It is now 41 years since General Murtala Muhammed passed on. He was born in Kano State. The late General meant different things to different people in Nigeria. To people of like minds, he was a man whose interest was to bring smiles to the faces of Nigerians, particularly the masses.
General Murtala Muhammed toppled the government of General Yakubu Gowon on July 29, 1975 and started bringing radical changes to the country. Things were going on well. The prices of commodities were affordable. He was indeed a General of the masses.
The people of Nigeria were happy when he rolled out good policies to make life easier for all Nigerians. General Muhammed constituted a Constitution Drafting Committee headed by the late Chief FRA Williams. The idea was to give the nation a new direction. General Muhammed created seven new states on February 3, 1976, bringing the total number of states in the country to 19 at the time.
Going down memory lane, the life and times of General Muhammed should serve as a lesson to our leaders, particularly our current politicians whose interest is to enslave the Nigerian people that they are meant to serve. General Muhammed was assassinated in an abortive coup led by Lt-Colonel Buka Dimka. It was a dark day for many Nigerians when news filtered through that General Murtala had been killed. General Olusegun Obasanjo became our Head of State following the transition of the great General. On assumption of office, General Obasanjo rolled out policies that differed markedly from that of his late boss.
On February 18, 1977, the Obasanjo government was accused of sending soldiers on a raid of the Kalakuta Republic of the music icon, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. It was during that encounter that Fela’s mum, Mrs Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, then aged 77, was thrown down from a storey building and later died from the injuries she sustained. Happily, however, Obasanjo handed over power to the civilian administration of Alhaji Shehu Shagari, having organised a presidential election on August 11, 1979.
It is true that Dimka did not allow General Muhammed to complete the assignment he embarked upon on behalf of Nigerians. He was later arrested and sentenced to death with his fellow mutineers. From the day General Muhammed was killed, Nigeria has been a troubled state. The General meant well for the masses.
I want to urge President Muhammadu Buhari to further honour the memory of General Muhammed. His personal house should be renovated and his children given national assignments. General Muhammed was serving the nation faithfully when death came calling. He had the interest of the masses at heart. His place in history is assured.
Jimoh Mumin
Ibadan
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