Above is a video of one of the coup ringleaders Lt-Colonel B.S. Dimka confessing his involvement to the press.
Just a brief reminder about today’s iconic date in Nigerian history. 33 years ago, on February 13, 1976, Nigeria’s then head of state General Murtala Muhammed was assassinated on his way to work during an abortive coup led by Lt-Colonel B.S. Dimka.
Strangely, the day on which Murtala was killed was like today, also Friday the 13th. Full details of Murtala’s life and the events that led to his death will follow in my forthcoming book.
Murtala’s car was ambushed by a group of soldiers in Lagos and he was shot to death. Below is a photo of the bullet riddled car in which he was killed. Note the bullet holes in the windscreen.
The bullet riddled Mercedez Benz car in which Gen Murtala Mohammed was murdered on Friday February 13, 1976.
Max Siollun’s Website 
may his soul rest in peace.
That was Nigeria millitary life of today since after the Independence on october 1st, 1960.
When muritalla mohamed was a junior officer back in 1966 he was among the greedy and ungreatfull soldiers who planned and assascinated his comander-in-chief (IRONSI) who promoted him to permanent Lt. Colonel and assigned him to be in charge of a barack in lagos.
Between 1968 and 1969 same muritala with his nothern troops slaughtered more than one thousand innocent IBO civillians at Niger Bridge Asaba, which he called “Blood on the Niger”
When his troop conquered Port hacourt he warned the foreign humanitarean services including the Red Cross Services to leave the country that they don’t need any charitable organizations, because they are on their genocide mission to exterminate the IBO tribes from the face of the earth which him and his colleagues are pepertrating with massive hunger,rappings and starvation with massive destructive weapons.
The only mistake he did was that he took over the Government from his tribe man (Gowon) without Blood shed because of brotherhood sake, but he forgot that he is messing with the wrong person and people of North East who don’t care much about tribe or friendship when it comes to millitary coup.
On the 13th of february 1976, they tipped B.S.Dimka and he killed muritalla mohamed in order to got the power back to their own man but God said “That is enough” for those Blood thirsters and the coup was aborted.
Muritala Muhamed got only one son by then, and later his wife re-married to Chief M.K.O. Abiola. When I was in Saudi Arabia in 1994 I heard that the only mauritala begotten son was assasinated at Abuja which means mauritala mohammed started with bullet, and him and his generation perished by bullet.
God had earlier promised us that “Those who must destroy in order to succeed, there must be a destruction awaiting for them at the post of their success”
THOUGH IRONSI WAS A MAN WITH HUMAN FACE BUT HIS INACTION LED US TO CIVIL WAR,IF HE HAS NOT ALLOWED TRIBAL SENTIMENT TO OVERRIDE HIS REASON HE WOULD HAVE ENDED UP BEEN OUR HERO,WHAT STOPED HIM FROM TRYING THOSE THAT ASSASINATED SADAUNA,BELO,AKINTOLA ETC BC THEY WERE HIS TRIBE MEN ,HE ONLY DUMPED THEM IN DETENTION WITHOUT TRIAL .THIS TO ME ANNOYED THE NORTHENERS HENCE THE ATTACK ON IGBOS.AS FOR MURITALA,HIS ANIMALISTIC DISPOSITION TO IGBOS WAS UNCALLED FOR EVEN THOUGH HE HAS EVERY CAUSE TO GET OFFENDED BC HIS COUSIN WAS KILLED BY AN IBO LED COUP PLOTTER THIS IS NOT ENOUCH TO CARRY OUT ETHINIC CLEANSING,MAY GOD FORGIVE ALL OF THEM BC THE PUNISHENT OF THEIR EVIL DEED ARE KNOWN TO ALL OF US,
Gone are those days when we use to have great men ready to work for our great country 9ja, but stopped by enemies of progress that are still disturbing this country till today. Always remember that no one will go unpunished, that is the truth.
A minute silent for our falling HEROES.
Allah Ya jikan mazaje.
Sun re o
Rest in Peace
Since our independence nigeria never gain anything, just let take a look at ghana they celebrated there one year without taken there light,MAY GOD TAKE OVER NIGERIA.
Murtala was among the great nigerian hero..who walked as a good citizen and give the whole of his life for the development of great 9ja.luckly he lost his life while maintaining a good and perfect situation in nigeria.may ALLAH expiate all his bad deed!!amin!
Murtala was among the great nigerian hero..who walked as a good citizen and give the whole of his life for the development of great 9ja.luckly he lost his life while maintaining a good and perfect situation in nigeria.may ALLAH expiate all his bad deed!amin!
i was a baby when this man murtala muhammed died, but from what i’ve read about him, his activities before, during, and after the civil war, such people are not supposed to be born. He is so heartless especially when i read about what he did to his seniors in the militry and to the easterns. He should not be remembered at all.
Umunkwo, Thanks for your understanding , that was Nigerian Millitary Animal mentality, where the world recognized soldiers who lived examplary life like(Aguiyi Ironsi), A fighter,War Wagger, A millitary giant of our time,He was First in every thing in Nigeria army,The only recorgnised soldier by the United Nation with numerous British and western world merit and awards that was confered on him within fourty-one years he lived on earth. The Nigerian millitary forgot about this hero (Ironsi) because he originated from the hated tribe, but the junior and local soldiers with big criminal records like muritalla mohamed, Gowon, IBB,Abacha, Obasanjo and the rest of them who did not accomplished anything became famous because they were from the ruling tribes.
Still we remain one Nigeria for mouth because of East and Niger Delta Crude oil Field.
charles king: interesting comments. But:
1) Gowon couldn’t be correctly referred to as a “tribe man” of Mohammed.
2) Ironsi was a capable officer, yet, he fumbled when the leadership of the country fell into his laps. Ironsi made serious mistakes that called into question his ability to lead.
Yet, Ironsi’s inadequacy also meant that the Nigerian military isn’t capable of ruling. No one in the Nigerian military who’d help power as head of state, including the celebrated Mohammed (whose history you summarised quite well in your first post) could hold a candle to Ironsi. Yes, as an officer, Ironsi was fantastic; as head of government, disastrous. Of course, the callous and cowardly way he was murdered is another story, as is his legacy. Mohammed did what he could, but there’s so much that could be achieved by bluff; a detailed report of Muhammed’s performance will deserve another post: there’s too much propaganda about Mohammeds performance.
You Guys are being egotistical in all your comment,if Oransi is Being recognized as human and virtuous people like Murtal considered to be inhuman.That is why Nigeria is still under mismanagement.Look People like Oransi,Murtala and Others,are very Responsible,and true Nationalist.unlike present leaders.pray for them please.BAKANO GUMEL
Muritala muhammed my his soul rest in peace
May his soul wander in hell, continously trashed by spiky kobokos of the millions of Igbos he murdered and raped.
He is such a great person cos he fought for the progress of the country, a minute silence for the great Gen. Sun re oo.
Yes indeed, he fought and killed many Ibos – innocent civilians. I can imagine what we will be saying today had he lasted two years in power. Murtala would have ruined Nigeria – he would have taken us down the route of Mugabe had God not taken him out early. Read your history very well sir.
Nigeria is very wicked 2 my post of view.
how they will kill president of people like dt bt may God bless Nigeria and may soul rest in perfect peace.
will we always remember u and even ur family.
we need his son in politics may be they will emulate their father bhavour pls.
That 13th February 1976, the day the General was assassinated was and remains a very dark day in the history & fortune of Nigeria. Though, his’ was a military government but wholly loved by all and sundary. The commotion that follows the news of his assassination can better be experienced than imagined. It was a day Nigeria and Nigerians lost a true LEADER; A MAN OF ALL SEASONS. May his Soul Rest in Perfect Peace.
