Open letter to Late General Murtala Muhammed

General, it has been 41 years since you departed us, but the indelible mark your leadership commitment made in our hearts since then as young people and admirers would continue to be cherished. Your determination and undoubting courage remained a source of inspiration to patriotic Nigerians. While my endless prayer for Allah’s Mercy for you in particular and other good leaders shall never cease till I join you sooner or later, it’s with heavy heart that I intimate you with the developments in our Fatherland. Since your Shahada on Friday, the 13th February, 1976, by then I was just in primary 5 but could catch the glimpse of all the happenings on that day, through the FRCN Kaduna. From then, up to the time of my University education, I have been active participant in the memorial club (Murtala Muhammed Memorial Club, ABU, Zaria) named after you, in appreciation of your Leadership qualities, I had never relent in extolling your qualities as a model.

The Nigeria you left behind is now 57 years old since political independence and now under democratic rule. You set the first transition time table, but Allah did not spear your life to implement. Your successor, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo fulfilled your promise and handed over power to democratically elected government in 1979 to President Shehu Shagari. His government scuttled the same election process that brought it into power with massive rigging that threatened the continuity of democratic process of governance. The government of Shehu Shagari could not go beyond the first quarter of its second term in office when the military intervened again.

After the first attempt in the second republic, with some military interjections, narrow escapes and Allah’s interventions, we are now 17 years old into consistent democratic governance; but I must tell you that the Nigeria of your dream has not yet been realized. Surprisingly perhaps, one of your compatriots (Muhammadu Buhari) who served in your government as Military Governor of the defunct North Eastern State (now Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba) is now our President, thanks to the card reader and wind of Change. He had served as Military Head of State 33 years ago, but lasted only 20 months before another disciple of yours took over for a rough ride that lasted 8 years which finally culminated into another aborted and failed transition to democracy. It was in this confusion that your good friend Chief M.K.O Abiola in an attempt to perhaps realize his democratic dreams lost his life.

Oh! I forgot to inform you that the 19 States you left behind have increased to 21, to 29 and finally to 36. But Sir, up to today no single State was created through democratic process, but all by the military. The new federal capital had finally moved to Abuja, though not the Abuja of your vision where the have-nots have been virtually excluded from the plan because of capitalist materialism that you never planed the country on. The middle and lower class public servants have been expelled from the plan and had to find alternative from the outskirts of Abuja for settlement.

Your Excellency (though you abolish the use of such designation with immediate effect), your unalloyed commitment to Africa has yielded results at different countries and happy to inform you that apartheid regime in South Africa has finally been put to rest. South Africa and other frontline States have been freed from the shackles of colonialism and apartheid; Angola where the Nigerian government supported the MPLA liberation movement at that time have established government in Angola and the only thorny in their political flesh, Jonah Savimbi has been taken care of for peace to reign in Angola.

At the home front, the degree of success you were able to achieve in 6 months of your short-lived administration was like a dream. The transition programme you set was realistic and achievable, and had been achieved; the 1979 Constitution drafting was achieved and even ushered in the second republic. The Justice Akinola Aguda Panel report was implemented and the FCT Abuja is now where the power brokers leave make and mar the constitutional provisions.

The constitutional democracy (American democracy) we finally adopted as our system of government appeared too expensive to manage, particularly when you consider the quantum of personnel and resources involved. As you were aware, the three tiers of government: Federal, States and Local Governments still exist, but the States are now 36 and one FCT, 774 Local Governments. At the federal level, we have bicameral legislators of 109 Senators, 360 members of the House of Representatives, cabinet Ministers and almost uncountable number of agencies and parastatals, etc, etc. At States level, with legislators of not less than 20 members, commissioners and many parastatals and agencies. Local Government Chairmen and their Councilors are already side pockets of many States Governments. So much is being spent on government with too little governance to show. The official vehicles, supportive staff, domestic servants, constituency this and that, I am beginning to have a second thought about this system of demo-crazy.

Your Excellency, let me not bother you with too many negative news, surely there are some positive developments in our country since your departure. The population of our country has multiplied, now about 180 million; as one time Federal Commissioner of Communication, I am glad to inform you that we have made remarkable progress in the area of communication, perhaps more than any other sector. The arrival of GSM has eased the communication sector up to grassroots and affordable to almost all class of Nigerians. However, the basic infrastructure for the survival of such development like electricity has bedeviled our country since after the Electrical Company of Nigeria (ECN), followed by NEPA, then PHCN and now fragmented into generation, transmission and distribution, but the end has not yet justified the means.

The Nigeria Airways is now history, yet more airports were built, less aircrafts and less number of Nigerians that can afford to travel by air. The airports are only maximally utilized during the Hajj airlift of pilgrims, and when our flamboyant governors crisscross the country with chartered aircrafts. The level of destruction and primitive accumulation of wealth makes one to doubt the mental stability of some politicians and Nigerians in public offices. The most devastating and heart breaking is the corruption in the Judiciary, the camel back has finally been broken and the last line of defense penetrated and commercialized. The heart is ill; therefore the body cannot function properly.

Sir, before my next letter in 2018 inshaAllah, I wish to close my letter on an encouraging note that with the recent Change, after 2015 general elections, we are seeing the glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel. Your fellow compatriot (Col. Muhammadu Buhari, now President) in spite of age is doing his best to get the country out of these crises, and to face the reality of building a nation of your dream devoid stealing and waste. He was one of the very few of your remaining compatriots that maintained his perpendicular integrity and unalloyed love and commitment for his country. He almost suffered similar fate of being assassinated like you, this time through a bomb blast, but he survived it and he is still on. Those who are so much in a hurry and care to know should know that the secret and divine tenancy of years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds of any man on earth must be attained. May your courageous soul continue to rest in perfect peace, Ameen.

Dr. Danbaba wrote this piece from Zaria, Kaduna State