President Muhammadu Buhari has asked Nigerians not to mourn late Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed who died 40 years ago in a military coup, but that citizens should learn to demonstrate his virtues of loyalty, honesty and determination to make Nigeria better.
The President who spoke today at the Murtala Mohammed 40th Memorial Lecture in Abuja said: “we are here to honour a national hero and patriot, not to mourn him, and to take a few lessons from his achievements; his love for Nigeria and Nigerians, from wherever they came; his intense professionalism; his impatience with incompetence and lack of patriotism; his loyalty to friends and colleagues.
“His life, short though it proved to be, was marked by an extraordinary passion, energy and determination to do better, and to make Nigeria better.These are values that young and old alike should all remember and celebrate.
Buhari said that Murtala’s motto was always to get the job done as quickly as possible, adding that no one could doubt his inspirational qualities or call into question his love and dedication in the service of Nigeria.
“On assuming the role of Head of State in 1975, Murtala set out with a single-minded determination seldom seen in Nigerian leadership. Decisions were on fast-track.”
President Buhari said that many major developments were prominent among Mohammed’s legacies, which he said included the move of the capital to Abuja from Lagos and the creation of seven new states.
The President, who said that Mohammed was his senior in Army, revealed how he developed a great liking and respect for him on account of his professional excellence, competence, straightforwardness and genuine interest and concern for up-and-coming officers like him.
“Of course, no one is without flaws. He was a man in a hurry, and sometimes this could make him appear abrupt or even moody. But what he could not tolerate was incompetence and idleness.
“By the time Murtala was given Command during the Civil War, the Federal side was on the defensive. The rebels had over-ran the then Mid-West, and reached as far as Ore, just 100 miles from Lagos. By dint of sheer bravery, improvisation and resourcefulness, he mustered a rag-tag group of soldiers, integrated them into an entirely new division, knocked them into fighting shape, recovered Mid-West and ventured across the Niger.
“Alas, there were terrible casualties on both sides, but sacrifice and loss were part of the risks of war.”
Retired Lieutenant General Theophilus Danjuma, who is the Vice-President of the Board of Trustees of the Murtala Mohammed Foundation, organizers of the annual lecture series, expressed great joy for being associated with the late Mohammed early in life.
Danjuma commended the efforts of the foundation and advised its leadership to embark on aggressive media campaign with a view to educating members of the public on its activities and achievements so far.
The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon’s representative and Head of the UN Office for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, who also represented former President of Namibia, Lucas Pohamba, noted that the death of Mohammed, 40 years ago, had left an indelible mark in African history.
Chambas extolled the virtues of the former Nigerian Head of State, describing him as a natural leader.
The guest speaker, David Richards, former Chief of Defence Staff of the British Armed Forces, said that inter-state and intra-states rivalries had continued to make the world unstable for mankind.
Richards, who spoke on the topic: “Regional Security and State Building: Portents and prospects,” challenged leaders to find lasting solutions to sociopolitical crises across the world.
The Chief Executive officer of the Murtala Mohammed Foundation, Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, saluted President Buhari for embarking on the crusade against corruption in the country.
Muhammed-Oyebode also commended the efforts of the Buhari-led administration towards the fight against Boko Haram insurgency in the North Eastern states of the federation.
She expressed the hope that the abducted Chibok schoolgirls would soon be rescued in view of the successes being recorded by the Nigerian Army and other security agencies in the country.
Murtala Mohammed was assassinated in a military coup on February 13, 1976. [myad]
Advertisement