Mohammed ruled for less than a year. Considering his blood-thirty history, who knows what he would have done had he lasted more time in power. If Buhari and Idiagbon were assassinated six months into their regime, they would be heroes today, the same goes for IBB. The truth is that, Murtala got what he deserved. I am not Ibo, but considering the amount of blood in his hand, he got what he deserved.
it,s pertinent nor impeccable in a democratic setting where a country observe consistent underminig of a nation to be stable where there,s instability of govt protocol
Frankly speaking the much talked about Murtala was a disastrous military commander who willing removed himself from command of his troops after one too many bungled attempts to cross the river Niger. This is when he should have been retired with immediate effect. As HOS I do not think that 6 months was anywhere near making him the hero he has been portrayed to be.Even his Finance Minister indicated that “had he not been plucked so early, he(Murtala) would have ruined the Nigerian economy”. Frightening a bunch of lazy Nigerian to promptly report to work is not exactly the mark of greatness.In fact, it darn near smacks of hih-handed tyranny to me.
YOu got it right sir. Murtala was a tyrant in the waiting. He would have made Abacha look like a saint had he lasted more than a year in office. Thank God he was taken out early. I have no personal bitterness against him, but let his be our teacher. He is not hero at all.
Well it depends WHICH Murtala you are talking about. The counter-coup leader and secessionist firebrand from 1966? Or the commander of 2 Div during the war? Or the dynamic leader who captured the public’s imagination in 1975?
He had positive and negative attributes – like most humans. The point is that Murtala proved the old adage that “people mellow with age”. By 1975, he was no longer the youthful hothead that wanted to invade the Eastern Region or secede in 1966. In 1966 he wanted to secede. By 1975, he was a symbol of national unity and appointed an Igbo to replace an Hausa-Fulani as head of the federal civil service.
No person is a one dimensional hero or villain.
may is gentle soul rest in peace.amen
What gentle soul? If a war criminal is a gentle soul, then Babangida may well be a saint. Gentle soul my foot!
Well, Murtala ruled at a relatively good time for Nigeria when the country had lots of money and was relatively stable. It would have been interesting to see his response to some of the problems his predecessors and successors faced.
Sorry guys. I did not mean for this to be so rancourous. I was just trying to give my candid opinion of the man.For a long time I have felt very irked when people portrayed this potentate as something of a superhuman which he clearly was not. We ought to put the country’s damned history in the correct perspective for posterity. Whatever happened to that professor who challenged Murtala to explain to the country how he got his wealth while serving in the army and way before becoming the HOS? We know that the professor died or should I say “vanished” mysteriously. I am just curious to know what really happened.
Which Professor are you referring to Ekuson? Do you have his name?
yes indeed. The professor’s name was(he has since departed) Dr. Obarogie Ohanbamu, a lecturer at the University of Lagos who accused the HOS of under-declaring his assests. The professor was immediately put in detention and a court date was pending before the demise of MM. Shortly after the Obasanjo regime which succeeded MM issued the Public Officers(Protection Against False Accusation)Deree (1976) which made it an offense to propagate false(as they saw it) allegations of corruption against any member of the Supreme Military Council,National Council of States, and Federal Executive Council. This is where the Buhari regime got the idea of Decree 4. His was not the first to experiment with tyranny though he was roundly critized for it. However, after the demise of MM and no court appearance possible, the professor was let go and then died under rather suspicious circumstances. If you need a reference to this story in print I will gladly provide it.
Correction: The name is OhOnbamu not OhAnbamu. The man was Midwestern.
Very interesting. A little known tidbit of info Ekuson. Also – the ref to Decree 4 being the brainchild of Murtala and OBJ is interesting as most people usually blame Buhari and Idiagbon for it, not realising the idea came up much earlier.
All these tribal comments about MM is not going to get us anyhere. A leader at the time of war is not the same as the time of peace. He did all he could to win by all means necessary both times. Hero or not, he tried his best. His best may not be good enough for all, he’s afterall human.
Well said Oluwole. MM mellowed substantially between 1966 and 1975.
For the record,I am not attempting to slam MM.All I am doing is to express my right to disagree with all these glorious encomiums poured on this rather incompetent military officer who, in my humble opinion, should never have risen beyond the rank of Major. Like everyone else I am entitled to my opinion on this matter and nobody can convince otherwise. His incompetence both as a military officer and HOS rankles to high hell. This is all I am saying for now.
A patriot. As Head of State he brainstormed on how to put Nigeria in the league of Superpowers and to alleviate the sufferings of its teeming population. He was a zealous believer in converting the enormous potentials of this great nation into kinetics but as is usual with the dark continent(Africa), it kills its leading lights.History will be kind to him.
No, he could not have brainstormed on how to put Nigeria in the league of Superpowers and to alleviate the suffering of its teeming population by retrenching thousands of workers with immediate effect and without due process and no explanation. I am really tired of reading all the manufactured facts of this man’s greatness when there just ain’t a darn thing to show for it. Please lay off this psychobabble and keep things real. I want to see solid evidence to buttress these fictional claims of accomplishment.
Thank you Mr or Prof. Ekuson Debango for your invaluable information here which seem to be well researched-into and educating to some of us who do not know some past secrets of the nation.No wonder our elders say’Those who were not present at the time of a burial would always exhume a corpse from the legs instead of from the head’ when asked to do so, which is an abomination. Those who do not have enough facts about MM were quick to pour encomiums on him from either a myopic or tribal points of view. I hereby accept the mistakes of Ironsi my townsman (UM) as objectively pointed out by someone above and will neither challenge nor attack the candid writer above.That is why we have never had any economic or developmental forge-ahead in the country.Tribalism and Nepotism have both eaten deep into the marrows of Nigerians that we hardly know how to be truthful or objective over issues.God help us.
I’m not sure if his 6 months in power was enough time to turn Nigeria into a superpower!
Exactly. Then why don’t we stick to the facts and call a spade a spade. His record of accomplishment as Head of State is non-existent for the six short months he lorded it over everyone. In my opinion, the emergence of Murtala, Obsanjo and the rest saw record underdevelopment and unemployment in the country. At least in Gowon’s time it was still possible to find employment with a High School diploma.The naira was rather very strong and a first degree from any university sure as hell was all you needed to raise and family and own a decent car. Anybody correct if I am wrong. Why then ain’t we singing Gowon’s praises for his was probably the best of time as far as the economy was concerned?
Thank you Ekuso and the rest of you guys that share this little forum with us. I raise alarm on this Hero issue of MM. More people had joined this site and revealed more hiden atrocities commited to humanity by this millitary animals of Nigeria. British trained this millitary animals of Nigeria for protection not to rule. They had no single mentalitity of leadership. Ironsi became the head of state by accident, he wasn’t intentionally took over the power and his mission was to hand over the power to civillians as soon as the tension comes down. That is why he brought both tribes together to form SMC without discremination of tribe. He still maintain the quality and intergrity of a real millitary man. Even Gowon still described Ironsi as a hero of their time. M. Mohamed had already became rich from Nigeria Government treasure before he overthrown Gowon in other to stole more money which Danjuma, Obasanjo, Yaradua etc. accomplished after MM. demise. According to Major General Ike Nwachukwu he said that Ironsi held many top most positions in Nigeria Army for several years, before he came on top of the Nigerian treasure as a president but can’t even build a good house for himself, Ironsi was owing eighteen thousand pounds in debt after his demise. That will show you how fearfull and humble a public servant supposed to be. Nigeria has never engaged in any foreign war but still their soldiers still called themselves a hero. WHAT MAKES THEM TO BE A HERO? Mouma Ghadafi of Libya is in power since 1967 but still maintain his rank as a Colonel because he has no reason to promote himself. Coup doesn’t make someone a hero when there is no reason for it. “Millitary coup is just a selfish interest of power with intension to steal public fund”.
