Speaking yesterday at the Murtala Mohammed 40th Memorial Lecture held in Abuja in memory of the late leader who was assassinated on February 13 1976, President Buhari said General Mohammed was in a hurry to change Nigeria. He recalled that on assuming the role of head of state in 1975, General Mohammed set out with a single-minded determination seldom seen in Nigerian leadership.
According to President Buhari, Nigeria mourned the death of General Mohammed because he was on his way to putting Nigeria back to the path of order and discipline, after years of drift, corruption and near despair. He added that the late of head of state's motto was to get the job done as quickly as possible, saying that no one could doubt his inspirational qualities or call into question his love and dedication in the service of Nigeria.
President Buhari added: “Of course, no one is without flaws. He was a man in a hurry and sometimes this could make him appear abrupt or even moody but what he could not tolerate was incompetence and idleness.
“By the time Murtala was given command during the civil war, the federal side was on the defensive and the rebels had overran 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.
He also stated that two major developments were prominent among Murtala Mohammed’s legacies and these included moving the federal capital to Abuja from Lagos and the creation of seven new states. President Buhari, who noted that the late General Mohammed was his senior in the army, said he developed a great liking and respect for him on account of his professional excellence, competence, straightforwardness and genuine interest and concern for up-and-coming officers like him.
“We are here to honour a national hero and patriot, not to mourn him and to take a few lessons from his achievements: His love for Nigeria and Nigerians, from wherever they came, his intense professionalism, his impatience with incompetence and lack of patriotism, his loyalty to friends and colleagues.
“His life, short though it proved to be, 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," President Buhari added.
He therefore challenged Nigerians on the need to always demonstrate the virtues of loyalty, honesty and determination to make Nigeria better as demonstrated by the former head of state. Mohamed Ibn Chambas the head of the United Nations (UN) Office for West Africa, who represented both the UN secretary-general, noted that the death of General Mohammed had left an indelible mark in African history.
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