Emir of Lere Speaks
Why We Took Part in Araba Protest of 1966 Reasons Behind Boko Haram& Initial ‘Gains’ Against Military
Brigadier General Garba Mohammed (rtd) is the emir of Lere. In this interview, the septuagenarian shared with Daily Trust on Sunday how he secured admission to study in the United States of America during the Nigerian Civil War, his career in the military, particularly how he was made Sokoto State military governor during the General Babangida military regime and other interesting issues.
Can you share with us your brief biography?
I was born here in Lere. I was born into the dynasty of Sarkin Lere Abubakar. He was my grandfather. Just around the time I was born, my father was made the Dakaci (district head) of Lere, which is equivalent to Sarkin Lere now. My father went to Zaria for his turbaning and before he came back, I was born. That was why I was given the alias of Maigamo (the one that comes with luck).
I was born on the 15th of April 1943. I started my Elementary School in Lere in 1951. I was supposed to spend four years in Elementary School but I wasn’t serious at that time, so I did not finish until 1956.
What happened afterward?
Yes, we took exams into Senior Primary School, Soba (in Soba Local Government, Kaduna State). I was successful and I was admitted in 1957. I spent two years in Soba 1957 to 1958. Those two years were the most horrible years of my life.
While at home here, I was pampered; I went anywhere I wished but when I got to Soba, I became nobody. People would just be calling you ‘boys, boys’ without any respect. I hated that and that changed my life.
You said you hated your stay in Soba, was it because you were not accorded recognition as a prince?
Yes. You know, when I was here at home I was very popular, with so many friends around but when I went to Soba, they would not even call you by your name, but refer to you as ‘boy’. People would just come and slap you without doing any wrong. I asked myself what was going on. In fact, I decided to run away. One of my brothers, Garba Adamu, was the one who used to calm me down, saying that even if I went back home, Sarki would not allow me to even spend a night.
Apart from the beatings, there was the issue of one being subjected to hard labour. You had to serve as an errand boy for your seniors and perform other tasks for them, like washing spoons and even clothes. This humiliating condition made me to hate the school and that was why I said those two years were the most horrible years of my life.
From Soba, where did you go next?
We were supposed to be in Soba for three years. However, in 1958 we took the common entrance examination into secondary school. I was one of those that passed the common entrance and during the interview I was selected to go to Government College, Zaria, which is now known as Barewa College. Five of us from Zaria province were selected.
Who were the other four?
Jafaru Ladan from Giwa and Yusuf Ladan from Kaura in Zaria are now late. Those of us that are still alive are I, Professor Idris Abdulkadir and Lamido Mohammed, who was a former Customs boss.
How many years did you spend at Government College, Zaria?
We spent five years there. We took another examination. I decided to go to Lagos to a school that was at that time known as Emergency Science School. At that time government wanted to get students to do science. This was because we were lacking engineers, doctors and other professionals. So, the government specifically created that school to train students in Mathematics and other science subjects to allow those students move to the universities to study science related courses.
I was not the only one from Government College, Zaria that went to that school. The programme there was for one and half years, if one was intelligent and serious. If one finished in one and half years, he could enter the university ahead of his mates.
Before we finished, information reached us that students were needed to go to the United States. I was just reading in the classroom when I learnt about that. So, I went for the interview and it went well. Unfortunately, the crisis that enveloped the country then could not allow us to go to the US. If you remember, there were political problems in 1965 in Nigeria, because of the election that took place in 1964, which was not accepted by many people, especially in the South.
I went back to Kaduna. While in Kaduna, I went to see the chairman of the scholarship board. I told him that we have just finished science school in Lagos and we wanted to go to the university. I told him that I wanted to study Chemical Engineering. They looked around; they found that they did not have Chemical Engineering at the time in any of
the Nigerian universities.
Instead of that, I was asked to go to the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) to do combine honours in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. I ended up in ABU in 1965 waiting for the scholarship board to secure admission for me to do Chemical Engineering somewhere outside the country.
We were in the ABU when the coup took place in January 1966. Unfortunately, I was in the group that started Araba (divide Nigeria). We took that decision because so many things were taking place after the coup. They combined the Civil Service. The regions were dismantled. They killed prominent Northern and Western leaders. Sardauna was killed in Kaduna and in Lagos Tafawa Balewa was killed among many others.
Therefore, university students were not happy. We said, ‘no let’s divide the country. Let everyone go back to his place of origin.’ We started a demonstration. We went to the emir’s palace despite the heavy presence of security personnel. We defied that. They fired teargas at us, but that did not stop us. We delivered our resolution to the emir. The period between the 15th January, 1966 coup and the counter-coup that was staged mostly by northerners on 27th July, 1966, Nigeria virtually had no leaders. Leaders emerged when they succeeded in making General (Yakubu) Gowon to accept the leadership.
Before that time, the universities were very restive; it was a very difficult time. We were at the ABU but the Igbo were the majority.
It was after that incident that a letter came from Lagos that said we were ready to go to the US. They had secured universities for us; those of us that passed. This came when we had finished our session in the ABU and when General Gowon was taking over on 2nd of August, 1966.
We went to the US embassy in Lagos and they said they were ready for us. It was in the midst of that crisis that I left the country in 1966.
In the US, I studied Engineering and did what they called Regular Officers Training Corps (ROTC). We were in the university and at the same time exposed to military training. When we were at the Government College, Zaria, we used to do cadets’ training and it was similar to what we met in the US. The only difference was that, there it was done in the university.
One would do normal university programmes and at the same time you are doing military science. When you graduated at the end of four years, they would commission you as a second lieutenant. However, by the time we did our commissioning in 1969, my colleagues here in Nigeria were already full lieutenants. Aside the military rank, I graduated as Mechanical Engineer. That was how I came back to Nigeria in 1970.
Before coming back to Nigeria, I attended other courses in School of Engineering, School of Probing Ground, Equipment Training, among others.
Where were you posted after your return?
I was at the main workshop of the Army in Yaba, Lagos. I was in Lagos for about 12 years. However, within that period, I was still going for courses. In 1982, I was posted to Kaduna as the Commander of the Central Workshop. The workshop was one of the ambitious projects of the Army, because they wanted to have sophisticated weapons and equipment from many parts of the world. Therefore, they wanted to have a workshop where the equipment would be maintained. Unfortunately, the workshop did not succeed because of the changes in the military then.
What was your rank when you were posted to Kaduna?
I was a Lieutenant Colonel. However, I went to many courses before attaining that rank. For example, from Captain to Major, we went for exam. At that level, they selected officers to go to Staff College. We did that exam in Lagos in 1974. I was one of the best students at the time, so, I was selected out of the three of us to go to Camberley in the UK. It was the highest Staff College at the time in the world. We went there in 1977; from January to October.
The Staff College in Nigeria also started in 1977. General Babangida and some of his mates started the Staff College in Jaji, Kaduna, but some of us that were junior went to the UK. When I came back from the UK, I was promoted to Lt Colonel and in 1982, I was posted to Kaduna. I just heard an announcement that I had been appointed the governor of Sokoto State. But I think those that compiled the names of the governors did not intend to put my name as governor of Sokoto
In 1984, I was nominated to go to the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, in Plateau State. In August of 1985 when we were about to finish there was a coup. General Babangida took over and I was appointed the governor of Sokoto State.
However, controversy and drama shrouded that appointment. We were on a break in Kuru. We were compiling our papers for graduation when the coup took place. I was staying in my house, which was very close to the house of the Chief of Army Staff and General Babangida was the COAS. I just heard an announcement that I had been appointed the governor of Sokoto State. But I think those that compiled the names of the governors did not intend to put my name as governor of Sokoto. I believed they had wanted to put Garba Ali Mohammed who later became the governor of Niger State. I believed that was the person that they thought they put, but as God would have it, they wrote Colonel Garba Mohammed. We are yet to sort out that controversy up till now.
I hold this belief, because nobody told me that I would be appointed governor. My friends were celebrating, but I told them that I was not the one. After arguing for a while, we decided to go to the Flag Staff House where General Babangida was living as the COAS. So, we decided to find out from the horse’s mouth. We were just standing when Babangida emerged from upstairs.
Immediately he saw me, he said at the top of his voice ‘Your Excellency’. So, all of us said in Hausa: ‘Da gaske ne’ (it is true). Babangida said, ‘yes it is true.’ I think the mix up happened because most officers knew me; they didn’t know Lt. Colonel Garba Ali Mohammed then and Babangida just decided to go with me since my name was written and most officers thought it was me.
Another thing, I think, that led to the mix up was my relationship with Babangida. We were always together, therefore, those that drafted the names wrote my name instead of Garba Ali Mohammed, but as I said we are yet to ascertain what actually happened.
I went to Sokoto and did my best there. During the one year anniversary of the coup, they said they were going to do some changes. So, they called us to Dodon Barracks, Lagos and redeployed me to the Dodon Barracks. Somebody else was posted to Sokoto as governor.
The impression that many have is that if one did not participate in coup planning and execution, he would not be considered for appointment ........