Indeed,MM,between 1966 and 1975,was a hot-headed,over-zealous soldier just like any other ambitious soldier in the nation’s military then,but during the course of rigorous life-transforming events which ensued in the country,he grew matured and had a better understanding of what it required for a united Nigeria. No doubt,he must have committed one or two mistakes along the way,nevertheless he was prepared to sacrifice all(including his life) simply to achieve a better Nigeria. His life was truncated in the process. May his soul and those of other brave,well-meaning heroes of the country R.I.P. Amen.
Infact i am really dubfounded on this story because it is painful to any nigerian. Really he is dead but the legasies he left behind shall always be till the end of time. We all remember him, and the good works he stareted may his gentle soul rest in perfect peace Amem
Mention some of these concocted legacies and I will rest my case pronto. There are not legacies to speak of but a whole lot of incompetent acts like one man one plot,unilaterally moving the federal capital to Abuja without due consultation. I could go on.
I also was not too young to remember the UDOJI AWARD during Gowon’s era when Crude Oil was first discovered and the Udoji panel was set up to decide on how to distribute the sudden wealth amongst the populace. I learnt many people used the money to buy televisions and motorcycles then but, what do we see nowadays, state allocations, not individual allocations. You see governors after 6 months and they have put on extra weight from feeding fat on the money allocated to the people that voted them in. Now you see caterpillars everywhere because election is around the corner grading roads and when the rainy season comes, your guess is as good as mine, and now Nigerians are running after crumbs under the kings table when they ought to be sitting on the table. We voted this politicians in so as to serve our interest, but they are busy piling up money for unborn generations and foreign countries are using our stolen money to run their economy because they hardly pay interest to our politicians anyway. Muritala tried at least i ate his cheap chicken and meat, although he was a former minister for communication and a friend to MKO. He tried but nobody lives forever, he tried, in his own way, Gowon also tried but what will people say about us, about our present crop of politicians who are busy oppressing the people they ought to be serving.
I also was not too young to remember the UDOJI AWARD during Gowon’s era when Crude Oil was first discovered and the Udoji panel was set up to decide on how to distribute the sudden wealth amongst the populace.
>>> Udoji had nothing to do with the discovery of oil.The Udoji awards came along in the mid 70s while oil started flowing way back in the 50s. Check your facts and get back in touch.What chicken and meat are you talking about here. You lost me on that one. Go back and read my indictment of MM and then reduce accordingly.Your response is very typical of the sick Nigerian kindergarten mentality. Get real here and throw me some concrete facts. I also challenge all you other MM fan club cheerleaders to join in here. I am still waiting to be conceive that in 6 short months this hero of yours accomplished diddly squat.As far as the corruption the is ravaging that space called Nigeria, the reasons are too many to be enumerated here. Listen to Nigerian leaders tell you why the country must march on– corporate existence. Really? Corporate? Do we really have any ties that bind? This explains why upward of one trillion dollars of your money is frttered away in person bank accounts in foreign countries. The question now is:Who are they saving this money for. The answer, my friends, will surprise you. You see how everything come dey scatter right before your face.
ADEMI: I am still waiting for you to convince about the greatness of MM besides this cheap chicken and meat story you gave me. Why did he not throw you some rice to go along? I am talking a balanced diet here, not this meat and more meat to clog up your arteries.
The big name “MM International Airport Lagos”
is among the things that is confusing some people here about Muritalla Muhamed foolishness within six months in power. They re-named Lagos airport with his name because his Animal millitary friends and colleagues(Obasanjo, T.Y. Danjuma etc) were still in power after M.Momammed’s assacination not that he was a a hero or did anything great for Nigerians. Again, Lagos Aiport should had not been re-named “MM Airport” because he did not accomplished anything in life. M.Mohammed is a local Zombie millitary officer with no brain. The same mistake happened in naming “Kotoka Airport” in Ghana which their congress is quetioning and debating today, even trying to change that Airport name last year because the man kotoka is nobody than un-educated millitary officer, a friend and coe-coup plotter of J.Rawlings but eventually lost his life on the first attempt of the coup before his colleagues re-inforced and succesfully striked back and seized power and release their remaining group that was on trial including former president J.Rawlings. When Rawlings took over the power he re-named Accra Airport with “Kotoka” which does not make sence to the modern Ghanains of today.
POINT OF CORRECTION: The name “Kotoka” Whom I mentioned in my above post was among the soldiers that staged the first coup in Ghana and he was once a millitary president of Ghana who ruled for a short time like M.Mohamed. He was also assacinated by his colleagues who later renamed their existing Airport with his name. That was way back in 1966 and not by J.Rawlings of 1979. You know too many coups had taken place in Ghana from 1966-1979. After long arguements to change Kotoka Airport name, Some Ghanains just backed out because it had been far back. Otherwise these Millitary dictators of Africa was not supposed to be remembered or motarlized in anyway.
General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka was never the president was Ghana. He was one of the brains behind the coup against Nkrumah(with the tacit support of the US who branded Nkrumah a communist). Kotoka only briefly served as a member of the National Liberation Council(Ghana’s equivalent of the Supreme Military Council) and also as Health minister, but never as Head of State until his assasination in a countercoup that failed to remove the ruling junta from power.
General Joseph Ankrah was the beneficiary of tthat coup as he emerged as Head of State of GGhana.
Ekuson, thanks for the correction, “Kotoka” had never ruled Ghana but was the “GOC” Ghana armed forces during Kwame Nkruma regime and masterminder in the first millitary coup in Ghana that ouster Nkruma on February 24th,1966, a month and ten days after Nigeria first millitary coup.
Charles King and Ekuson – you guys seriously impress me with your military history knowledge. Extending as far afield as Ghana!
Murtala Mohammed is my hero. In fact, he remains one of the best leaders ever to emerge from the African continent. He settled swiftly to do his job of serving the best interest of Nigeria and had little time for idle jokes and play; he was businesslike in speech, gait, appearance, body language and manner. He cut the perfect picture of a ‘Head of State’. This no-nonsense Kano born soldier introduced the phrase ‘with immediate effect’ to the Nigerian lexicon. With the magic of that phrase, government decisions left the realm of idealism and expectations to become serious pronouncement of policies. It is therefore, very unfair for anybody to try to diminish this astute political giant by judging him solely by his aggressive war efforts during the infamous Nigeria/Biafra civil war. Conversely, it should serve as a testament to his commitment, trait or character as a courageous and determined leader. It is instructive to bear in mind that as a war time leader of his side, he was required to ‘conquer’ his enemies. Such is the unfortunate obligation of war. Murtala, who unfortunately lived to be only 38 years should rather be remembered for his foresightedness, bravery, galantry, resourcefulness, decisiveness, vigour, resillience and strenght of character. Murtala never stood on the fence; with him you were never in doubts as to where you were headed; he was reliable. This 38 year old was head and shoulders above his peers. My hero lived before his time!! Murtala Ramat Mohammed!!! Though very young he appreciated the importance and need to give focus and bite to Nigeria’s foreign policy initiative rather than sit on the fence. His ‘corrective regime’ purged corruption in the military and public service. He dared ‘principalities and powers’ in high places all for the interest of Nigeria.There are no doubts that the larger chunk of his critics come from within the circle of victims in his crusade against corruptin and indiscipline! Within only six months the young man had a vision for the creation of more states, the relocation of the federal capital among other notable and outstanding deeds and blueprints. If we can only purge ourselves of ethnic/religious bigotry and other self serving biases, we would acknowledge that General Murtala Mohammed deserves an emminent place in Nigeria history. This fallen General shall ever remain my hero. I shall always stand up for him anywhere, anytime. Continue to Rest in Peace Murtala!!
