A 200-Day Legacy of Courage: Remembering General Murtala Muhammed, 49 Years After the Bullets

By Tukura Matthew 

Forty-nine years after a hail of bullets cut short his life on the streets of Lagos, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed remains one of Nigeria’s most revered and transformative leaders. His tenure as Head of State lasted a mere 200 days, but the decisions made in that brief period continue to shape the nation’s geography, governance, and collective memory.

For many Nigerians, like this writer who was a 12-year-old pupil in primary school on that fateful Friday, February 13, 1976, the news of his assassination was a moment frozen in time. Over the decades, reading and reflecting on his life has revealed a man who personified purposeful leadership. He lived a simple life, shunned excessive security, and operated with a zero-tolerance stance on corruption. His was a government of swift, decisive action.

A Blueprint for a Nation

In just over six months, following the coup that brought him to power in July 1975, General Muhammed’s government took monumental steps. He dismissed a significant number of corrupt and ineffective public officials, signalling a new era of accountability. He initiated the creation of seven new states, bringing the federation to 19 and moving governance closer to the people. Perhaps his most visionary act was setting in motion the plan to relocate Nigeria’s capital from the congested coastal city of Lagos to the central plains of Abuja.

From the outset, he was unequivocal about his mission: to return the country to civilian rule. He inaugurated a Constitution Drafting Committee, chaired by the renowned legal luminary Chief F.R.A. Williams. Addressing the committee, he set a solemn tone with the now-iconic words: “You are at the bar of history.” Following his death, his successor, General Olusegun Obasanjo, religiously adhered to that transition programme, culminating in the election of President Shehu Shagari in 1979.

The Leader Forged in Reluctance

The story of how Murtala Muhammed came to lead the country is as compelling as his tenure itself. According to Lt. Col. Joseph Nanven Garba, a key figure in the 1975 coup, Muhammed was initially reluctant. Garba recalled approaching him during the planning stages: “He looked at us steadily for some moments and then said, ‘I have no intention of taking up arms for Nigeria again.’ With that, he went back to reading his Koran.”

The plotters, however, were convinced he was the man for the job. Col. Abdullahi Mohammed described a tense meeting at Dodan Barracks where they presented him with an ultimatum. They argued that his large following in the army meant appointing another leader could create instability, and that they would be forced to publicly explain his refusal. Muhammed’s response was explosive: “To hell with all of you! This is blackmail!... I must have executive authority and run the country as I see best.”

Joe Garba recounted the final moments of the negotiation: “We could see that he would give in…but not gracefully. He then accepted our terms.” With that, a government was formed, with General Olusegun Obasanjo as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, and Lt. Col. (later General) T.Y. Danjuma as Chief of Army Staff.

A Leader of Compassion and Conviction

General T.Y. Danjuma offered a personal insight into the man behind the stern facade: “Behind Murtala’s stern, austere and hard look lay a compassionate listener and human disposition.” This blend of toughness and humanity defined his leadership.

His influence was not confined to Nigeria’s borders. At a crucial meeting of the OAU Foreign Ministers in Addis Ababa in February 1976, the Tanzanian Foreign Minister, Ibrahim Kaoma, credited Nigeria’s firm stance as decisive in shaping the outcome of the Angolan conflict, declaring, “Let us make no mistake; the Nigerian position played a very decisive role in the turn of events in that country.”

Even his predecessor, General Yakubu Gowon, living in exile in London, publicly acknowledged the fairness of the Muhammed-led government, stating in a letter to Obasanjo that they had ensured his upkeep and treated him with the dignity befitting a former Head of State.

A Legacy Etched in Naira and Memory

The ultimate tribute came in 1977, when the Obasanjo regime decided to honour him by making him the first Nigerian to appear on the nation’s currency. At the unveiling of the new naira note, General Obasanjo encapsulated the nation’s sentiment: “For the first time in the history of this great country we are having a currency note that bears the portrait of an illustrious Nigerian, late General Murtala Muhammed, as permanent and lasting tribute for his selfless dedication to the service of his fatherland… who by his indomitable courage and total dedication… has left behind bold footprints in the sand of times.”

British academic Professor Martin Dent noted that it was under Muhammed that the military truly achieved its goal of corrective government. Lamina Okion Ojigbo, writing in 1979, perhaps captured the essence of his impact best: “He brought hope, justice and sense of security to Nigeria and to Africa. His leadership gave Nigerians hope. His guts gave us strength. His dedication gave us inspiration.”

In his New Year message to the nation on January 1, 1976, just weeks before his death, General Muhammed called for sacrifice, courage, and dedication. It was a creed he lived by, and it is the reason his name endures not just on a banknote, but in the history of a nation he so boldly sought to redefine.

Tukura, Lafia-based Journalist