Yes, I know what you mean. I was not a party to the coup. However, we were friends with the coup plotters. Both the Shagari and Buhari’s coups were planned and executed by Babangida and some young officers around him. Babangida was a tutor in military science. He was a lecturer in the NDA when these boys; Abdulmumini Aminu, Gwadabe, Dangiwa and the rest were students. Babangida, therefore, became their godfather. Therefore, he brought up many radical young officers. They executed the coups that brought Buhari and Babangida to power.
You need to know the dynamics of the Army. I was not in the kit-arm of the Army. This arm runs the Army. We were in support arm, because I was in engineering. In the kitarm, you have the Infantry, Armour, where Babangida belonged, Artillery, Military Engineers and Signals. In any military organisation in the world, the kit-arm is superior. This was why I was not part of the coup, because I was in the engineering arm.
I am not saying the engineers are not important, because we have field engineers who construct roads, bridges and other infrastructure that are essential for the operation of the Army, particularly during war. We have all important professionals in the military.
Can you share with us your legacy when you served as governor of Sokoto State?
Well, the most memorable thing that I can remember was in the education sector. The situation was so bad at the time and that made us to come up with the idea of mobile classroom. We used a long bus and equipped it with all that a class and school would need. The bus moved from one area to the other to donate facilities to public schools. The bus was used in training teachers and giving learning materials to pupils. I found that very satisfying, because it touched the lives of many ordinary children. That programme touched the lives of many teachers and made them to become interested in teaching.
It is over 30 years now and some of those children and teachers are still contacting me. This is to tell you the impact of that programme on their lives. I feel quite happy with that.
Another thing was that, there were checks and balances. As a governor, one had no power to spend money on his own except the security vote, which at that time was just N15, 000 per month. If there was anything, it had to be referred to the Chief of General Staff in Dodon Barracks, Lagos. Nothing could be done without the approval of the state executive council. At that time, there was no free money for the governor. Anyone that violated the process was removed.
From Sokoto where did you to?
I was made Principal General Staff Officer in Dodon Barracks. My colleagues were promoted, but I was exempted and everybody was shocked because of my relationship with the government. From Dodon Barracks, I was posted to Enugu to command the workshop there. This was in 1988. I spent only one year, because at the end of the year my promotion to Brigadier General came and I couldn’t stay in Enugu.
I was posted to the Training and Doctoring Command in Minna, Niger State. I was there until September, 1990, when I retired.
Was it voluntary or compulsory retirement?
It was voluntary retirement but I saw signs that I couldn’t understand. The Chief of Defense Staff and Chief of Army Staff then called many of us for interview. During the interview, we were told to decide where we should be, but at the same time they had appointed other people to where I should be. So, they said they were also taking time to decide on our fate. I regarded that as an indirect way of telling us to retire.
I did not leave the place, I entered the office of General Halidu and said, ‘Oga, please give me a piece of paper’. I drafted my letter for voluntary retirement on his table and took it for typing, because I had my headed-paper in my briefcase. General Halidu was surprised with my action but I told him if somebody would tell me to go and decide on my future, I have to tell him right away what I want to do. I gave a staff in the office and asked him to take it to the Chief of Army Staff. That was how I ended my military career and came back home.
You described the Army workshop that you commanded in Kaduna in 1982 as an ambitious project of the Army then, why did you say so?
The Defense Industry Company (DIC) was already in place. It was much later that we started the Central Workshop. The place is still there between Rigacikun and Kaduna Airport. It was a huge project that could have helped the Nigerian Army maintain and fabricate its equipment. With that workshop, we would not be relying on outsiders for the maintenance of our equipment.
Sometimes when you are importing military equipment, you need to send your people to participate in the process of the manufacturing in order to be able to maintain them. Had it been the workshop project succeeded, we would have had many opportunities, perhaps crisis like that of Boko Haram wouldn’t have overwhelmed us.
The discovery of the arm scandal on the coming of Buhari tells a lot on why crises like Boko Haram are overwhelming our soldiers. Boko Haram was given modern sophisticated equipment while the Nigerian troops were left with obsolete ones. The Kaduna workshop could have helped us address that challenge.
As students, why did you engage in protest after the 1966 coup?
The Sardauna (Sir Ahmadu Bello) was like everything to the North. We just woke up and learnt that he had been eliminated. At the centre, Tafawa Balewa, was also killed. Another disheartening thing was that the man behind Sardauna’s murder, Chukwuma Ezengwu, was like an aide to him, because he used to visit Sardauna every weekend.
Honestly, at that time one felt like killing all the coup plotters. My cousin, who was the Principal Secretary in charge of security, was among those that were killed. He was at the State House but drove to Sardauna’s house and was killed at the gate. So, people that suffered at that time were uncountable.