Son, the phrase “with immediate effect” should never be part of the lexicon of governance. Ever heard of due process? Rash and inconsiderate actions due not make for good governance. I sure as hell do not know what planet you live on but down here on planet earth we prefer to debate issues before relocating a nation’s capital or creating states. This is not a family business we are talking about. As for MM’s war record,did you know he extricated himself from commandship of his division after numerous costly(in terms of the number of soldiers lost) attempts to cross Onitsha. Please get your facts stright before spewing your psychobbable here.The man was simply inept and unprepared for leadership. Now dictatorship is a whole “nother” story if that is what interests you the most. I want convincing facts to attesting to his greatness and nobody so far has come up with a good set.Can we now move on to other topics? Did you guys see what the coalition forces did in Libya? The operation was coordinated by the newly formed Africom to which you Africans have paid scant attention. The real battle for resource control has just begun and you Africans, you people don’t even know it. This is really going to get your attention down the road but it will be too late. In the realm of things today Murtala is quite irrelevant.
Murtala mohamed can be anybody’s hero, we are all entitle to our opinion. But to fashion him as one of the the best leader ever to imerge from Africa is still confusing. As far as Africa is concern, even in the World as a whole I had never heard about any dictator that was decorated as a good leader talkless of beign the best of all time.
He “purged corruption” in the millitary but he was already corrupted before becoming the Head of State. I know One of his coperate buildings in Kano city that worths millions of Naira by then which his regular salary can not afford to build. “He created more states” Many states had been created before and after him and nothing ever changed.
He single-handedly moved Federal capital to Abuja which was still on debate during Gowon’s regime, “what was the need or the profit we derived from creating a new Federal capital at Abuja?” Is it for the interest of the Nation or the interest of an ethnic group or tribe?. What happened to Lagos and its capital territories? which includes Oyo and Ogun state respectively, Have this teritories being congested that callled the need for a new Federal capital?.
Creation of Abuja is a big waiste of economy till today and Murtalla should never got any credit for that than failure.
CHARLESKING: You hit on something very important- mo9ving the capital from Lagos to Abuja was a big drain on the economy. Remember that under Gown the country earned less revenue but unemployment was rather low. Even a school certificate was enough to fetch you a job. These days even the graduates cannot find any jobs. Want to know why? They are foolishly following in the tyrannous foot steps of Murtala in spending massive amounts of someone else’s money in building a piece of land ravaged by river blindness. I mean did anybody ever do an impact study before this rash and stupid decision was made to move the capital to Abuja under the guise that Lagos is too congested. Would Abuja not become congested with time or do these fools plan to keep the very poor out?If anybody out there has just one convincing reason why Murtala is so great I will be willing to listen. Now here was a man who complained that they the war time officers were never made governors by Gowon and used this lootocratic disposition to then overthrow Gowon. The real reason was that they wanted unfettered access to the treasury of the country. There was no other real reason Gowon was overthrown. Even Joseph Garba was played a prominent role in that coup later felt he was badly used to achieve a means. He hinted this much before his death.
Ekuson, am glad you capture my point of view. Am still suprised that many Nigerians didn’t noticed one of the major causes of Nigerians downfall till today. Rather they kept praising and admiring the croocked people and rebuking the wise, intelligent and honest ones.
Gowon, M.Mohammed, T.Y Danjuma, Ejoor and their peers had been greedy and croocked soldiers from day one. Ojukwu is not even exceptional. It was their greedness that led us to the civil war after they had finished killing their superiors who where really trained by Colonial masters like ( Ironsi, Mai-Malari, Ademulegun,) while Ogundipe died out of fraustration of what Gowon and his nothern troops did to him.
It is very awful for a group of animal soldiers, uneducated bachelors with no human brain (Gowon, M.Mohammed Danjuma)to run a government of a big Nation like Nigeria. Ironsi was way big officer with leadership experience, he had worked with presidents and many prime ministers of that era, he knew better than Gowon and M.Mohammed. Gowon owned the first multi-million dollar getaway five star Hotel at the beach front in Togo till today in the expence of Nigeria treasure. Later Babangida built another expensive five star Hotel adjacent to Gowon’s own in the same beach front at Togo. No one ever sing praises to Ironsi for not having a single plot of land in Lagos, or even to build a one bedroom apartment in his home town Ndume,Ibeku in Abia State. Till today these group of croocked soldiers were still stealing the country’s treasure through direct or indirect means. They blamed Nzeogwu and his peers for the first coup; and Eight more coups had been staged after that, who were the actors? Why did Ironsi took over the power and introduced decree 34 within his six months in the office? Then am asking “why did Gowon and M.Mohammed remained in the office for nine luxirious years without thinking of handing over the power to civillians since Ironsi was blamed for his six months in the office?” Today Nigeria is using the same decree 34. Without Ironsi’s greatness and millitary experience, who else among these hungry soldiers (Gowon, M.Mohammed, Ejoor, T.Y.Danjuma etc.) had the appetite to withstand Emmanuel Ifeajuna and Nzeogwu on that faithfull morning of January 15th,1966? If Ironsi did not crushed the first millitary coup, Nzeogwu could had eliminated the Hausa soldiers to the zero percent and they will never rule that country again or else they secede. But Ironsi was very mercifull to them as a Godly man and later they payed him evil for good. Gowon and M.Mohammed caused a big damages to that country but most Nigerians never realized that, If they didn’t kill Ironsi there will be no civil war or if they killed Ironsi and quickly hand over the power to civillians even to their tribesman there could had been no civil war either. Regardless of casualties in the counter coup, most of ojukwu’s disagreement with Gowon is basicaly about superiority in millitary heirachy which am sure that if Gowon happened to handed that power over to a resposible senior soldier or even a civillian there could had been a chance for peace that time. Ironsi could had never move the federal capital to Abuja which crushed the nations economy and devalue the quality of Nigerian currency due to numerous IMF loans that they borrowed for developement of this new useless Federal capital Abuja.
Get Your Fact right, M. Mohammed did not order the death of Aguyi Ironsi bu the disgrutled soldier of the from Abeokuta snatched Aguyi Ironsi and Killed him.
Let stop hiding behind the claimed attrocities of the Soldiers. The Activities of the Easterner then threathen this Soldiers and brought them out of their shell. Aguyi Ironsi made matter worst with the way he embarked on the unitary Goverment and made it seem as if it was a course of total domination by the Easterner and the north fearing thier annihilation responded rashly and ashly and the rest is story.
The govt had a lot of money back then and building a new capital in the middle of the bush did not seem so rash in the context of the post-war oil boom. Of course today, such an idea would seem irresponsible.
Permit me to disagree with you here. Having a lot of money by itself should never preclude prudent planning. The infrastructure in the old capital sure as hell would have been improved for a lot less, leaving the nation with funds for other projects. Building a new capital from scratch seems a bit insane and points to the myopia of our economic managers.Do you know that they are still building in Abuja as we speak. This was one reason Chief E. Clark used to justify the Niger Delta militancy. He said that when kids from ND visit Abuja and see how much their oil wealth is used to erect this edifice, they instantly ask what about them.Ask we speak a barrel of oil now sells for $105 compred to the price of crude in the 70’s when graduates were fully employed. Do you ever stop to ask yourself why it is that with the increased volume of crude oil production coupled with the astronomical price of a barrel of oil,things have only gotten worse?Explain to me what you think is going on here. I am a good listener and a good reader though hardly a writer.
