General Murtala Mohammed,
Forty years ago, a group of soldiers led by Lt. Col Buka Suka Dimka staged a bloody but botched coup which claimed the life of the then Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Mohammed. Though, he was barely 6 1/2 months in office at the time he was killed, Gen. Mohammed’s brief stay in power has become a reference point in governance, particularly as it relates to leadership by example and war against corruption.
In this interview with Onyebuchi Ezigbo, his eldest surviving son, Abba Risqua Mohammed, who was just six years old when his father was assassinated, went down memory lane to recall events of what has come to be known as one of the dark days in the nation’s history. He also spoke on what growing up was like for him and his siblings
You will be marking the 40th anniversary of the assassination of your father and one of most respected former Nigerian leaders, cast your mind back to the sad moment when General Murtala Mohammed was assassinated and tell us how it was like.
Well, when the incident happened, I was six years old. I could barely remember what took place that day, all I can say is that things were not really well that day. The day was dark. Before I went to school that day I remember having breakfast with him. He left some eggs for me to eat. I ate and went to school. But next thing I saw was that people rushed to our school and took us away to my uncles house, Alhaji Ahmadu Yaro, near the school. We stayed there for three days before we travelled to Kano.
Well, when the incident happened, I was six years old. I could barely remember what took place that day, all I can say is that things were not really well that day. The day was dark. Before I went to school that day I remember having breakfast with him. He left some eggs for me to eat. I ate and went to school. But next thing I saw was that people rushed to our school and took us away to my uncles house, Alhaji Ahmadu Yaro, near the school. We stayed there for three days before we travelled to Kano.
Before the incident that day, did you or any member of your family have any premonition that there was a looming danger?
No, there was none and I was not told what happened when I was being taken away. Then I was only six years old. But looking at what was happening around me at that time and the mood of the people and the way we were hurriedly taken out school and kept at our uncle’ s place, coupled with the manner people were running around, I knew things were not well. I knew definitely all was not well.
No, there was none and I was not told what happened when I was being taken away. Then I was only six years old. But looking at what was happening around me at that time and the mood of the people and the way we were hurriedly taken out school and kept at our uncle’ s place, coupled with the manner people were running around, I knew things were not well. I knew definitely all was not well.
Growing up, you must have been faced with challenges. How did you and your siblings grapple with the reality that you lost a bread-winner and someone that is very dear to you?
For me, you could say that I grew up without a father. I don’t know what it is to have a father. So for me it was not as if there was a break in transmission. Right from being a young boy, I grew up like somebody whose father was not around and found out along the line that he died or was killed when he was the president of the country. That was all I knew. My mother was everything. She was both my father and my mother. She was the one who took care of what a father was responsible for and what a mother was responsible for.
For me, you could say that I grew up without a father. I don’t know what it is to have a father. So for me it was not as if there was a break in transmission. Right from being a young boy, I grew up like somebody whose father was not around and found out along the line that he died or was killed when he was the president of the country. That was all I knew. My mother was everything. She was both my father and my mother. She was the one who took care of what a father was responsible for and what a mother was responsible for.
Definitely you and your family would have experienced some difficulties as a result of the unfortunate incident. Can you recollect any and how were you able to surmount it?
Well, it was very difficult for my mother. She went through a lot trying to raise six children. This is a woman who came from a humble background and she met my father, they fell in love, got married and had kids. He had a military career which he was making steady progress in until the civil war broke out. He fought in the war, returned gallantly and continued in the military service. Although in life, you will normally have a few hiccups but I think when my father finally became president (head of state), it was for her… ‘yes we have finally reached a level in our lives when we can be very proud that we have the opportunity to contribute towards the building of the nation.’ But for his life to be cut short at the age of just 38 and my mother was barely in her early 30s, it must have been very difficult for her to bear. You could imagine how difficult it could be for her. It was now her responsibility to pay our school fees, grapple with the commitments of family life. Indeed, it was very difficult.
Well, it was very difficult for my mother. She went through a lot trying to raise six children. This is a woman who came from a humble background and she met my father, they fell in love, got married and had kids. He had a military career which he was making steady progress in until the civil war broke out. He fought in the war, returned gallantly and continued in the military service. Although in life, you will normally have a few hiccups but I think when my father finally became president (head of state), it was for her… ‘yes we have finally reached a level in our lives when we can be very proud that we have the opportunity to contribute towards the building of the nation.’ But for his life to be cut short at the age of just 38 and my mother was barely in her early 30s, it must have been very difficult for her to bear. You could imagine how difficult it could be for her. It was now her responsibility to pay our school fees, grapple with the commitments of family life. Indeed, it was very difficult.
What are those values that, may be, your mother must have told you or you learnt that your late father was associated with?
Well, my father is somebody I have heard so much about. A lot of people who knew him tell me about him and most of the things I learnt people say about him is that he was a very kind person. That he looked out for others more than he did for himself. He was very straightforward and very hot-tempered. He was also very kind. My father is somebody who did not believe in worldly things, like acquiring wealth and properties. In fact the money he had was about N13,000 in his bank account and he never had beyond that.
