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Tag: Muhammed

  • Updated: NJC queries Onnoghen, Muhammad

    The National Judicial Council (NJC) rose from its emergency meeting a moment ago with a decision to allow suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and the acting CJN, Justices Walter Onnoghen and Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad seven days to respond to petitions pending against them.

    The petition against Onnoghen relates to the allegation of violation of the code of conduct for public officers in relation to his alleged failure to declare his assets.

    The petition against Muhammad relates to his alleged misconduct in allowing himself to be sworn-in in manner that breach existing law, tradition and constitutional provisions.

    NJC’s Director, Information Soji Oye, said, in a statement that the council also elected to refer petition against CCT Chairman, Danladi Yakubu Umar to the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC).

    It was learnt that Onnoghen and Muhammad were absent from the meeting, which was eventually chaired by retired Court of Appeal President, Umaru Abdulahi.

    The case against Umar, The Nation learnt, relates to his alleged abuse of judicial authority of breach of constitutional provisions by the orders he made in the course of proceedings in the charge against the suspended CJN.

    One of such orders is where the CCT rejected to be bound by orders given by High Courts, directing it to stay proceedings.

    Another is the ex-parte order the CCT made, on which President Muhammadu Buhari claimed to have relied in suspended Onnoghen and inaugurated Muhammad in acting capacity.

    It was also learnt that the NJC chose to abridge the usual 14 response time to seven, in view of the weighty issues involved in the petitions against Onnoghen and Muhammad.

    NJC adjourned to reconvene on February, 11 this year.

    Read Also; Onnoghen: NJC members in move to save Judiciary

    The statement reads: “The National Judicial Council held an Emergency Meeting today and considered four (4) petitions filed at its Secretariat. The petitions are:

    “Petition against Hon. Mr. Justice W.S.N. Onnoghen, GCON by Zikhrillahi Ibrahim of Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civil Education;

    “Petition against Hon. Mr. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, CFR by Centre for Justice and Peace Initiative;

    “Petition against Hon. Mr. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, CFR by Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, OON; and

    “Petition against Hon. Danladi Yakubu Umar, Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal by Centre for Justice and Peace Initiative.

    “Council referred the petition against Hon. Danladi Yakubu Umar to the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) which is the appropriate constitutional body empowered to deal with it.

    “In line with its procedure, Council also forwarded the petitions against Hon. Justices W.S.N. Onnoghen, GCON and I. T. Muhammad, CFR to them for their responses.

    “In view of the gravity of the matters involved, Council abridged the usual response period from fourteen (14) to seven (7) working days for the Hon. Justices to respond.

    “Hon. Mr. Justice W. S. N. Onnoghen, GCON and Hon. Mr. Justice I.T. Muhammad, CFR recused themselves from the meeting. Consequently, Council elected Hon. Mr. Justice Umaru Abdullahi, CON, former President of the Court of Appeal as Interim Chairman to preside over the meeting.

    “Council will reconvene on the 11th February, 2019.”

     

     

  • Saraki faults Lai Mohammed on tagging of Senators as looters

    Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki has expressed  concern over the release of names of senators tagged as looters by the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed.

    Saraki who spoke in Jos, Plateau State on Saturday a at retreat on “Strengthening Executive-Legislature Relations” said it was wrong for an arm of government to call members of the other arm looters.

    “In a situation where a particular arm of government stands up and calls people from another arm of government thieves, looters and other names, how can we work together? How?

    “It is not possible. It is not realistic. If we collaborate, the country will be better for it,” Saraki stated.

    He also wondered how President Buhari could write the National Assembly to endorse N4.6 trillion capital market bond without first discussing the issue with the leadership of both chambers.

     “Imagine the Federal Government wants to raise a N4.6 trillion bond from the capital market. The leadership of the National Assembly first heard about it through a letter written by the President. This is what happens.

    “I needed to be here to speak on these issues. It is not just about today. Posterity will be here to judge us that what I am saying is true. If we do not change the way we behave, we will remain like this for many years to come.”

    Also on how heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are allegedly frustrating the passage of the 2018 budget, the Senate President said that the executive arm should be held responsible.

     “If you want to strengthen democracy, the priority of everybody should be to strengthen the legislature. If you do not defend the legislature, there is no way our democracy will be strengthened because government is not built on individuals. It is built on institutions.

    “That is why in developed countries, governments can change, but it does not affect the stability of their democracy because their institutions are strong. We decided to run a presidential system of government. By its nature of checks and balances, there is bound to be frictions. The question now, how healthy is that friction?

    “If you take the 2018 budget for example, even before people had bothered to find out where the cause of the delay is coming from, people were already attacking and blaming the legislature.