How much money Nigeria had in the 70’s can be gleamed form this response by Gen. Gowon to a question by Pini Jason:…..
Q. Prior to 1973, especially during your leadership, agriculture occupied a prominent place in the country’s development plans. But as a result of the Yom Kippur war, there was an Arab boycott of oil supplies to the West, and the subsequent increase in oil revenue influenced Nigeria to open her borders to indiscriminate imports. You were then quoted as saying that our problem was not money, but how to spend it. How do we now get away from fighting over oil money and get back to the basics?
A. The Yom Kippur war or the Arab-Israeli war really had nothing to do with it. If you recall, my government’s developmental plans took off in 1975; that is how many years after the Yom Kippur war? And yet, the agricultural sector has not developed in any significant way. Well, to be very honest with you, the war you mentioned, yes, increased oil prices from US$2.50 to $5.00, $8.00 and then to $10.00, $15.00 and so on. But that was in October 1973, and you, yourself, know that even if there is a price hike, the benefits are not immediate. This is realized six months later, at the very earliest. This means that we did not realize the benefit until, say, January 1974. And remember, the price advantage hardly went beyond $25.00; unlike today’s price that is well above the $60.00 mark. So bear that in mind.
Well, economists always speak of “the curse of oil”. Comparing 1970s oil prices to today’s price is apples and oranges. You have to factor in the staggering increase in inflation, CPI and cost of raw goods etc. The price of oil in 1970s was astronomical IN THAT ERA where the population was far less (i.e. greater per capita income). It made the govt think the boom years would last forever.
Max, with cost of living adjsutments, inflation adjustment and all other economic parameters factored in, it still befuddles me that with oil selling for well over $105 per barrel, Nigeria hasn’t got sqaut to show for her increased revenues. I really don’t know where to start with the current misery index:unemployment, roads,electricity, water, insecurty,hunger etc. Something is going on here but nobody wants to acknowledge this simple fact. This is something beyond mere ineptitude.Remember it was the great Fela who hinted that “few people dey fat with big money and the rest dey hungry”. Something gotta give here folks. Just look around you to North Africa and you will understand when enough is enough. Fellows let us get this thing done because we certainly cannot continue in this manner.
Mr. Max, is that the most important thing we need as at time? Lagos had been out there over 400 years of steady developement before becoming the federal capital still Lagos had not fully developed till today, while Abuja was a forest; which was maped out and developed within 16 years,(1975-1991) “What was the need for Abuja?” That’s my question. Since you don’t need two republic what is the need for two federal capitals? Abuja was built under false claimed with propaganda that Lagos is getting congested which is a big lie. Probably because every one scared to question a dictator’s decision or else your you vanished. If Lagos is in the Northern Nigeria, will any of these stupid nothern presidents ever thought about relocating the Federal capital to the south ?.
Max the Author, You indicated that >>.
This is because of incopetent leaders “You must catch the bear before you sell the skin” “Nothing last forever” M.Mohammed moved the FCT to Abuja with no material reason and they also awarded free education to the Nation which sounds good, Within three years they stoped free education but continued funding the FCT project till today. According to the scale of preference “Which of these two budget seems more important to the Nation?”
Today the population was too high at the same time the Crude oil is still booming, the price is beyond extraordinary to accormodate the population, still new professional graduates (Pharmacist, Engineers, Teachers etc.) in Nigeria can not afford their daily bread while some turn to be local traders or cyclist(Okada) and taxi drivers as well. These are one of the peppertual consequences of M.Mohammed’s senseless administeration. During that oil boom era of Mohammed’s regime, 96% of towns in Nigeria had no electricity, pipe born water, Telephones, Primary and post-primary institutions, healthcare centers, High institutions, roads and bridges, yet M.Mohammed ignore all these essential amenities and waiste the country’s treasure in Abuja with “immediate effect” while the Nations population was rapidly growing in his watch. Nigeria had enough money to upgrade their electricity to solar energy by then. Then after M.Mohammed’s demise his second man Obasanjo continue with M.Mohammed’s footstep and lavished the remaining Nigerian treasure on (Festac 77) as a Zombie. None of this soldiers ever thought about the future hope of Nigerians.
Thank god some bloggers can still write. My thanks for this post!!
Thank you. :-)
He was a bloody rapist and murderer and he was deservedly shot like a stray rabbid dog. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
lets not speeck heal of de dead. lets pray dat de soul of de dead rest in peace. muritala mohammed was an hero take it or leave it lets not be sentimental abt it. wen he killed people its was during de war period. a nation united as one was abt to be divided by a selfish individual for his or their own selfish reasons in de process war broke out at dat period it was to kill or to be killed. if u were to be the commander in charge wat would have bn ur decision? may his soul rest in peace. let the good Lord be de judge.
Nobody is speaking ill of the dead. On my part at least, I am trying to put things in perspective here,Interesting that you mention he killed people during the war without indicating who these people were. Could they have been civilian noncombatants? See, in international law and conduct of war that makes an awful lot of difference with regard to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Against this sordid background it behooves me why one would ascribe any great qualities to a man who rightly should have been tried and then hanged for those crimes.If I were to be the commander I’d at least instruct my troops not to molest or kill civilian noncombatants.That is the more civilized war to wage war and mind you war is still a horrible thing.Beside is war time record I personally don’t think you should have been HOS for a second.His record as a military commander was replete with incompetence.
“Let’s not speak ill for the dead” Also “let’s not speak good for bloody criminals after their death” I dislike the way people used to jump into judjement without looking at the big picture. I speak ill or well for the dead based on what you deserve. There is no repentance in the grave. If you can not amend your ways while you are alive, I will speak ill of you after your death and ask God to punish your soul where ever you are and your generation will never live in peace except the ones that forbided your footstep. I did this all the time even to my dead family members who did not straight their ways before their demise. That’s me. Muritalla Mohammed had no human sympathy.
“I prefered people to hate me for what I am than to love me for what am not” I had cultured tradition that I strongly believed on, more spiritual than religous, Like me or hate me.
in the world no any leader that can covered the former p resident murtala r. Muhammad
You lost me there.Can you please translate that into English?
May his soul rest in perfect peace
May the soul of the courageous Col. B.S. Dimka also rest in peace. A man ahead of his time indeed.
Dr.Ekuson,you impress me the way you reacted as regard to this topic.I must confess that u have a very good knowledge about your history.as far as am concerned,MM is a blood thirsty bastard who does not a place in nigerian history.any body who is conversant with the military should know what is called the rule of engagement and this blood thirsty animal violated this rule by slaughtering many non-combatant civilian of the eastern origin during the porgrom and the civil war era.
Thanks a lot for the kind words. I am very adamant about the apparent erronous appallation of greatness to a man who should rightly have faced a war crimes tribunal. It really irks me that my fellow Nigerians, for whatever insane and stupid reasons, would continue to claim that an incompetent who burst into the national limelight for all but a brief six months,somehow accomplished more than all others who toiled and laboured to build a country for a better part of its history. I will not buy into such damaged good.Somebody has to convince me otherwise.For a long time, I have challenged anyone to convince me with facts and figures pointing to this man’s great accomplishments and not a thing has come my way. I am still willing to listen. I strongly believe that MM changed his middle name from Rufai to Ramat out of the guilt he felt for the association of the name Rufai with slaughter of unarmed civilians. I could be wrong on this one as I heard differently when the name change occurred-barely day after he became HOS. I receive a lot of requests from people in Kano and Kaduna to be my friends on facebook. This maybe a little too close for comfort.I threw the gauntlet and it is up to anyone out there to convince and shut me up with raw data.I don’t want to hear comments like he was great and may he rest in peace. Make me a convert or else remain quiet indefinitely. The few Nigerians I have had the privilege to interact with think I am way off in another planet with my logic. I remember back in 1993/94 when I predicted to a Nigerian from the socalled South that the Northerners would as soon kill Abiola than hand over power to him. His response:That will be the end of the country.I then told him that I didn’t think so at all.I was right on both counts. Tony, if you are ought there and reading this, I want you to corroborate the story.