Well, my father is somebody I have heard so much about. A lot of people who knew him tell me about him and most of the things I learnt people say about him is that he was a very kind person. That he looked out for others more than he did for himself. He was very straightforward and very hot-tempered. He was also very kind. My father is somebody who did not believe in worldly things, like acquiring wealth and properties. In fact the money he had was about N13,000 in his bank account and he never had beyond that.
What are those special things he really stood for?
Well, I can say that he stood for righteousness, he stood for honesty, fairness and integrity. He stood for unity, oneness, peace and I think in his short life span and the little opportunity he had to drive this country forward, he felt he owed the citizens the duty to try and improve on things. I think he did everything he could to move the country forward. My father will also be remembered for fighting vehemently for the decolonization of Africa. He played a very important role in the effort to achieve independence for Angola, Namibia and for stoppage of apartheid in South Africa. We can also remember his speech at Addis Ababa where he said that Africa had come of age and that the continent was no longer under the influence of external forces and that Africa’s future was in their hands.
Well, I can say that he stood for righteousness, he stood for honesty, fairness and integrity. He stood for unity, oneness, peace and I think in his short life span and the little opportunity he had to drive this country forward, he felt he owed the citizens the duty to try and improve on things. I think he did everything he could to move the country forward. My father will also be remembered for fighting vehemently for the decolonization of Africa. He played a very important role in the effort to achieve independence for Angola, Namibia and for stoppage of apartheid in South Africa. We can also remember his speech at Addis Ababa where he said that Africa had come of age and that the continent was no longer under the influence of external forces and that Africa’s future was in their hands.
On the home front, he stood against and fought corruption. He fought against corruption and as a human being he didn’t try to dwell on acquiring material things. This was someone that left about N13,000 in his bank account when he died. He did not have a house of his own anywhere in Nigeria. The house he had in Kano, he didn’t even know it existed until he died. He never slept in it. He used to go to Kano and stay in a hotel and
one of my uncles told him that you cannot just continue to stay in a hotel as the president, let me build a house for you. With the land that somebody gave him, my uncle was able to convert a boys quarters in it to a three bedroom apartment. But he never saw the house before he died.
one of my uncles told him that you cannot just continue to stay in a hotel as the president, let me build a house for you. With the land that somebody gave him, my uncle was able to convert a boys quarters in it to a three bedroom apartment. But he never saw the house before he died.
Your father was assassinated 40 years ago in a coup, is your family holding grudges against anyone or have you forgiven those behind the dastardly act?
Like I said I am a Muslim and just like every religion which believes in the supernatural being, we have faith in God, Allah. We believe in destiny and we think that God should do justice on our behalf and we do not hold any grudge against anyone. If God did not (permit), will it to be? It will not be. And since God allowed it to happen, we leave it in the hands of God and not (to) blame anybody.
Like I said I am a Muslim and just like every religion which believes in the supernatural being, we have faith in God, Allah. We believe in destiny and we think that God should do justice on our behalf and we do not hold any grudge against anyone. If God did not (permit), will it to be? It will not be. And since God allowed it to happen, we leave it in the hands of God and not (to) blame anybody.
Can you let us into those secrets which your mother may have shared with you and other siblings regarding the lives and times of your late father?
Well, my mother always tell us that my father was a very soft kind of gentleman. His friends also said that he was a very fiery, hot-tempered and revolutionary person. I think my late father was someone who had many different parts. But more importantly, he was someone who believed in what he did and did what he believed in. I remember him when I was very young when he went to Mecca. I think he was president then, what he came back with was a box of watches, which he gave to every single soldier in the house. He sat in front of the house and shared it to all of them.
Well, my mother always tell us that my father was a very soft kind of gentleman. His friends also said that he was a very fiery, hot-tempered and revolutionary person. I think my late father was someone who had many different parts. But more importantly, he was someone who believed in what he did and did what he believed in. I remember him when I was very young when he went to Mecca. I think he was president then, what he came back with was a box of watches, which he gave to every single soldier in the house. He sat in front of the house and shared it to all of them.
So it shows you the kind of person he was. As a president, he travelled and he remembered soldiers who were with him and bought things for them. I didn’t remember him giving me a toy at that time. This showed the kind of person he was. He had the interest of those he worked with and he held them in high regard and I think this should be a lesson for us. We should have the interest of everybody and know that if we make progress collectively, we will make progress individually. If we do not try to make progress collectively, no amount of money you will have is going to make you happy and to have a decent life.
Have you heard of his reforms in the civil service and criticism that followed it?
I have been reading recently about people making comments to the effect that my father’s actions led to the current level of decay in the civil service. As far as I am concerned, this is people trying to make an excuse to justify the bad system. You know if you are fighting corruption, you fight wherever it exists and my father did whatever he thought was right to fight corruption in the civil service. If people broke the rules and did things that were not right, they should be made to answer for it.
I have been reading recently about people making comments to the effect that my father’s actions led to the current level of decay in the civil service. As far as I am concerned, this is people trying to make an excuse to justify the bad system. You know if you are fighting corruption, you fight wherever it exists and my father did whatever he thought was right to fight corruption in the civil service. If people broke the rules and did things that were not right, they should be made to answer for it.
