A DIFFERENT LOOK AT MURTALA MOHAMMED
February 13, 2021 | News
I had long identified Murtala Mohammed as the best military leader that had ever ruled Nigeria. Though, his administration was very brief, but his impact outlived him. According to Joe Garba in his book titled: "DIPLOMATIC SOLDIERING," Murtala Mohammed was never really prepared to rule Nigeria.
A DIFFERENT LOOK AT MURTALA MOHAMMED
I was reminded of Murtala Mohammed recently in a Publication by Patrick Wilmot, who was born in Jamaica in 1942, and a graduate of Yale and Vanderbilt Universities. Dr. Wilmot taught Political Sociology at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria for 18 years and was a political advisor and speechwriter. But it was in 1988, that he was abducted by Nigerian security police and forcibly ‘retired’ to London, by the then military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. According to Wilmot: “Murtala Mohammed gave the Nation and Continent a new sense of purpose with his vision and decisiveness, after sacrificing his own material possessions.”
I had long identified Murtala Mohammed as the best military leader that had ever ruled Nigeria. Though, his administration was very brief, but his impact outlived him.
According to Joe Garba in his book titled: "DIPLOMATIC SOLDIERING," Murtala Mohammed was never really prepared to rule Nigeria. But he was persuaded by the military junta then headed by Major Joe Garba. And according to Joe Garba, who was the Commander of the Brigade of Guards to Gen. Gowon, and a trusted and loyal boy of Gowon. They mentioned the Coup to Murtala Mohammed, as the most serious minded and respected military officer among them then, but Murtala left Nigeria for UK before the coup, and flew to Kano after the success of the coup. He was then sent for by the coup plotters, to come to Lagos, where they were able to convince him, and he accepted to be the Military Head of State.
In the prologue of the said book (Diplomatic Soldering) by Joe Garba, one of the paragraphs hinted that: “Brigadier Murtala Ramat Muhammed had not wanted to be Head Of State. But he had been our choice since the day in April when a few of us, distraught over the state of the country, began to conceive the idea of the coup.” Amongst the things that contributed to the overthrow of Yakubu Gowon, who was then the military Head of State, was the fact that there was plenty of waste and massive corruption, not only in the Ministry of Defense, but also among arms purchasing teams (and dealers), sent abroad to acquire weapons and ammunition. In fact, when Gowon got married to former Miss Victoria Zakari in a State and Society wedding in Lagos in 1969, which considering the wartime situation and the ongoing suffering then, appeared lavishly distasteful and imperious to many observers, including war front commanders. These and many more were some of the factors that led to the overthrow of that Government to Usher in Murtala Mohammed.
Murtala Muhammed told the military junta then that they should not tie his hand behind in the governing process, but that that they should give him the free hand to rule the country. Joe Garba who shared/allocated all the positions, didn't name/include himself to be in any position. But he was at last asked to be the Head of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, which he initially refused, and later accepted the position. But according to him, he played a major role in eliminating the Apartheid in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
I would say Murtala Muhammed was indeed a great leader, and this was also confirmed to me by David Ejoor. Although, Ejoor's account of Murtala:s originality is different from what is known to the public. Ejoor told me one-on-one that Murtala was from Okpara Inland town in Ethiope East LGA of the present Delta state. His mother was from Kano, while his father was a railway worker in Kano. And after retirement, his father, Chief Erhue of Okpara Inland, came home and Murtala attended primary school with his wife who is still alive today. After his primary school education, his mother took him to Kano and his father didn't bother to ask after him. Ejoor noted that Murtala Mohammed always respected him and was loyal to him. And that Murtala actually wanted him to be the then Military Head of State instead of Yakubu Gowon. But all of that is history now.
Murtala was brought up by his mother, according to Ejoor, that aspect of his life is hidden because Chief Erhue didn't take up his responsibility as the Urbobo father of Murtala. Maybe, he was taken care of by his stepfather in Kano then after he left Okpara Inland town. But the cross of the matter is that Murtala Mohammed was a great African leader.
Zik Gbemre
February 13, 2021
We Mobilise Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes.
I was reminded of Murtala Mohammed recently in a Publication by Patrick Wilmot, who was born in Jamaica in 1942, and a graduate of Yale and Vanderbilt Universities. Dr. Wilmot taught Political Sociology at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria for 18 years and was a political advisor and speechwriter. But it was in 1988, that he was abducted by Nigerian security police and forcibly ‘retired’ to London, by the then military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. According to Wilmot: “Murtala Mohammed gave the Nation and Continent a new sense of purpose with his vision and decisiveness, after sacrificing his own material possessions.”
I had long identified Murtala Mohammed as the best military leader that had ever ruled Nigeria. Though, his administration was very brief, but his impact outlived him.
According to Joe Garba in his book titled: "DIPLOMATIC SOLDIERING," Murtala Mohammed was never really prepared to rule Nigeria. But he was persuaded by the military junta then headed by Major Joe Garba. And according to Joe Garba, who was the Commander of the Brigade of Guards to Gen. Gowon, and a trusted and loyal boy of Gowon. They mentioned the Coup to Murtala Mohammed, as the most serious minded and respected military officer among them then, but Murtala left Nigeria for UK before the coup, and flew to Kano after the success of the coup. He was then sent for by the coup plotters, to come to Lagos, where they were able to convince him, and he accepted to be the Military Head of State.
In the prologue of the said book (Diplomatic Soldering) by Joe Garba, one of the paragraphs hinted that: “Brigadier Murtala Ramat Muhammed had not wanted to be Head Of State. But he had been our choice since the day in April when a few of us, distraught over the state of the country, began to conceive the idea of the coup.” Amongst the things that contributed to the overthrow of Yakubu Gowon, who was then the military Head of State, was the fact that there was plenty of waste and massive corruption, not only in the Ministry of Defense, but also among arms purchasing teams (and dealers), sent abroad to acquire weapons and ammunition. In fact, when Gowon got married to former Miss Victoria Zakari in a State and Society wedding in Lagos in 1969, which considering the wartime situation and the ongoing suffering then, appeared lavishly distasteful and imperious to many observers, including war front commanders. These and many more were some of the factors that led to the overthrow of that Government to Usher in Murtala Mohammed.
Murtala Muhammed told the military junta then that they should not tie his hand behind in the governing process, but that that they should give him the free hand to rule the country. Joe Garba who shared/allocated all the positions, didn't name/include himself to be in any position. But he was at last asked to be the Head of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, which he initially refused, and later accepted the position. But according to him, he played a major role in eliminating the Apartheid in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
I would say Murtala Muhammed was indeed a great leader, and this was also confirmed to me by David Ejoor. Although, Ejoor's account of Murtala:s originality is different from what is known to the public. Ejoor told me one-on-one that Murtala was from Okpara Inland town in Ethiope East LGA of the present Delta state. His mother was from Kano, while his father was a railway worker in Kano. And after retirement, his father, Chief Erhue of Okpara Inland, came home and Murtala attended primary school with his wife who is still alive today. After his primary school education, his mother took him to Kano and his father didn't bother to ask after him. Ejoor noted that Murtala Mohammed always respected him and was loyal to him. And that Murtala actually wanted him to be the then Military Head of State instead of Yakubu Gowon. But all of that is history now.
Murtala was brought up by his mother, according to Ejoor, that aspect of his life is hidden because Chief Erhue didn't take up his responsibility as the Urbobo father of Murtala. Maybe, he was taken care of by his stepfather in Kano then after he left Okpara Inland town. But the cross of the matter is that Murtala Mohammed was a great African leader.
Zik Gbemre
February 13, 2021
We Mobilise Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes.