Former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, has asserted that the nation’s trajectory would have been different if former Head of State, Gen. Murtala Muhammed, had not been assassinated. Muhammed was Nigeria’s Head of State from July 29, 1975, until his assassination in Lagos on February 13, 1976.
He was killed on his way to his office after his car was ambushed in Lagos traffic near the Federal Secretariat, Ikoyi, by military officers, who were loyalists of the then Head of the Nigerian Army Physical Training Corps, Lt. Col. Buka Dimka.
Akinyemi spoke at a strategic policy workshop organised by the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, headed by Dr Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, and the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, led by Prof. Eghosa Osaghae.
The workshop, with the theme “Has Africa come of age? Murtala Muhammed’s pan-African vision 50 years after,” was held on Thursday at the NIIA auditorium, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Akinyemi, who was the keynote speaker at the event, said the history of not only Nigeria but also his personal life would have been different if Muhammed had not been killed.
“Dr. Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode said she misses her father very, extremely personally. Let me assure her that I also miss him in a very personal way.
“I am sure that if the General had not been assassinated, it is not only the history of Nigeria that would have been different; I even think that my own personal life would have been different,” Akinyemi said.
Akinyemi recalled that Muhammed was an intellectual who spoke publicly and analysed issues in the polity, adding that he would not hesitate to disagree with views he was not comfortable with.
He noted that Nigeria needs people like Muhammed—leaders in influential positions who would not hesitate to publicly voice their stance on issues, even if it ran against the majority view.
Speaking further on Muhammed’s personality, he said, “I had never met him, but one was aware of the positions he took and continued to take publicly on issues. When military officers took positions on issues, General Muhammed would always be found in the pages of newspapers, arguing one position or the other.
“We once held a conference and invited military officers. What struck me was an episode involving General Murtala Muhammed. We were discussing the Middle East, and at that time, I would say the entire university community in Nigeria was on the side of the Palestinians.
“We were anti-Israel. We thought the Israelis were behaving rather badly. It was time for afternoon prayers, and General Muhammed got up to pray. As he was walking out, when he got to the door, he stopped, turned around and said, ‘Why are we discussing this? Bloody waste of time.’ He then went into the corridor, spread the prayer mat, said his prayers, and came back in.
“That struck me because, under normal circumstances, we expected a northern military officer to be anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian, and expected Nigeria to take such a position. But he was exactly the opposite. That was my exposure to what General Muhammed stood for. He was ready to disagree with authority, ready to disagree even with those who invited him and their position, and he did not mind expressing it. And I thought, this is what we need in Nigeria.”
He noted that Muhammed was a Head of State who instilled pride in Nigerians and commanded respect in continental and international diplomatic circles.
“For some reason, people have not forgotten that we once had, in this country, a Head of State who brought out pride in Nigerians. They knew what he stood for. He was not a Head of State who avoided taking a stance on issues, and Nigerians knew what was expected of them. If he disagreed with you, he would give reasons for his position,” Akinyemi said.
Akinyemi recalled that the late General appointed him as Director-General of the NIIA and handled complex diplomatic issues with clarity.
In his remarks, the Director-General of the NIIA, Prof. Osaghae, stressed the need for Africa to seek continental solutions to its problems rather than judging itself by Western civilisation.
He argued that Africa’s assessment of whether it has come of age should be based on its own paradigms of development. Osaghae also called for a review of the nation’s school curriculum to instil patriotism and love for the country from an early age.
Speaking earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, Muhammed-Oyebode, said she took pride in the fact that her father is remembered as a bold pan-Africanist who pursued a foreign policy that gave Nigeria a respected voice in international relations.
She noted that Gen. Muhammed stood out for challenging apartheid and promoting African self-determination on the global stage.
“Looking back 50 years, what resonates most for me is what we stood for in terms of African collective foreign policy and our identity as Africans. My father is remembered today as a bold Africanist who articulated and pursued a very assertive foreign policy that gave Nigeria a respected voice in international relations.
“In championing the liberation struggles across Southern Africa, Nigeria was at the forefront. We stood tall, and Nigeria was among the countries that made it possible for that struggle to gain momentum. He challenged apartheid and defended African self-determination on the global stage.
“His famous declaration at the OAU Summit in Addis Ababa in 1976 remains a rallying cry for African unity and independence in international affairs,” she said.
She reaffirmed that the Murtala Muhammed Foundation remains committed to preserving Muhammed’s values of leadership, justice and service, and prayed for the emergence of principled and courageous youths to lead the country.
“We have been at the forefront of initiatives that promote good governance, humanitarian relief, education and public policy discourse.
“As we mark the 50th anniversary of my father’s assassination, there is renewed commitment to situate his legacy within today’s policy challenges and inspire a new generation of Nigerians and Africans to embrace his vision of a principled and courageous Africa,” she said.
The event featured a panel session involving Prof. Charles Ukeje, Prof. Rahanatu Lawal, Prof. Hassan Saliu, Prof. Alade Fawole, Prof. Bukola Adesina and Dr. Joshua Bolarinwa.
Other dignitaries in attendance included Prof. Akin Oyebode, Prof. Adele Jinadu, Prof. Femi Otubanjo, Prince Adelusi Julius, former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, and the Angolan Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Jose Bamoquina Zau.
source: punch