Obasanjo and the House That Murtala Built
Obasanjo, from reveille to taps in the army and beyond, is twined with
Nigeria
’s recent history. It is hard to pinpoint precisely when Obasanjo first burst into prominence in the service to
Nigeria
. However, had he not been there in 1967, at
Ore
, this nation of ours would most probably have been divided into separate units. Mind you – he did not do it alone, but he could have compromised if he wanted to.
Lagos
, then the country’s capital, was under threat and
Biafra
’s hegemony would have ruled the south-western part of the country till this day.
Nigeria
was at a constitutional crossroad and at a boiling point due mainly to a fundamental divide of ideologies. The feudalistic North had suspicion of a threat to its way of life. The capitalist East and the socialist West also had their fears – those of dominance.
The situation appeared containable but only became heightened and deteriorated into the Nigerian Civil War; because, most significantly, of a contest of seniority within the Nigerian Army between Gowon and Ojukwu – the 1966 pogrom notwithstanding. At least that was what it seemed like; since seniority within the army dominated the peace talks at Aburi in
Ghana
. Ojukwu still believes, unto this day, that he was senior to Gowon in the army. Whatever! The
Battle
at
Ore
, however, was probably not Obasanjo’s first, to change the course of
Nigeria
’s history. He was, as it is well documented, a close friend of the leader of those that carried out the first military coup and always hung around Major Nzeogu’s house where most of the planning of that first coup took place.
It was, however, reported that Obasanjo never participated in the planning of that military coup. This was corroborated by the last survivor of the five Majors that carried out the first military intervention in
Nigeria
. Major Ademoyega, in his book The Five Majors - Why We Struck, absolves Obasanjo from any complicity in the planning of that coup. I paraphrase: “There was this colourless Yoruba junior officer… We knew he was always there, but we just did not reckon with him.’ If those accounts were true and knowing what we now know about Obasanjo, the five Majors must have made the most fundamental error in judgement of character. Perhaps, it was such myopia which caused them their project. Alas, Ademoyega passed on in February 2007.
As
Nigeria
descended into a black hole, Obasanjo only needed to cut his teeth at Ore. With due respect, his personal contributions is hereafter simplified to buttress my argument. So that was all he needed to do before destiny took over.
Providence
would steer this man from Owu to take glory where others had worked tirelessly. Notably and first amongst his fateful crowning, was at the closing stages of the Nigerian Civil War. Adekunle, the commander of the Third Marine Commando, must have felt like the biblical Moses as fate would deny him of taking glory where he had toiled. Adekunle, up to that point, was all we knew about that war from this side of the
Niger
. War correspondents had often repeatedly reported success after success of Adekunle’s Third Marine Commando against the Biafran army.
The Black Scorpion, as Adekunle was popularly known, was however suddenly relieved of his command to pave way for Obasanjo who would, in a few weeks thereafter, preside over the surrender of the Biafran army to the federal troops. Obasanjo thus became everybody’s hero including mine. After the war, Obasanjo remained out of the public view except when the Army Mechanised Division, which he commanded, resurfaced the Western Avenue (now Funsho Williams Avenue), Lagos in a cost saving exercise – the first rain, nonetheless, washed that surface away.
Five years and some months after the end of the civil war, our ever loving General Yakubu Gowon was toppled from power for whatever reason in a bloodless coup. What emerged from that coup would thereafter, by twist of fate and perhaps the god of One Nigeria, hold on to the reign of power ever since. The religion of this cabal or whatever you call it is One Nigeria. The founding father of that movement was the fiery late General Murtala Mohammed and in his tow was our own Obasanjo as his deputy. When on 13 February 1976 Murtala was slain in an attempted coup, his deputy, Obasanjo succeeded him – providence at work yet again.
Obasanjo did not only follow to the letter the tenets of Murtala, he preserved the house that Murtala built.
Nigeria
has been under his feet ever since – not by his doing but by fate over and over again. I give it to them; there is no other group that is as fervent in the belief of one indivisible
Nigeria
as the group of Murtala – no other group. However, in this house that Murtala built, there are pretenders – lots of them. There has to be because of the intrigues that had been at play over the years. But, who determines who the pretenders are? Nothing epitomised the mission of this group more than our own Shagari, whose slogan was only “One Nation, One Destiny.” This group does not trust any other Nigerian outside of it for the project of One-Nigeria.
Without any delusion, Shagari, a member in the house that Murtala built, was handpicked by that government to succeed Obasanjo in a sham electoral process marred by falsification just like the one
Nigeria
recently experienced. However, the pretenders in that house hijacked the government of Shagari thereafter. When it was obvious that the hijacked Shagari’s government was acting against the spirit of the house of Murtala, the government was overthrown. Meanwhile, a close confidant of the founder of the movement, the late Chief Abiola, had earlier been frustrated out of the house of Murtala. Abiola had deemed an unfulfilled promise within the house as a betrayal. He had bankrolled the movement and even set up machinery to oppose Awo in the latter’s bid to rule
Nigeria
.