    “When I led the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly, with the Speaker of the House of Representatives to see Mr. President, he came to the meeting briefed as if the delay was that of the National Assembly. He was humble enough at the end of the discussion to render an apology.”

    On confirmation of nominees, Saraki said that the executive must realize that the legislature has the constitutional duty to confirm, while nomination lies with the executive.

    He said that no attempt must be made to weaken the legislature in the interest of sustenance of democracy in the country.

  • Umma Babangida gets first baby

    Umma Babangida gets first baby

    Almost everyone is familiar with the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet. For a while, it seemed that the love between Ibrahim Babangida’s son, Muhammed, and daughter of Ambassador Aminu Wali, Umma, would end with both being forced to give up for lack of approval from their parents.

    Fate, however, had a different plan for the two children of prominent northerners. Not only did they get married, Umma’s fervent prayers has also been answered as she was delivered of a bouncing baby boy in faraway USA a couple of weeks ago.

    The arrival of the cute baby named Al-Amin has been a source of joy in the Babangida household after all the negative press caused by the bitter custody fight between Muhammed and his first wife, Rahama Indimi.

    Interestingly, while that battle was fought on the pages of gossip journals and social media, Umma was chilling on the sideline.

  • Beware of cabal around you, Muhammed warns Buhari

    Beware of cabal around you, Muhammed warns Buhari

    Second Republic lawmaker Dr Junaid Muhammed has advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to allow power brokers in the corridors of power to truncate his administration’s fight against corruption.

    Speaking in an interview with our reporter, Junaid alleged that the cabal is using their influence to prevent the President from making public the report of the panel that probed arms contracts in the army during the last administration. He said their argument was that if the report was released, it would embarrass the government.

    The fiery politician reasoned that not making the report public would amount to double standards, since a similar report concerning the navy has been released, with the retired and serving officers implicated now facing charges in court.

    According to him, the cabal has convinced the President not to make the report public. “If President Buhari eventually succumbs to the idea, it will affect the credibility of his anti-corruption crusade,” he added.

    Mohammed suggested that serving army officers involved in arm contracts should step aside in the interest of justice and fairness. He said making the report public will clear the air on the involvement of the former Chief of Army Staff, General Azubike Ihejirika and his successor, General Kenneth Minima, who were suspected to have been involved.

    Similarly, he said releasing the report will also clear the air about whether or not the Minister of Interior, Gen. AbdulRahaman Dambazau who served as Chief of Army Staff under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and the current office holder, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, were involved.

    Mohammed said it is necessary for  Dambazau to step aside, because, as Minister of Interior, he oversees the police affairs and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC). He added: “Otherwise, it amounts to Dambazau presiding over the organisation investigating him; he cannot be a judge and prosecutor in his own case.”

    As for Gen. Buratai, the radical politician said he should be investigated, because he was a former Director of Procurement at the Defence Headquarters. He said: “He should be investigated against the background of alleged properties acquired in Dubai and Abuja. Buratai should tell us what his total earnings were since day one he joined the army.

    “Both Dambazau and Buratai must be investigated and they should vacate their offices, pending the outcome of the report; anyone being suspected for anything should step aside to enhance the credibility of the Buhari’s administration anti-graft war.”

  • Hurricane Muhammed

    It may not be an extravagant exaggeration to paint General Murtala Muhammed as a hurricane. His brief rule as a military head of state in the 1970s had the intensity of a hurricane. So intense was his touch, and so consequential, that the effects and after-effects endure as the country remembers his assassination 40 years ago on February 13, 1976.

    Muhammed was 37 when he died after being shot by coupists who took advantage of his fatalism. He was under-protected on the road when his killers struck. The black Mercedes Benz saloon car in which he was shot on his way to work in Lagos lies in a museum with all the blood stains of the bloodshed. Muhammed’s Aide-De-Camp (ADC), Lieutenant Akintunde Akinsehinwa, was in the car with him and was also killed. The historically significant car is a grim signification of times when the gun was the governor.

    It is a striking irony that a military ruler could have been so carefree concerning his personal security that only a pistol carried by his orderly, who was also in the car, suggested protection concerns. It is curious that Muhammed apparently underestimated his vulnerability, despite his leadership style that attracted hostility from enemies of his messianic zeal and the change he symbolised.

    The failure of the coup attempt led by Lt. Col Buka Suka Dimka, and   Muhammed’s succession by the thenChief of Staff, Supreme HQ, Olusegun Obasanjo, trigger reflections on what might have been and what might not have been.

    What if the coup attempt had succeeded? What if someone else, not Obasanjo, had succeeded Muhammed? What if Obasanjo did not have greatness thrust upon him at that critical juncture?  It may be said that the country’s political trajectory since Muhammed’s assassination cannot be divorced from his assassination.

