General Murtala Ramat Muhammed: Tribute to an African Hero

Throughout the world and across all ages and climes, there have been a handful of outstanding personalities who have left their marks indelibly in the sands of history of the lands and nations in which they have lived. These were the heroes who sacrificed tremendously to change the course of history among their peoples.

The communities that constitute today’s Nigeria have each its own heroes. At the national arena, most of those we referred to as our heroes have fallen victims of what I called the Zik Syndrome, what Kole Omotosho described as a repeat of Zik of Africa, Zik of Nigeria, Zik of Eastern Region, Zik of Onitsha and finally ordinary Zik. Put on a pedestal was General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, our national, nay African hero.

General Yakubu Gowon fought to keep Nigeria one. Some of us can still recall his war slogan: To Keep Nigeria One is a Task that Must be Done. He would have been our version of Abraham Lincoln, not for the fact that he overstayed his welcome. The civil war hero Yakubu Gowon’s administration of Nigeria was characterized by what Nigerians believed to be inertia, lethargy, corruption and decadence. The last straw that broke the camel’s back was Gowon’s reneged on his 1970 promise to return the nation to democratic rule in 1976, describing the date as unrealistic, that 6 years was too short a period for his Military Government to accomplish its reconstruction programme and preparation for the return to democratic rule.

On Tuesday the 29th of July 1975 the Military struck for the third time in our nation’s history. The inept administration of General Gowon was toppled in a mercifully bloodless coup, the first in our nation’s history of military incursion in politics. The task of cleansing the Augean stable rested on the shoulders of Brigadier Murtala Ramat Muhammed. Thus began, the 199 most dynamic, pragmatic, breathtaking, purpose driven, result oriented period of our country’s political history.

Last Friday, the 13th day of February 2009 was the 1722nd Friday and exactly 33 years from the very day some disgruntled elements within the Nigerian Armed Forces murdered, in cold blood, General Murtala Muhammed in an attempt to take over power. Never in the history of Nigeria was any Nigerian mourned by the totality of Nigerians as was General Murtala. His death was an intensely and intimately felt national loss. Though the coup plotters succeeded in snuffing out the flame, the coup was abortive. The rest is history.

This write-up is an attempt to commemorate the death and immortality of General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, the dynamism of his 199 days leadership of the Nigerian nation, what was referred to as the 200 Days of Ramatism.

Brigadier Murtala Ramat Muhammad had not wanted to be Head of State. But he had been the choice of the coup plotters known then as the Junta, since the day in April when a few of them, distraught over the state of the country, began to conceive the idea of the coup. When after the successful completion of the coup on the 29th of July 1975, the Junta leaders: Colonels Joe Garba, Abdullahi Mohammed and Shehu ‘Yar’adua offered the leadership of the Nigerian nation to Murtala, he burst out “To hell with you! I have said I don’t want to be anybody’s Head of State”. Murtala was the ace of the ruling triumvirate proposed by the Junta, and when he declined their offer, they offered the leadership first to Brigadier Obasanjo and then to Brigadier T. Y. Danjuma, but both declined; supporting Murtala as the obvious choice and imploring the Junta to do all they could to persuade him. When Murtala finally accepted to be Head of State, nobody then knew that he was making a pact with history and destiny to make the supreme sacrifice for the Nigerian nation 199 days later.

Murtala jolted a sleeping nation into life. The vibrancy in his voice was arresting. The fire in his eyes charmed and awed the nation. In contrast to the extravagant style of Gowon, Murtala adopted a low profile policy. 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. Few days after his assumption of office, Murtala shunned the sirens and convoy and rode alone with his driver, from Lagos to Kano , a journey of more than one thousand kilometers, in his personal car.

Murtala had never detained a single person in the 6 months that he led the Nigerian nation. When former Lagos University Law Lecturer Dr. Obarogie Ohonbamu wrote in his magazine African Spark that Murtala had corruptly enriched himself before becoming Head of State, and accused him of owing fleets of trailers and rows of houses; Murtala did not descend on him with his heavy booth as most military dictators, he quietly went to Igbosere magistrate court and sued Ohonbamu for libel. The then Federal Director of Public Prosecution on behalf of the Attorney General of the federation promised that Ohonbanu would be given “every reasonable opportunity to prove or justify his assertion” including “freedom of the (entire) country of Nigeria to enable him search for and obtain his proof” because “we do not intend to muzzle anyone. The whole nation was interested in the validity of the assertion complained of.” At the last hearing, the case was adjourned till the 17th of March 1976. Murtala was assassinated on the 13th of February.

In an interview with The Punch of May 4th 1982, the late Chief MKO Abiola, a very close friend of Murtala, said that Murtala had only seven naira twenty-two kobo (N7.22) in his bank account when he died.

