a lot have been said about who have been the best president in Nigeria or who would have been the best president of Nigeria, many school of thought believe pa Awolowo is the man while some think Abiola would have made a better president but aside this great heroes i have made a lot of research, and it yielded something good a book coming very soon about the best president Nigeria will ever miss. Murtala Muhammed who was killed at his prime, he set out to transform Nigeria, he fought corruption even more than Buhari did, he didnt plan on staying in office for too long, that obasanjo handed power over to the civilian was because he was simply keying in on the foot step of his boss murtala , the Abuja we all see today was his vision implemented by IBB he is a patriot and did a lot in six months asif he had a premonition he doesnt have much time to leave. On July 30, 1975, Brigadier (later General) Muhammed was made head of state, when General Gowon was overthrown while at an Organization of African Unity (OAU) summit in Kampala, Uganda. [1] Brigadiers Obasanjo (later Lt.General) and Danjuma (later Lt.General) were appointed as Chief of Staff, Supreme HQ and Chief of Army Staff, respectively.In the coup détat that brought him to power he introduced the phrases Fellow Nigerians and with immediate effect to the national lexicon. [2] In a short time, Murtala Muhammeds policies won him broad popular support, and his decisiveness elevated him to the status of a folk hero. [3] One of his first acts was to scrap the 1973 census, which was weighted in favor of the north, and to revert to the 1963 count for official purposes. Murtala Muhammad removed top federal and state officials to break links with the Gowon regime and to restore public confidence in the federal government. More than 10,000 public officials and employees were dismissed without benefits, on account of age, health, incompetence, or malpractice. The purge affected the civil service, judiciary, police and armed forces, diplomatic service, public corporations, and universities. Some officials were brought to trial on charges of corruption. He also began the demobilization of 100,000 troops from the swollen ranks of the armed forces. Twelve of the 25 ministerial posts on the new Federal Executive Council went to civilians, but the cabinet was secondary to the executive Supreme Military Council . Muhammad imposed the authority of the federal government in areas formerly reserved for the states, restricting the latitude exercised by state governments and their governors in determining and executing policy. Newly appointed military governors of the states were not given seats on the Supreme Military Council, but instead were expected to administer federal policies handed down by Muhammad through the military council. The federal government took over the operation of the countrys two largest newspapers, made broadcasting a federal monopoly, and brought remaining state-run universities under federal control. Murtala Muhammad initiated a comprehensive review of the Third National Development Plan. Singling out inflation as the greatest danger to the economy, he was determined to reduce the money supply that had been swollen by government expenditures on public works. Muhammad also announced that his government would encourage the rapid expansion of the private sector into areas dominated by public corporations. He reappraised foreign policy, stressing a Nigeria first orientation in line with OPEC price guidelines that was to the disadvantage of other African countries. Nigeria became neutral rather than nonaligned in international affairs. The shift in orientation became apparent with respect to Angola . Nigeria had worked with the OAU to bring about a negotiated reconciliation of the warring factions in the former Portuguese colony, but late in 1975 Murtala Muhammad announced Nigerias support for the Soviet-backed Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, citing South Africas armed intervention on the side of the rival National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA ). The realignment strained relations with the United States , which argued for the withdrawal of Cuban troops and Soviet advisers from Angola. In October the Nigerian Air Force took delivery of Soviet-built aircraft that had been ordered under Gowon. Assassination Car in which Murtala Muhammed was assassinated. Murtala Muhammed was killed, aged 37, along with his aide-de- camp, Lieutenant Akintunde Akinsehinwa , on February 13, 1976 in an abortive coup attempt led by Lt. Col Buka Suka Dimka , when his car was ambushed while en route to his office at Dodan Barracks , Lagos . He was succeeded by the Chief of Staff, Supreme HQ Olusegun Obasanjo, who completed his plan of an orderly transfer to civilian rule by handing power to Shehu Shagari on October 1, 1979. Today, his portrait adorns the 20 Naira note and he stands one of the only three national heroes of the Nigerian Republic. Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos is named in his honor.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 12:50:16 +0000
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