    After the hurricane, there is The Hurricane, a new book on Muhammed by Taiwo Ogundipe, which will be presented on February 20 at the Coronation Hall, Government House, Kano. The book launch is part of activities organised by the Kano State government to mark the 40th anniversary of Muhammed’s assassination.

    The author said in a statement: ”To date, most of the books that have been written by some of the major participant-observers on the military’s involvement in Nigeria’s governance have only made passing references to Murtala. A number of books, which have been specifically written on his tenure, focus largely on his administrative policies and pronouncements. None so far has given a detailed human-angle account of his life and death.”

    Ogundipe described his book as “a product of extensive research and interviews.” He added: “This book traces the roots of the General and his progenitors. It also focuses on his birth, his growing up years, his schooling days, his life as a young man, his military training and career. The book also highlights his marriage and family life, his performance as a soldier, his involvement in the post-independence crisis that engulfed the nation, his emergence as a national leader, his role as head of state, his tragic death and finally the after-effects.”

    According to the publisher, Topseal Communications, “The Hurricane, after a thorough assessment, secured the official approval of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council of the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, and has been certified suitable for use in  Nigerian educational institutions and recommended for the general public.”

    It is a testimony to the weight of Ogundipe’s book that no less a person than ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote the foreword. This is the same man that succeeded Muhammed and realised his plan for civilian rule by handing power over to Shehu Shagari on October 1, 1979. This is the same man that sensationally returned to power as an elected president in 1999 and completed two terms.

    Obasanjo said: “General Muhammed may have been in power for only six months, before he was tragically assassinated, but those are six months that are indelibly embossed on records of modern Nigeria. For they were six months when Nigeria intensely experienced leadership that was focused, dedicated, dynamic and selfless. Most importantly, those six months provided the launching pad for the most positive developments in leadership orientation in this country, including the handover of power to the elected government in 1979.”

    Obasanjo continued: “The Hurricane has effectively captured the historical perspectives of the work of the General, depicting his effort to bring about discipline and sanitisation of the military and the Nigerian civil society. Given the present moral condition in Nigeria, where corruption is so pervasive, this book is a refreshing opportunity for reflections on the past…and the man who has since come to symbolise the crusade for the good of our country.”

    The crusade continues. After the hurricane, there is The Hurricane.

  • Immortal Muhammed

    Immortal Muhammed

    In the enduring wisdom of our people, being endowed with a good capacity for thinking is a prerequisite for the ability to be thankful. It stands to reason then that, if her citizens put their minds to the matter, they have many reasons to be thankful on behalf of Nigeria, the nation. That is, in spite of everything else that we know and experience.

    In the short history of her existence, and compared with nations her age, this country has seen the best and the worst. Citizens have worked together for noble causes over the years, especially in the nationalist struggle for independence. But they have also allowed divisive forces to have the best of their thought and action. Yet at the end of every twist and turn in the national race of life, Nigeria remains resilient and strong.

    Many horrific and devil-induced acts of inhumanity by humans against fellow humans have been allowed to afflict the nation.  While the civil war continues to be a reference point of our national capacity for self-immolation, and while its consequences are still living realities with us to date, there were other brutish national acts that predated and yet more that succeeded that thirty-six months of national insanity. And while not everyone lifted their fingers as co-culprits in every such case, many if not all were vicariously implicated.

    Consider the various military coups in which lives were lost since 1966. In every one of them, the coup leaders justified their actions by reference to the nation, that is, to us. They claimed to act on our behalf to correct certain unacceptable conditions. But in none of them were the people consulted before the military struck. On some occasions, the people welcomed the announcement with street jubilation, which suggested that the coup plotters were after the hearts of the people. And at least with regard to such instances, the people must assume responsibility for the senseless killings associated with the coups.

    It is ironic, though, that one of the most momentous of the coups that the country experienced was the one with the least, if any, human casualties. It was the coup of 29 July 1975 which ousted General Yakubu Gowon and brought in General Murtala Ramat Muhammed as the Head of State. Perhaps, due to its careful planning which ensured that the foremost victim was out of the country at the time of implementation, it was a palace coup with minimum violence.

    Yet the leadership of that coup and the administration that it launched initiated some of the defining achievements of the military in the government of Nigeria to date. With lightning speed and strong determination, they rolled out one initiative after another, one of the most celebrated of which was the announcement of a plan and procedure for return to civil rule in 1979. It was also to their credit that they kept the promise. The appointment of a 50- member Constitution Drafting Committee was another. And there was the initiative on a new Federal Capital which had Justice Akinola Aguda appointed as the arrow head of the search team.

    In the twinkling of an eye, the new administration had devised a courageous plan to tackle most of the knotty issues facing the nation. It had corruption on its radar. The military and public service was purged, though there were allegations of arbitrariness.Without saying a whole lot, they got a whole lot done in a few months. Nigerians had a renewed sense of hope in their government and not many minded its being a military administration. On top of it, that administration courageously engaged the world with a robust foreign policy that made Africa its centre and the remnants of brazen imperialism and shameless apartheid its target.