Also may the soul of Aninih, Monnday Osunbo, inspector Iyamu, Muritala Mohammed and Otokoto rest in peace.
Now you lost me all with all those names. I vaguely remember the name Otokoto in connection with some ritual in Owerri but what all went on is really lost on me. I have listened to people from Imo State bandy this name around without actually telling me what happened. Can you clue us in?
Well, that was a long story to talk about but if you could “Google” the name “otokoto” you will pretty get much information about his Saga in their owerri area of Imo state and how the Police comissioner and so called big politicians from that state was tied to that atrocity. The other names i mentioned is one time notorius armed robbers in Benin, Edo State, superheaded by a respected police inspector Iyamu before they were caught,tried and executed as otokoto and his group. Muritala mohammed had the same criminal record like these men I mentioned above before he was caught and executed by Dimka at the right place and at the right time. If one can wish M.Mohammed to rest in peace, then other criminals should also rest in peace.
May is soul rest in peace
I have just stumbled on this most interesting series of conversations, and feel moved to add my own two pennies worth. I have been of the view for several years now that the levels of ignorance amongst us Nigerians about our nation’s history is nothing short of apalling…it is this ignorance, born,in my humble view out of intellectual laziness, that is most responsible for our willingness to accept without crirtical thought, whatever happens to pass for the received wisdom of the day. The apparent deification of Murtala Muhammed is a classic example of this.
Who, exactly, was this man? A professional soldier, promoted way beyond his professional competence level, who, when finally entrusted with active command in war(surely the ultimate for any soldier) failed woefully. I refer here to his being promoted acting Lt Col, from the rank of temporary Major, when still in fact still only a substantive Captain in May 1966(and thereby, together with IBM Haruna and Muhammed Shuwa, leapfrogging the likes of Obasanjo, Adekunle and Rotimi, who were all substantive Majors). A few weeks afterwards, he was one of the key, if not THE key, plotters behind the July 1966 coup, a fact which even in this day and age few Nigerians seem aware of. After months of disgracefully insubordinate behaviour towards Gowon, he then made a complete hash of the assault on Onitsha, conducting it in a way that would earn a failure in a Lt to Capt promotion exam. 7 years later, he is installed as Head of State following a coup which removed Gowon from power, and within a matter of months, is himself killed as the result of a violent coup.
If we accept that his record prior to assuming power does not exactly warrant his being described as great, what then, in his brief months in power, did he do to earn that moniker? Was it his creating 7 more states and thereby creating an imbalance between the North and South which had existed in the previous 12 state structure? Was it his conducting a mass retirement and dismissal exercise, without due process, in the public sector that did not accomplish much beyond creating unemployment? Was it his promoting himself from Brigadier to General within 6 months of coming to power? I very strongly doubt it. Sad though his death, or indeed any death is, we should not allow ourselves to suspend rational judgement and instead let our emotions get the better of us.
I suspect that in death, Muhammed unwittingly made his best career move
TUNDE: I don’t know who you are but I sure will thank God abundantly for your very objective perspective of important events in Nigeria’s history. You really impressed me with your accurate account of events and your reasonable line of argument is second to none. I have been trying to point this out to this very dishonest audience here but I could not have done it any better with such superior facts and figures as presented by you,sir. Thank you a great deal and I sure owe you a debt of gratitude for doing justice to this important topic. All I have gotten from most writers is “He was great’ and nothing else to back up this most annoying claim.Please do hang around as some people will now pile on the charade of perceived greatness where none clearly existed. I have severally argued that given his incompetence as an army commander, he should have been dismissed as Major which was his proper rank in 1966.This man leapfrogged through several promotion ladders none of which he rightfully earned at all. If this is a mark of greatness then we are yet to be screwed reall good in that country. I pointed aout that Obasanjo and co were well senoir to this neophyte . His incompetence was rewarded on numerous ocassions and this truly rankles. ONCE AGAIN: FROM THE VERY BOTTOM OF MY HEART I SAY THANK YOU A BUNCH.
To the rest of you: This is how you argue a point objectively. Most of you are educated as I suspect but lack the ability to put together a genuine argument to support your stand.
Dear Dr Debango,
Thank you for your generous comments.
I think that possibly the greatest disservice Murtala did was the state creation business. Not only did he upset the 6 states in the North/ 6 states in the South balance, he pretty much hardwired the more- states- in- the- North position into all future state creation exercises; indeed, he set the ball rolling for the creation of more states, with the attendant multiplication of the costs of running govenment(and opportunities for flagrant corruption) that have bedevilled us since. Having sais all that, it is only fair to give him his due in one area of foreign policy – his unwavering support of liberation movements in South Africa, Angola and Mozambique(not his fault that the “comrades” there, once in power, seem determined to be just as profligate and oppressive as those they replaced). I think he also needs to be given credit for putting an end to some of the arrant nonsense the Gowon regime indulged in, such as funding the budget of the Caribbean island of Grenada for 1973. I remain doubtful if those who regard him as graet would feel the same way had he remained in office for longer.
TUNDE;
I think he also needs to be given credit for putting an end to some of the arrant nonsense the Gowon regime indulged in, such as funding the budget of the Caribbean island of Grenada for 1973.
>> I am still trying to verify the above statement as I am of the opinion that the country that benefited from that indiscretion may be the African country of Liberia. That was the rumour back then.I may be wrong here, but I don’t think it was Grenada.
Also I am not sure that the marxist MPLA was the right party to support in Angola.The MPLA is the exclusive party of the “mesticos’-mixed Afro-Europeans whose ancestors processed and sold a lot of indigenous Africans into slavery.To this day these people do not regard themselves as African, only hangind onto power to corner whatever commodity was up for grabs.The hotteset commodity in Angola now is oil and their control the oil revenue to the total exclusion of the Africans. Locate the following book and read the section on Angola:”AFRICA, Altered States,Ordinary Miracles” by Richard Dowden, foreword by Chinua Achebe.Please skip the section on Nigeria as the author was brutally honest about why the country is the way it is today.
Dr Debango:
It WAS Grenada, but it was 1975, not 1973, and what Gowon agreed to do was to fund paying the salaries of Grenada’s civil servants. This followed a request from Eric Gairy, then Prime Minister of Grenada, at the Commonwealth summit held in Jamaica. Please see “Troubled Journey: Nigeria since the Civil War”, eds LN Nwachukwu and GN Uzoigwe, 2004, page 71. ISBN 0-7618-2712-9, “Nigerian Foreign Policy Under Military Rule 1966-1999” by O Abegunrin, 2003, page 63, ISBN 0-275-97881-8, and finally, the Virgin Island Daily News of May 12 1975.
