According to Bolaji Akinyemi, a former minister of external affairs, Nigeria might have been different if Gen. Murtala Muhammed, the country’s former head of state, had not been killed.
According to reports, Muhammad served as Nigeria’s head of state from July 29, 1975, until his killing on February 13, 1976, in Lagos.
Speaking at a strategic policy workshop organized by the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, led by Eghosa Osaghae, and the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, led by Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, Akinyemi claimed that if Muhammad had not been killed, both his personal life and Nigeria’s history would have been different.
“Has Africa come of age?” was the focus of the workshop. The event, “Murtala Muhammed’s pan-African vision 50 years after,” took place on Thursday at the NIIA auditorium on Victoria Island in Lagos.
“Dr. Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode said she misses her father very, extremely personally,” Akinyemi stated. Let me tell her that I personally miss him as well.
“I am certain that not only would Nigerian history have been different if the General had not been assassinated, but I also believe that my own personal life would have been different.”
Akinyemi remembered that Muhammad was a public speaker and political analyst who was not afraid to express disagreement with opinions that did not align with his own.
He pointed out that Nigeria needs individuals like Muhammad, powerful leaders who wouldn’t be afraid to openly express their opinions on matters, even if they went against the consensus.
He went on to discuss Muhammad’s character, saying, “I had never met him, but one was aware of the positions he took and continued to take publicly on issues.” General Muhammad would constantly be seen in press articles arguing for or against the positions taken by military leaders on various matters.
We once invited military officers to a meeting. One particular incident involving General Murtala Muhammad caught my attention. When we were talking about the Middle East, I would argue that the entire Nigerian university community supported the Palestinian cause.
“We opposed Israel.” We felt that the Israelis were acting quite terribly. General Muhammad stood up to pray as afternoon prayers were about to begin. When he reached the door on his way out, he paused, turned around, and asked, “Why are we talking about this?” Time was a bloody waste. After spreading the prayer mat in the hallway and saying his prayers, he returned inside.
That surprised me because, in a normal situation, we would have expected a military official from the north to be pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel, and we would have expected Nigeria to adopt such a stance. However, he was the complete opposite. That’s how I first learned about General Muhammad’s values. He didn’t mind voicing his disagreements with authority figures, including those who invited him and their stance. And I believed that Nigeria needed this.
In both continental and international diplomatic circles, he pointed out, Muhammad was a Head of State who inspired pride in Nigerians.
We once had a Head of State that inspired pride in Nigerians, and for some reason, people still remember that. They were aware of his values. Nigerians knew what was expected of them, and he was not a Head of State who shied away from taking a stand on anything. If he didn’t agree with you, he would explain why,” Akinyemi stated.