Murtala Muhammed was assassinated while trying to end corruption - Says Buhari

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President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed that late former Head of State,

General Murtala Muhammed was working towards restoring indiscipline
and corruption in Nigeria when he was assassinated.

Speaking at the 40th Memorial Lecture of the former Head of State in
Abuja on Saturday, Buhari also urged Nigerians to emulate the life and
character of Murtala.


Buhari said, ?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.

According to Buhari, the late Head of State demonstrated rare courage and necessary leadership skill, saying

that his preoccupation was to fast-track decisions to herald the progress of Nigeria.

Buhari said two major efforts of the late Muhammed that yielded positive result for the country among his other legacies were the move of the capital to Abuja from Lagos; and the creation of seven additional states and turning Nigeria to 19 states.


He said, ?On the 13th of February 1976, Nigeria suffered a grievous
blow with the assassination of Murtala Muhammad in a failed coup
d??tat. The country mourned, and rightly so, because Murtala had been
on his way to putting Nigeria back to the path of order and
discipline, after years of drift, corruption and near despair. It
would not be over-stating the case to say that Nigeria lost its
newly-found momentum with Murtala?s demise.

?His life, though short, 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.?

Recalling the great military exploit under Mohammed during the civil
war, Buhari said, ?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 Murtala?s motto was to get the job done as quickly as possible;
sacrifice and loss were part of the risks of war. Relations between
Murtala and some other senior officers were not always easy. But no
one could doubt his inspirational qualities or call into question his
love and dedication in the service of Nigeria.