For me, despite his blood thirty nature shown during the war, murtala later showd himseld as a leader that was dedicated to the eradication of corruption which is Nigeria’s greatest ill. He should have been punished by the army for the debacle of the Niger crossing in 1967 and the Asaba massacre. Yet he showed himself a cut above the rest during his six months as head of state. As soldier commander he was a failure, but as a military head of state, he was close to perfect. If only the others showed a tenth of what he did in his six months…
He should have been punished by the army for the debacle of the Niger crossing in 1967 and the Asaba massacre.
>> No, he should have been dismissed pronto.There is no way around this incompetence. Period.
Yet he showed himself a cut above the rest during his six months as head of state.
>> How so? Do you know something the rest of are unaware of? Please tell. I am willing to listen to your line of reasoning on this matter.
As soldier commander he was a failure, but as a military head of state, he was close to perfect. If only the others showed a tenth of what he did in his six
>> Tell us how he accomplished this fit in six short months. All I hear is how he did this and that and I find no evidence of it. Not diddly-squat.If you guys don’t have any facts and figures to buttress your argument I suggest we give it a rest.
The killing of Murtala is a remorsefull act caused by Dimka by organizing dat wicked coup.Even at dat,Nigeria suppose celebrate dis man,becos he tried to bring peace to Nigeria by making promise to Nigerians to hand over govt to civillians.
Is it not concievable that had he lived he’d have reneged on that wonderful promise?Remember the ones after him made endless promises to hand over.You saw what happened.If this alone is the yardstick for measuring greatness, then the ones that came after him were also great.You decide.Look here, what I am trying to insinuate is that had he lived, he’ have also moved the goalpost one too many times much like everyone else.That is nothing new in that country.Good try though.You should have posted your idea on April Fool’s day for it to be believed.You just deliberately missed the mark. Next time mind your tardiness.
allah yajikan murtala muhd
Sai an kula kashi yake doyi.
May his soul in peace
Whenever we talk about the positive side of a human then we can not jump to conclusion until we talk about the negative side.I appreciate the effort of every because we learn through our comments.As it is widely says that one man’s food is another man poison’ we can never have the same view but one must act his own.All our leaders in the past and present have their good and worst.It’s natural because you can even do worst than them.I don’t want to side anybody because all of them have almost everything in common i.e good & worst.It’s a bad game esp.military officers.It’s not new to them & that’s why they say soldier go soldier come.”listening 2 fela’s song”
Murderer butcher traitor and war criminal should be this man’s epitaph. The man he replaced as head of state is a far better officer and human being
He was agood leader, may his perfect soul rest in peace, only God can save us in this nigeria.
He was agood leader, may his perfect soul rest in peace, only God can save us in this nigeria.
>>> Be nice to give us some examples why he was “a good leader”. This urban legend has gone unchallenged for too long now.If you tell a lie one too many times many listeners would believe same to be the truth. I want some cogent and incontestible facts to support your statement.This psychobabble has been bandied around for too long now and I am waiting to be convinced by anyone out there.By the way I am great too in my own respect. Can anyone dispute this fact?
is that his security are not with him when it happen? Who catch the murderer
Why people think this man was good for Nigeria baffled me. He led a coup that started wholesale killings of people he hated, was a poor commander, insubordinate and in many officers eyes “a ruffian who would have shown Nigerians his true malevolent colours had he survived beyond six months as head of state..”. I wasn’t born u.til after the civil war but I’ve read john st jorre’s book of 1966-70, listened to officers who had the misfortune to know Murtal….the man was damaged goods people…by the way Max bought and read your book last summer…..well done..please can we get a sequel….
Toks, I am glad you enjoyed OPV. The sequel is on the way..
May his soul rest in peace and make his enemy to conderm
His soul may very well rest in peace and I don’t give a tinker’s damn. Whether or not this event comes to pass is up to God who will judge everyone’s character and actions. This is out of our control as ordinary mortals. Who are the enemies you refer to here? The same enemies who strive to set the record straight with real unmitigated facts? Come again, please. You sure are off the mark with that insinuation of enmity. Far from it. I strive to set the record straight by pushing the frontiers of ignorance further back.
The assassination of good, responsible and incuruptible leaders is the cousative of our backwardness socially,spritually,morally,mentally, educationally,scientically and technologically.Nigerian youth nowadays we understand the reasons behind the assassination of our famous heros example is ; sir Ahmadu Bello [ sardauna),Abubakar Tafawa Balewa,M .K .O. Abiola,Gen.murtala mohammad,Gen.sani Abacha and the assassination of Umar Musa Y’ar’adua,therefore,i will use this special offer remain good nigerian that the labour of our heroes pass should never be invain.
Your preferred list of heroes is as dizzying as it is discombobulating. One would think that the presence of some of these individauls in government actually got us in the mess we are today. I sure as hell see things differently from my humble vantage point. Then again are we not entitiled to our personal opinions as a free people?
i actually heard somewhere that in the north-Kano to be exact individuals such as the late Sani Abacha is widely considered a national hero. so don’t be suprised if the man above included such names in his list of heroes
You are quite right. If you control the purse string of the nation and splurge our commonwealth on your cronies, especially from your home state, then you ought to be a hero. Afterall it is free money you are lavishly spending on cronies.Free means it does not cost anything. I suggest they have a rethink.Take a look at how China handles such malfeasance in public office.You’d be surprised to know that even the communists know better.
Absolutely. Abacha and IBB are heroes in some parts of the north, but reviled in the south. Nzeogwu and Ifeajuna are celebrated in the south, but hated in the north as cold blooded murderers.
mutala has no soul so he will never rest in peace .as if his assasination wasnt enough.he lost his entire family.Nigerian civil war remain one of the greatest genocide the world has witnessed and nobody involved in an effort to wipe out a perticular tribe will ever have peace.in africa we enjoy praising the dead even when the dead is an evil man.maybe in time to come a nigerian will stand up to praise Adekunle the beast.i class all of them thesame BLOOD THIRSTY IDIOTS.
..he wz a good man..in a legitimate war,there are no attrocities,igbos, ask urselves.
In a legitimate war, unarmed civilians should be protected at all cost. Anything short of this is serious war crime. I think you are out of your mind’s wit to spew such putrid drivel. I sincerely hope that one day soon, you and your entrie family will suffer the same fate as the murdered innocent women and children who were mowed down in a barrage of gunfire for no reason. I do not wish you and your kind any good at all. I am serious.Ask yourself why it is that his children are going to their early graves one after the other. Ever heard of the law of karma? Pay attention if you have a brain. Then again, if you had a brain what would you do with it? I am just trying not to lose my cool here. I could give a thorough dressing down in the language you’d understand better but that is for a different forum.
From the account of the events which led to the assassination of Geneal Aguiyi Ironsi as in the interview above, it is clear that, in every or most Governments, palace boys exist such that, they exert tremendeous influence on the Heads of such Governments of the day. The case of the I B B boys that influenced the annulment of june 12, 1993 Presidential elections abound. Similarly, they threatened I B B to step aside when the political temperature was so high in the heat of the actualization or not, of the june 12, 1993, Presidential elections.
MR MAX, do you have any video footage of this sad event, any? or something closely related to the aftermath of the assassination?
Max, I am a big fan do keep the flag flying, someday your reward will surface!
He is d only notable,sensible,nd cordinated military man in nigeria till date.may ur soul rest in peace even after 36yrs ago
You could be the best historian and a good wrtter of all time if you can tell us in detail with prove of What makes Murtala Mohammed to be the only notable, sensible and cordinated man in Nigeria till today as you wriiten above?
The onus is on you to prove these attributes.Until then, I will assume you to be another one of these brainwashed neophytes who’d quickly gobble any nonsense shoved down their throat.
He who lives by the sword dies by the sword.that was his case.