Another issue was how the coup plotters dismantled the structure of the country. All the regions were dissolved and were replaced with provinces and were headed by prefects and all these prefects were Igbo. They also unified the civil service. These and many more made us to say we cannot be slaves in our country and we started the protest. We felt that the coup plotters were insensitive about the diversity of the country; hence there was no point for us to continue to live in one country with them.
Their plan was to enslave the North. Again, they were humiliating our leaders The Sardauna (Sir Ahmadu Bello) was like everything to the North. We just woke up and learnt that he had been eliminated. At the centre, Tafawa Balewa, was also killed. Another disheartening thing was that the man behind Sardauna’s murder, Chukwuma Ezengwu, was like an aide to him, because he used to visit Sardauna every weekend that escaped death. An Igbo man would go to the market and be hurling insults at us. Again, they had killed most top northern military officers. Even General Gowon escaped death by the whiskers because he was not in the country and he returned without their knowledge. All these culminated in the agitations at that time.
However, after the Civil War we all realised that Nigeria as a whole is beneficial to all Nigerians. Therefore, the break up issue was put to rest. If you observe, we are being recognised in Africa and other parts of the world because of our size and population. Of course, there are smaller countries that are well known in the world but that is because of their technological development which Nigeria doesn’t have.
What was your experience like the first time you visited the US?
What you should know is that, we were sent to the US on a combine scholarship. The United State Agency for International Development (USAID), US and Nigerian Army combined to sponsor us. Therefore, we were well received at the airport. USAID officials received us and lodged us in hotels. They did orientation for us for about two weeks.
It was after that orientation, we were posted out to our various schools. In the schools, there were officers who were there specially to receive us. We were given rooms in the main hostel and we spent about two years there. After that, we decided to find a house and moved out of the hostel. This was to allow us have access to our local food, like tuwo and others.
How was the school curriculum, as you said it was a university where military science was also taught...
Yes, the name of the school is California Polytechnic State University, San Louis Obispo. It was not like the Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA) that we know here in Nigeria. The NDA is a military school but in the US, it was in their universities that they created military programme that they called Regular Officers Training Corps (ROTC). There was a department of military science where one goes to take courses in military science. They also have military institutions like the NDA.
On some days of the week, we went to the department of military science for military courses and we had military training and that took us outside the university. Therefore, the school is like any other university.
You did not tell us how you become the Emir of Lere?
Oh yes, all this while, I was holding the title of Madakin Lere. So, in the year 2010, my elder brother who was the Sarki at the time was taken to Cairo, Egypt, for treatment. He died there on the 24th of January, 2011. I was made the new Sarki on the 28th of January of the same year. I was given the staff of office on 31st of March that year.
This is where we are. I have been the Sarki since then and have been trying to do whatever I can to improve the lives of the people with the limited powers that I have. We don’t have enough to finance our activities. The salaries of our staff are paid by the government. Therefore, we depend on the state and local government. They assist us where they can.
However, we try to keep peace, because that is our most important task as traditional institutions. In doing this, I rely on my experience, particularly that I grew up in this house.
You retired when you were only 47 years of age. How has life been?
Well, before my retirement we already established a school in Kaduna. We established the school when I was posted to Kaduna to take charge of the Central Workshop. My wife was already teaching in Lagos. When she came, I suggested that we should start a school. So, we started a school in my house in Kaduna. We were lucky that there were other plots and houses around that we bought. This was what made the place quite large. Therefore, after my retirement, I spent more time at the school.
Apart from of the Essence International School, we started an oil business. Unfortunately, I had a wrong partner who diverted the materials that we ordered. We borrowed some money, but when the materials arrived from abroad, they collected everything and disappeared. With Nigeria being what it is, they never prosecuted the case.
I was involved in many other things just to keep busy and have income that would help in keeping body and soul. However, what I enjoy doing most in retirement is spending time in my school.
What about family?
Well, initially I had one wife. My first wife, Lami, we met in the US. Right now, I have four children. Idris is my eldest son. He is an engineer and also studied business in one of the major business schools in the US. He worked in a big bank in the US. Presently, he has a company in England and this takes him to many countries in the world. My second daughter is presently in the US, married to one Kano boy. They have four children; two are in the university. Hadiza is the third one and she is right now heading the Essence International School, Kaduna. The last one is Ibrahim. He studied Business Administration, but he had additional qualification on Information Technology (IT). He is presently in California.
I later married another wife and now have two. This was in 2008. The second wife is teaching at the Kaduna State University (KASU).