatant officer, all your ambition is to be given the opportunity to fight a war.  This is because you are trained to fight a war. And I was given that opportunity. I was involved in peace keeping operations. I was involved in the civil war from the beginning to the end.  I thank the Almighty. I think leaving the army early also opened other opportunities for me. But if there is any regret it is that the profession which I knew, I can’t practice it. If I were a lawyer, I will open my chambers for consultancy and what have you. But I am an infantry soldier, so what consultancy should I open? 

How do you relate with Generals Buhari, Babangida and Ali Gusau –all your colleagues aspiring to be presidents of Nigeria now?

I knew General Buhari. He appointed me Minister of Internal Affairs. Even before then, I was with him during the civil war. He has some principles which I admire up till today. Many of them I tried to emulate as much as I can. Some people say I am rigid, but if you go to General Buhari that is the end of rigidity, firmness, fairness and justice. These are some of the things I like from General Buhari.
Babangida was my classmate and Buhari was ahead of us. We still talk. We meet and discuss, you need to see us when we meet. We relate very well.  General Ali was our junior. He went to the NDA; I think they were the Course One. We relate with him very well.

Was the late General Mamman Vatsa your classmate?

He was my classmate and we joined the army the same day.

As your classmate, can you give us an insight into Vatsa’s level of involvement in that coup and why he was executed by his childhood friend?

Well, I was out of the army, so the level of his involvement in that coup if at all he was involved, I won’t say, I don’t know.  The only regret I have is that it went to the extent of his being executed. I really regret that.

You showered encomiums on the late premier for developing your generation. But there is this belief that your generation has failed this country despite what Sardauna did for you. How do you feel about it? 

I feel guilty. I said it recently when I received the Sardauna Life Achievers Award. I mentioned this when I was given the opportunity to speak. We didn’t emulate him anywhere to reflect that he worked so hard. When he was alive, he tried to develop future leaders. He blended those who were advanced in age and those who were young. That was how he structured his cabinet. It was done in such a way that the younger ones were positioned to take over from where the elders stopped. But we didn’t do anything close to that and it is most unfortunate.

What is responsible for this?

I can’t say easily. This is because in those days, the issue of materialism was not there. If you are a civil servant, you don’t talk about business let alone talk about contracts. He emphasised to his ministers that if you want to do business, leave my cabinet and I will help you in that regards. But this is not what obtains today. If you are made a minister today, you would quickly go and register companies. You would award all the contracts in the ministry to those companies you registered through proxy. It is really unfortunate.