You people dont like true.i want to know who is the first killers in nig.what about the people that kill our first heros.like tafawa balewa and maimalari sardauna akintola howmany igbos are kiled that time.?
.i want to know who is the first killers in nig
>>> Find the answer to you own question right here:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Ethnic/Religious-Cleansing-In-Nigeria&id=6961401
Very sad may his soul rest i̶̲̥̅̊n̶̲̥̅̊ perfect peace
Amen º°˚ º°˚ º°˚ º°˚ º°˚
Rest i̶̲̥̅̊n̶̲̥̅̊ perfact peace ƌ̲̣̣̣̥ great general
Amen º°˚ º°˚ º°˚ º°˚ º°˚
Rest in perfect peace the Great Lt. Col. B.S Dimka and I. D Bisala. Long live clement Yilda and Dauda Usman.
I was not born when Gen Murtalar of blessed memory was a head of state but history has spoken well for him.Those who accusing him of genocide against particular section of a country should re-think becaus Murtalar fought to keep the country together and their was succession by then Eastern region.we pray to Allah to grant Murtalar peace. As for Dimka who killed him I’ll not curse him but history will curse him.
may allah be pleace with him
We reallly miss such a good leader,rest i̶̲̥̅̊n̶̲̥̅̊ perfact pease Mr general we salute Ʊ .
MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE
Gen. Murtala mohammed untimely death shocked the nation and the entire african continent then.. It bleeds everybody heart as the memories floats back!. May ‘ALLAH’ grants him eternal rest…amen.
Hm nawal 4 nigeria o bokoharam
It is surprising to note that in spite of all the effort taken by Mr Debango, Mr Charlesking and Mr Tunde to rest the controversies concerning the “greatness” of MM, some people either deliberately refuse to acknowledge the painful truth, or are really ignorant. Perhaps they never took their time to peruse the thread before dishing us their depressive remarks. It is worrisome to note the deception going on in this country despite an overwhelming radiant of fact lurking everywhere, concerning not only this issue, but also the question bothering on our quest for nationality. I for one do not believe in the title of Chinua Achebe’s book, “there was a country”. There was no country – there has never been one, and it sure don’t seem like there will ever be one. As a matter of fact, many people are no longer interested in this…. i couldn’t call it a country. The earlier we come to terms with that truth sitting right in the crevices of our hearts, the better for everybody. My advice goes to every one who would like to see a peaceful division of this mistake to start the agitation now that oil still runs, because my fears is that after the exhaustion of this resource the division will come by brutal force and blood.
Pls can we know the full story
May his soul rest in a perfect condition. Where were they now, they would have appreciate to remain under him than under the conundrum of the present politics. Had that resolve the problems of the nation? How even those who might seem to be loyal around him have turn over today! The are not far from taking the country to a muribund status quo. Well, others were killed before him, he too must go. But of course Murtala’s muscle and energy regime is certainly the most distinct and nationalistic, because the troublesome(as he might be) had turned to become a peace in the minds of all Nigerians. 2 u Brigadier Ramat i paid my loyalty as Nigerian. This is my condolence to Dr. Yusufu Bala Usman,whom i unbearably cried in a deep sense of regret for the lost of him in person of Murtala Muhammed. Of course the government of Murtala was intellectually spearheaded by him,and the “corrective regime” of Murtala and his radical foreign policy were behind the brain of the late Bala Usman. Both i considerea as my great remembering fathers politically and intellectually,and to whom i look up to in the both directions.
who kill by the gun ,will also die by the gun that is the case of muritala you can’t run away from it.
Gowon, Danjuma, Ojukwu, Murtala…these are men caught up with history at dat point of our national history. On their respective fronts, Black Scorpion Adekunle & Murtala enjoyed d passion & fever of dat era: punish d ‘recalcitrant’ Igbos who dared pull out of Nigeria after making a mess of d system. Adekunle was loud-mouthed, uncouth while Mohammed kept much of his plans 2 himself. From d beginning, he never liked Gowon, feeling d ‘infidel’ 4rm North-Central took his rightful throne bicos Gowon had British support. Yes, General Murtala Mohammed was an enigmatic ruler, decisive, rappacious but he had one fault which later killed him. (Maybe Providence visited him so soon bicos of dis. Cyprain Ekwensi’s wartime novel, DIVIDED WE STAND wrote about him.) Murtala was plainly over confident, and he paid dearly 4 his erratic actions. Biafran Col. Achuzia pummelled him at Onitsha. His convoy of over 100 cars was destroyed at Abagana by a Biafran major and 700-man forces. Why did Gowon reinstate him in d army after his return 4rm d extended leave? Was he afraid of d big, burly officer? Murtala was a Northern plant. He was no war hero though history acknowledged him as a mercurial reformer.
MAY ALMIGHTY GOD LEAVE HIS SOUL TO BE IN REST.
May the gentle soul of murtala rest in perfect peace. Amin
Nigera is a good country 37 yeas a go b/cus no differences and cultuer problem s
May his soul rest in peace.
May his soul rest in parfect peace
May Almighty Allah grant him jannatul fiddausi
Ibos have forgotten what they have done to northern leaders,where their corpses were displayed on the street. well done northern heroes.
13 as number is misfortune according to the book of esther
The late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed was a detribalized NIGERIAN. A leader who puts the Nation first even before his immediate family. As a military General, he was also charismatic leader. Rest in peace our beloved father.
MM is crazy and acts without thinking of the implication. Look at the appointment of Alhaji Adamu Ciroma as the Governor of the central bank of Nigeria, when Ciroma studied the humanities. When his Assistants pointed out the mistake to him he merely responded with “what is signed is signed” He was a military politician sympathetic to the Northern Peoples Congress, his reasons to the Jan. 1966 coup was only based on the suspicions that the north has lost its hold on power that was why he and his fellow coupist in July that year engaged in the “scourged earth” response to the Jan coup by killing Easterners anywhere in Nigeria. Does he respect oneness of Nigerians in his appointments when he was Head of state? How many southerners or Igbos were in his Govt?
Do you remember the reason for retiring Col. Anthony Ochefu the first Military Governor of East Central State in 1975?. Ocheful visited Owerri and say the backwardness of the infrastructural development and shouted out in the press, he was promptly retired , Ochefu was an Idoma from Benue state.
Do you know that the creation of the additional states in 1976 created a lot of bad blood and communal fighting among Nigerians. He was hasty in his going about the creation of the additional states without setting up of appropriate committees and review panel for the purpose. In Eastern States we have a lot of communal clashes amongst themselves
Well let every dead rest in peace because Dimka would also have been a hero if he had succeeded
[…] Murtala Muhammed’s speech on Nigerian democracy: https://www.facebook.com/157457414278806/videos/1851800698475/ The assassination of Murtala Muhammed: https://maxsiollun.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/the-assasination-of-murtala-muhammed/ […]
[…] Murtala Muhammed’s speech on Nigerian democracy: https://www.facebook.com/157457414278806/videos/1851800698475/ The assassination of Murtala Muhammed: https://maxsiollun.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/the-assasination-of-murtala-muhammed/ […]
May your soul rest in peace my boss, we’l not forget ur hand works.
[…] Murtala Muhammed’s speech on Nigerian democracy: https://www.facebook.com/157457414278806/videos/1851800698475/ The assassination of Murtala Muhammed: https://maxsiollun.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/the-assasination-of-murtala-muhammed/ […]
[…] Murtala Muhammed’s speech on Nigerian democracy: https://www.facebook.com/157457414278806/videos/1851800698475/ The assassination of Murtala Muhammed: https://maxsiollun.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/the-assasination-of-murtala-muhammed/ […]
I love the idea