To repudiate the accommodation of bad conduct by the Gowon’s administration and to strengthen the civil service, Murtala embarked on the purges that were considered as a great show of bravado. About 10,000 civil servants were dismissed or retired on grounds of corruption, indolence, redundancy, declining productivity or health.

To wipe out emotional attachments to the regions of the first republic and foster national unity, Murtala not only took over the then regionally owned Universities of Ife and that of Ahmadu Bello in Zaria , but also declared that “States will no longer be described by reference to geographical points such as North and South, East or West.” Thus the then North Central became the old Kaduna State , Mid West became the old Bendel State and South Eastern State became the old Cross River State .

Panels were set up, and their findings and recommendations put to meaningful use. Murtala created 7 new states bringing the number to 19 following the acceptance of the Justice Ayo Irikefe Panel to examine the agitation for more states. The new Federal Capital Authority Abuja, following the acceptance of the Akinola Aguda Panel.

Murtala in his only Independence Day broadcast enunciated an ambitious five-stage political programme that ushered in democratic rule by October 1979. On the 18th of October 1975, Murtala set-up the Constitution Drafting Committee, to fashion out a constitution for Nigeria . In the view of West Africa: “Never in the history of Africa have so many people been consulted so thoroughly about how they wished to be governed.” Credit must be given to General Olusegun Obasanjo for the faithfulness and courage with which he successfully executed the concrete and meaningful programmes that General Murtala mapped out for Nigeria .

Murtala pursued an aggressive foreign policy with Africa as its centre piece. He made it clear to Colonel Joe Garba, his foreign Minister, that he wanted a very activist foreign policy. Nigeria , he said, must be visible in the world. Murtala demonstrated a radical impulse in foreign policy. His message to the close of the Ghana-Nigeria Games held in Accra in the August of 1975 reads “Any glib talk about African unity does not mean much if the desire is not subjected to test.”

On the 11th of January 1976, an extra-ordinary meeting of the OAU heads of Government was convened to tackle the Angolan question. Initially, Murtala showed little interest in attending the conference; Obasanjo was making preparations to make an appearance in his place. Suddenly an event happened that made him changed his mind and compelled him to make the historic and flamboyant appearance at the conference where he gave the powerful Africa has come of Age speech.

On the 3rd of January 1976, the American Ambassador to Nigeria , Mr. Donald Easum, brought a letter addressed to the Nigerian Head of State from the United States President Gerald Ford. The same letter was sent to many African leaders. Murtala was furious. Not only did the Federal Military Government take the bold and unprecedented step of releasing President Ford’s letter to the press, it also issued a strong response to it later that evening calling it a “gross insult” and in sum, telling the Americans to go to hell. This event triggered Murtala’s decision to attend the conference and deliver his message to the world.

“Mr. Chairman, when I contemplate the evils of apartheid, my heart bleeds and I am sure the heart of every true blooded African bleeds.” Thus, Murtala opened the powerful and deep moving Africa has come of Age speech. “Rather than join hands with the forces fighting for self-determination and against racism and apartheid, the United States policy makers clearly decided that it was in the best interests of their country to maintain white supremacy and minority regimes in Africa … Africa has come of age. It’s no longer under the orbit of any extra continental power. It should no longer take orders from any country no matter how powerful… gone are the days when Africa will ever bow to the threat of any so-called superpower…” There was thunderous ovation from the Africa Hall and Murtala Muhammed went back to his seat, little knowing that he had exactly 34 days more to live.

Murtala’s forceful delivery of an already tough speech literally grounded the anti MPLA forces. He engaged himself in visiting and lobbying other heads of state to support the MPLA. According to Joe Garba, Murtala daily chalked up in his office the number of the countries Nigeria converted to the MPLA side. Murtala’s support for the MPLA, which not only USA and Britain were fiercely opposing but even the Saudi government was opposing by funding the FNLA, goes a long way to show Murtala’s bold, decisive and patriotic stand on Southern Africa . “Murtala established very forcefully” wrote Patrick Wilmot “that the fight was between African Nationalism, the right of the Blackman to freedom, and Western Imperialism… There was no question of Apartheid South Africa fighting the political red herring of ‘International Communism.’

Murtala was a military leader who did not seize power himself, but was invited, by the coup makers, to lead the Federal Military Government, because of the confidence they had in him being the most suitable to give Nigeria the dynamic, purposeful and efficient leadership it required. Nigerians identified with Murtala because he did what he said he came to do and much more. His bold, assertive, proactive leadership gave Nigerians a sense of belonging, hope and strength in the Nigeria project. Like the twinkle of a star, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed entered and departed the Nigerian, African nay world’s political arena. The impact of his charismatic and dynamic leadership permeates every facet of the Nigerian nation. The name Murtala will be with us forever.

Aliyu A. Ammani