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Murtala Day: Celebration without Emulation By Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u Department of Journalism Studies University of Sheffield, UK
The celebration of Murtala day on the 13 of February every year has become a normal practice in Nigeria and some Afr ican countries, including some organisations, universities and those who share the ideals and vision of the Late General whom it is believed was assassinated for what he stood for. What is fascinating is that during these celebrations even people whose record in office is the direct opposite of what Murtala symbolises do participate, which I think is not a crime but would have been more fruitful if they can imbibe some of the qualities that endeared him to those who organise the celebrations.
My concern in this little piece is to look at some of the qualities of General Murtala Muhammad and see some of the lessons we can learn from them, and most importantly emulate those qualities, which I think would strengthen the memorial celebrations and make the society the main beneficiary.
Honesty and Selflessness
From the little we heard about Murtala, he is an honest and selfless person, a quality he exhibited with high degree when he became Head of State. A number of the accounts on the life of Murtala indicated that he was tired of the level of corruption that was sky-rocketing under the Gowon administration, particularly by some of the principal actors of the regime manning both the federal and state levels. This might be one of the reasons why he made the fight against corruption and cleansing the civil service one of the cornerstones of his administration. Today we don’t here about the companies he left or where he is one of the main shareholders, housing estates, foreign bank accounts or investments, yet he is honoured and celebrated. This goes on to show that a worthy legacy is more precious than a hill of gold. It is amazing to see how a military officer is being celebrated even by those who call themselves democrats and members of the intelligentsia. As such we can understand that leadership quality is not necessarily in the style, but what is delivered as a result.
So emulating these qualities of Murtala would have transformed Nigeria into a model state throughout the world especially looking at the resources the country is endowed with. It would have seen our schools provided with the necessary equipments, universities becoming centres of research and breeding ground for those who will move the country to an enviable pedestal of economic growth and development; it would have made our country networked with super highways and rail networks for the easy movement of goods and services; it would have seen our country electrified and enjoying its fare share in the on going information and communication revolution , it would have seen an effective health system that will make our citizens healthy and fit to participate in economic activities, it would have made our country develop a vibrant agricultural sector that is buoyant enough to feed our country and beyond. The list is endless.
Fearlessness and Nationalism
Courage and hope are among the qualities of a good leader. They make him strong and hard where he needs to be decisive especially in difficult moments, and lenient where he needs to be soft on his subjects. Murtala symbolises these qualities. He exhibited these qualities both in his reform programmes in Nigeria and the goodwill he extended to fellow African countries. His stand during the OAU summit in Addis Ababa points to this direction, and many believed it is this famous speech during the meeting that costed him his life. “Africa has come of age”, a statement he made during the meeting almost became like a song particularly among students of tertiary institutions. But where are we today? If Murtala is to see Africa today, he would have changed his statement to Africa has come of infancy going by what our attitude has taken us today.
Emulating these qualities of Murtala would have seen Nigeria fighting corruption to its logical end without fear or favour. Our civil service turned into a service of hope. Good governance becoming the essence of leadership. Politi cs changed into sacrifice for the good of all, and the country being the pride of everyone. But ask those who travel a lot and hear their views on what it means to have a green passport.
Religiousness
Nigerians have been described to be among the most religious people in the world, but what many Nigerians failed to prove is how to live by the example of what they have been taught by the religion. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been described both in the Qur’an and from his traditions as a symbol of good conduct, and nothing less is expected from the followers. This is where Murtala distinguished himself. Special accounts on how he became involved in the coup that ousted Gowon revealed that when Shehu Musa ‘Yaraduwa and Jo Garba went to him and complained about the problems with the Gowon administration, and their intention to plan a coup, and if the coup succeeds they endorse him to be the leader, they met him praying and playing a tape of the Qur’an. He reportedly told both Garba and ‘Yaraduwa that he is not interested in leadership, but if they face any problem, he would support them, eventually the coup succeeded and he was convi nced to take the mantle of leadership. In fact some of his pictures during the civil war showed him observing his daily prayers. But the most important thing is that he wasn’t pretending since we are yet to hear any allegation of corruption against him, and he has achieved within six months what it took nearly a decade for many to achieve, that is if they have done so, eventually he was assassinated on his way to the mosque.
Imbibing this quality of Murtala would have made our leaders very responsible and accountable. It would have made our brothers leading the few states that accept to practice shari’ah the models of good governance and the hope not on ly in their states, but for the nation as a whole. It would have seen an end to the embezzlement of public funds; it would have seen piety and brotherhood flourishing in the society.
Vision A good leader does not bother himself with his tenure in office or preoccupy his thought with the thinking of next election. A leader that has vision thinks of the generation yet unborn. This kind of vision helped Murtala to start a new process of societal re-engineering. He started a new transition programme that gave birth to a new constitution which later made possible the second republic. New states were created and the Fed eral Capital relocated to a place that does not favour any of the major ethnic groups, which today has become the centre for sharing the national cake, even though little attention is paid to the way the national cake is baked. He never lived to see some of his legacies, yet the legacies are speaking on his behalf.
If we have taken the vision of Murtala seriously we would have been competing to establish a perpetual legacy that will withstand the test of time. Such a vision would have made us establish mini capitals in various part of the country in order to ensure access to development and ease commercial activities, as well as decongest the Federal Capital Territory that is becoming a no go area for the common man, while the common man insists he must go.
Such a vision would have transformed Lagos to a New York of business activities, Kano to a London of Commerce, Port-Harcourt to a Brussels of economic interdependence, Maiduguri into an emerging Dubai of trade and culture, Enugu the Tokyo of technological innovation, and Abuja as oily as Riyadh in channelling resources to every corner of the country in order to pursue development projects.
As the nation celebrates 30 years after the demise of the promising son of Africa, let it be the beginning of the end of the era of purposelessness and selfishness. Let us write an epitaph to the culture of sycophancy and bury the ego of mediocrity. A son who does not repent and reform 30 years after the death of his father does not deserve to be called a worthy successor. Is anyone around who cares?
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