In the movie “The Godfather,” the son-in-law of the godfather who had done something innocent but deemed to be against the family was warned by the heir apparent to, ‘Never, ever take sides against the family.’ Did Abiola make a grave mistake? He went to Ikene to apologise to Awo; maybe in retaliation or realisation. Could that have tantamount to being a pretender or pariah in the house that Murtala built? “He is not the messiah,” did bother a lot of observers. When Murtala died, the elder brother of the present president-elect was the one brought in to fill the gap Obasanjo left when Obasanjo moved to the number one position. Though a direct opposite, from what we hear, of this president-elect in matters of personal wealth – his choice was not asceticism. Both princes had different lifestyles. Could Musa Yar’adua have unwittingly kick-started, with his lifestyle, a modification within the family?
Although committed to the goal of One Indivisible Nigeria, asceticism and altruism as the cornerstone of the movement appeared to have been jettisoned in that period, though not widespread. In more conventional term, you don’t have to be a monk to pursue the project of One Nigeria. Not surprisingly, Buhari’s asceticism would become an irritation in that family of Murtala when he took over at a later day. I do not think Buhari is a betrayal to the cause but his views about going back to the old beliefs within the house must have been too strong and a threat to those who have charted a new course within. This probably would beg to explain Obasanjo-later-life’s manifest self-regard and complete lack of humility; which is a complete opposite to the character of Obasanjo we used to know, but in tune with the prevailing movement.
So Buhari was swept from power in a coup within the house – call it a palace coup. Some members of Murtala House that breath and exhale “One Nigeria” would not only keep
Nigeria
one, they would become very rich in the process. It is important to note that the most prominent apostle of this new cause would arguably be Babangida. Babangida, if you have noticed, cannot complete a meaningful conversation without reference to one-indivisible
Nigeria
. It is one aspect of him I personally respect so much. With due respect to Christians, Babangida would play the same role Apostle Paul played in Christianity. It was he that argued that you do not have to be a Jew to be a Christian and even became a Roman citizen to prove a point. Today, those of us who are not Jews are Christians. Similarly, the eight years of Babangida would produce wealthy soldiers; most of who had worked so tirelessly to keep
Nigeria
one – he himself is not a poor General.
Following the debacle that is trailing these last elections, my mind abandoned the present and flashed back to 1993. I have already analysed, a guess if you may, Abiola’s “sin” in the family of Murtala. I would want Nigerians to play back the tape of the annulment of the 1993 election results. I wish psychologists could examine the posture of Babangida during the televised annulment broadcast. I still remember it in colour. To my untrained eyes, he looked very uncomfortable. Was there a conflict inside IBB that day between allegiance to the family and a betrayal of a very good friend? IBB had said publicly that history would judge him. Subsequently, Shonekan took over in the interim; a suggestion from Obasanjo, we heard. Why did IBB leave only Abacha behind when he was supposed to have sacked his whole cabinet?
Abacha sure had his own ambition. Was he a pretender in the house of Murtala? It would seem so, because he soon incarcerated the two pillars of the House of Murtala – Obasanjo and Musa Yar’adua. Mm! was he trying to start his own dynasty?
Nigeria
is the real God’s own country because everything thrown at it has been deflected thus far.
Nigeria
has remained as one indivisible unit in spite of attempts by groups to dismember it. The first secession bid, if you remember, was by the North and not the East. Maybe the god of One Nigeria that converted Murtala and company to the cause of One Nigeria; that prevented
Nigeria
from being divided in spite of the civil war; that prevented a split of the country as announced during Okar’s coup, did not allow Abacha to start his own dynasty.
While some of us have taken the unity of
Nigeria
for granted, members of Murtala family have not. One thing, in my thinking, is common and dear to the hearts of those that belong to that family and that is the fervent belief that
Nigeria
as indivisible. But the flaw with that family is that nobody outside of this group is trusted enough by them with the unity of
Nigeria
. On the day of the countercoup, though, in 1966, the first announcement was the willingness of the North to go its separate ways – a split of the
Union
so to speak. Something happened that night that was similar to what happened to Apostle Paul, then Saul, on his way to
Damascus
to prosecute Christians – another apology to Christians yet again. Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Mohammed and company had a change of hearts, maybe by the god of One-Nigeria, and they would end up defending the indivisibility of
Nigeria
to the core.
But then, on that day of the countercoup in 1966, one person – not one person but two – had died in the strong belief of the indivisibility of
Nigeria
. General Aguyi Ironsi and Lt. Col. Adekunle Fajuyi laid down their lives because they wanted to keep
Nigeria
indivisible. Why have they not been honoured, greatly, at least posthumously as honorary members of the house of Murtala if indeed that is what this house stands for? Pretenders to the house of Murtala aside, this group have held on to power continuously for close to 32 years since 1975. I personally have no qualm with this group ruling. I also strongly believe in one-Nigeria, but what is worrying is the quality of public service deliveries since Gowon was ousted. Would Murtala have done it differently, had he lived?