40 years ago, your father tried to stop corruption but today the country is still facing corruption and President Buhari has declared a war against the vice. Do you think the situation would have been better if your father had not been killed?
Yes, I wish that he had stayed longer with the things he was doing to achieve more for the country. But unfortunately whatever happened between now and then have resulted in our returning to the corrupt system. Governance is an all-inclusive affair, everybody should consider him or herself as part of the government.
Yes, I wish that he had stayed longer with the things he was doing to achieve more for the country. But unfortunately whatever happened between now and then have resulted in our returning to the corrupt system. Governance is an all-inclusive affair, everybody should consider him or herself as part of the government.
I think that all of us must give President Buhari the support he needs to fight corruption to a standstill and those who have been found guilty of corruption should be punished. There are no two ways about it, they should be punished so that we can avoid this evil troubling the country. President Buhari said recently that if we don’t kill corruption, it will kill Nigeria. I come from Kano state and if you see the number of kids that are out of school roaming the streets, these kids do not have proper home upbringing and we do not know whether they have homes where they can be taught what is right and what is wrong.
Meanwhile these are kids that should be in school, these are kids that should be taken care of by our education system helping them to have proper upbringing and you could imagine the number of these kids that are out of school, the number that are unemployed . And it all boils down to corruption. The resources that would have been used to provide infrastructure, to give people jobs, good healthcare amongst others are being diverted to private pockets. Any government that is ready to deal with anyone found to be corrupt will have my support hundred percent and Nigerians should do well to support that cause.
Recent agitations around the country have tended to threaten the unity of the nation which your father and his contemporaries fought for. Do you think that there are enough reasons for the country to break up?
No, not at this time. I think Nigerians have sacrificed a lot, shed a lot of blood and I think a lot of water has passed under the bridge that we cannot reverse what God has done. God has put us together and if we are trying to separate now, it doesn’t make any logical sense. What we need to do is to see how we can work together towards the progress of the country. Most of the agitations you hear about are socio-economic in nature. It has to do with the quality of life of the people. If people have the basic necessities of life, like shelter, a simple home which doesn’t have to be a duplex, but just two-bedroom apartment where they can lay their head and they have a decent car they can go to work with; if they can enroll their kids in school; can go to the hospital for adequate healthcare and can afford to have steady electricity supply.
If people have all these basic things of life, I don’t think anyone will be agitating. The country has more wealth than we ever imagined and we need to share it and let it go round. Everybody needs a piece of the country’s wealth, not by looting but by investing in infrastructure, in education, power and investing in industries so that when young people come out from school, they can have jobs to do. People who want to go to school can go to school, they can get the best healthcare and social welfare. I think this present administration has taken a good decision in identifying this ugly vices and it is in the right direction. Like I said before government is a continuum and both the ruling and opposition parties can join hands together to stamp out the scourge. No one should fold his or her hands and feel unconcerned .
Former President Jonathan had tried to build schools for the Almajiris, who are in most northern states, including your state, Kano. What do you think should be done to take these kids out of the streets and stop them from constituting social and security menace ?
The first thing is for the people to hold the various governments accountable. We need to hold them accountable for their responsibility and the only way we can ensure that is to vote for the right people during elections so that when they get into office, they will be able to represent our interests to the best of their abilities. So that they will be able to implement policies of fairness, equity, peace and progress.
The first thing is for the people to hold the various governments accountable. We need to hold them accountable for their responsibility and the only way we can ensure that is to vote for the right people during elections so that when they get into office, they will be able to represent our interests to the best of their abilities. So that they will be able to implement policies of fairness, equity, peace and progress.
People who are in government would then be able to know that they are public servants and that they are supposed to use the funds at their disposal for public good. But when people who are in government feel that they belong to them and their friends only, then we will keep on going back to square one. This is why we are being encouraged to get involved in governance and the electoral process so that we can choose the right leaders who will judiciously spend our resources for our collective benefit.
What efforts are you making to keep the legacies of your father alive? Do you have the ambition to aspire for the leadership of this country one day?
Well, I am a human being and I believe in God. I have faith in God. One of the key tenets of Islam is to have faith in God and to believe in the supernatural being that controls everyone’s destiny. I have the desire to contribute my quota to nation-building in any capacity. If God gives me the opportunity in any capacity both the state and federal level, I am willing to contribute my quota to nation-building. I think everyone should have that desire, we should all be ready to join hands to contribute to making our environment, our country a better place to live in. In trying to contribute my own quota, I participated in the last general election in Kano where I ran for the governorship on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and I will keep on trying to find ways to contribute to the development of our country.
Well, I am a human being and I believe in God. I have faith in God. One of the key tenets of Islam is to have faith in God and to believe in the supernatural being that controls everyone’s destiny. I have the desire to contribute my quota to nation-building in any capacity. If God gives me the opportunity in any capacity both the state and federal level, I am willing to contribute my quota to nation-building. I think everyone should have that desire, we should all be ready to join hands to contribute to making our environment, our country a better place to live in. In trying to contribute my own quota, I participated in the last general election in Kano where I ran for the governorship on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and I will keep on trying to find ways to contribute to the development of our country.
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