The lineage enumerated above continued thus: Abacha, a pretender so to speak, imposed his own reign and when he died, Abdulsalam took over. Why was Abdulsam’s first action as the head of state, the release of Obasanjo – the pillar of the house of Murtala? The “pariah,” Abiola, was left in detention. Abiola at that time was the main issue. In a similar situation earlier, Gowon’s first action as head of state had been to release Awo from prison because Awolowo at that time was the main issue. Musa Yar’adua, meanwhile, had died in incarceration in the hands of Abacha. Abiola would later die also some thirty days after Abacha. That, however, created an opportunity for a fresh start. Fortune once again would smile on the son of Owu to take glory where others had toiled tirelessly. It would not be a fighter for democracy that would reap the biggest fruit of democracy but Obasanjo yet again.
What are the criteria used to determine those committed to the project One-Nigeria because most people are? Did Awo’s innocent honest comment, “
Nigeria
is a geographical expression,” earn him a status of insincerity to the project as defined by this group? An Ibo friend is of the opinion that the lack of trust by this group of other people could be responsible for the slow assimilation of his kinsmen into sensitive positions in
Nigeria
. I know many Nigerians are committed but what can they do to alley the fears of this group. The group sees itself as a collection of patriots, but so do we consider ourselves. A colleague wants all Nigerians, if that is what it would take, to take an oath so that the country can move forward. The same man said, ‘There must be an end to this paranoia otherwise we would be going round and round and not move forward.’
There is a great supposition that bothers me on Obasanjo’s temperament. What if Obasanjo’s sentence by Abacha had been other than being placed on Death-row as Americans call it? Could it be what is responsible for the individualism that was not there as we knew it, but that somewhat seeped out of Obasanjo’s character in Obasanjo 2? I still believe that Nigerians failed Obasanjo in his moment of need. We left him vulnerable as most of our efforts were geared towards Abiola and his stolen mandate. Lately also, he had had an uphill task to fight solo; the movement within the house of Murtala that want to get rich in public service. His own disposition is, however, suspect. The ascendancy of Umaru Yar’dua is another kettle of fish. I fear an implosion, if care is not taken, in the house that Murtala built for two reasons.
1. The widespread gain of the ruling PDP means there will be no formidable opposition. Without a common enemy to concentrate on, the various factions within the house of Murtala will soon be at a loggerhead – that is natural internal squabbling.
2. The Asceticism and altruism of the president-elect are in variance with the hawks within the ruling party. Would Umaru Yar’adua, therefore, need an extra reserve of nervous energy to contain the hawks within the house of Murtala? Or will there spring from the inner fires within Umaru Yar’adua, the reconciliation of the giant combative forces within the family of Murtala in rebuilding the glory of
Nigeria
and that spirit of Murtala Mohammed? Will Yar’adua be able to redress the balance of right against wrong?
Would there be one more effort to appease the god of One-Nigeria by honouring Ironsi on one of our monetary notes? Did he not die to keep
Nigeria
as a unit – long before others got converted and therefore, should not be forgotten? All these are difficult questions and we have only been presented with the name of a man, who has promised so humbly to answer them with fairness. As for Obasanjo, we could guesstimate his moment of reveille in the service to
Nigeria
. Conversely though, would 29 May 2007 signify the taps for him? In the past, fate had often switched on the lights after we had all gone to bed thinking it was lights-out for this man from Owu. Obasanjo is strongly opinionated, we all know that and as such 29 May 2007 would perhaps not signify a
Nigeria
without Obasanjo’s opinion. Definitely, not yet!
Surprisingly, whilst the rest of us interpret political power distribution in
Nigeria
with reference to the cardinal points (North, East, South or West), the core members of the Murtala family must be laughing to fits. They interpret and allocate political power on the basis of commitment to the project of one indivisible
Nigeria
as defined by them. Our seemingly noncommittal posture to the project is enough for their “do or die” philosophy. It informs them that we are not to be entrusted with political power. It is, however, paranoia on their part as many outside are also committed even if they do not often voice it. Notwithstanding,
Nigeria
is bigger than everybody or group. Everybody - including members of the house of Murtala, I am sure, is big enough to admit this. A rebuttal of my speculative “facts” would, therefore, help.
The above analysis is based on relative history as presented to us over the years. Of course, all these could be coincidences. Nothing, however, is forthcoming from those that should, but
Nigeria
needs an answer to these “recurring decimals.” In the quest to chart a way forward, I tend to believe that maybe
Nigeria
’s problems are more psychological than real – a surreal. Is it paranoia of that group or is it the noncommittal of those outside of it to the project of One-Nigeria that is the problem? We have often associated a contest between the military and the rest of us as the issue. It may not be. It could just be about a movement that is not shy to remind us about the fragile unity of this country. In a society where exploring the truth could be a ticket to poverty or even death, little wonder why the natural vanguard of the society - the media - is unable to venture into investigative journalism for fear of reprisal.
Samuel Akinyele Caulcrick is the author of The Devil Must Be Laughing.
ISBN 1-4241-2196-5
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