    Leadership is about action. It is about decisiveness, not wobbling. Sure, deliberativeness is important before decision. But one cannot sacrifice decision-making at the altar of carefulness. General Murtala Muhammed knew this much and ensured that he did not frustrate the patience of his fellow citizens with long and boring moments of indecision. It was as if he knew he had a short time to demonstrate his leadership capabilities.

    On Friday, February 13th 1976, barely seven months into the new administration, tragedy struck and the nation was thrown into mourning for the hope of national ascendancy that appeared dashed. In a sad twist of fate again, the man who carefully planned and executed a violence-free coup was gunned down violently in the public space in which he demonstrated his humility and love for the people that he led. He chose to ride in his car without the glamor of office and without a security detail that would have protected him from harm.

    Africans don’t have the monopoly of superstitious beliefs. In Western European and American superstition, Friday the 13th symbolises ill luck. So it was that on Friday the 13th of February 1976, Nigeria had its share of bad luck. It was a day that, as Chief Obafemi Awolowo put it, the dog killed the tiger and a community in which that happened was unsafe to live in. At that moment in time, Nigeria proved unsafe to live in.

    Characteristically, Chief Awolowo also did not let the opportunity pass without making his observations and sagacious comments. Dimka gunned down General Muhammed in broad daylight. The Head of State maintained his low profile. He had no convoy and no siren. He only had his Aide-de-Camp, Lt. Akintunde Akinsehinwa, and his driver and orderly. He reposed his confidence in God and in his fellow-citizens! He must have felt that if his people loved him as he loved them, he had nothing to fear. There were stories about his brushing aside warnings from concerned friends worried about his style.

    But what happened on the fateful day? According to media reports, the policemanon traffic duty, having no knowledge of who was in traffic, stopped the traffic in which the Head of State’s car was moving to allow an army truck pass! That was the opportunity for Dimka to get beside General Muhammed’s car. He killed General Muhammed and his ADC. What did the policeman do? He took to his feet on seeing what happened and recognising that it was the Head of State that had just been murdered.

    What did the rest of Nigerian onlookers do? The people, including vehicle owners and drivers in traffic, scattered. They let down the man who loved them and adopted a low-profile life style because he wanted to feel their pain. They let him die. As Chief Awolowo saw it, “at that tragic moment in time, we failed to display a spirit of vigilance and daring and a sense of patriotism and self-sacrifice which are among the indispensable ingredients of national integrity.”

    This is the aspect of our national life that we still have not come to terms with: a spirit of vigilance, a sense of patriotism and sacrifice. Everyone appears to be for him or herself. Egoistic tendencies run deep and wide. What ever happened to the bragging rights that, as Africans, we used to have about being our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers? Now even those that voluntarily take appointments as police officers and other security personnel are often reluctant to attend to security challenges and crime scenes because they fear for their safety.

    Murtala Ramat Muhammed died when he was needed most to drive home the logic of patriotism and self-sacrifice in the service of the nation. However, if to be immortal is to live in the memories of loved ones, including fellow-citizens, there is no doubt that he has earned immortality. Of course, he wasn’t a saint. But he surely transcended the frivolities and vanities of his peers. And just by giving purposeful leadership when his country needed reassurance, and paying the supreme sacrifice in the process, he lives on in their hearts.

     

  • Muhammed still relevant, 40 years after

    Muhammed still relevant, 40 years after

    The late General Murtala Muhammed’s seven months rule as Nigeria’s third military Head of State recorded unprecedented achievements. He was guided by purposeful leadership and devoted love for the country and its people, writes LEKE SALAUDEEN.

    Many Nigerians remember the late General Murtala Muhammed as a sincere, passionate and dedicated leader. When he was killed 40 years ago in an abortive coup attempt, led by Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka, citizens from all walks of life trooped to the streets to protest against his killing. His car was ambushed while on his way to his office at Dodan Barracks, Lagos. It was an incident that shook the nation. It was the first and only time in the political evolution of the country that a sitting military Head of State was assassinated. He was just 38 at the time of his murder.

    It was on record that Muhammed throughout his short tenure, between July 29, 1975 and February 13, 1976, was driven in an official black Mercedes Benz saloon car and escorted by an Aide-de-Camp (ADC), an orderly and driver. Security experts believe that it was the low-profile life-style of the late Head of State that made the assassination possible.

    On the day he was murdered, he was said to have been driven by his driver alongside his ADC Lt. Akintunde Akinsehinwa and his orderly who carried a pistol, the only visible sign of protection. Unlike what obtains in Nigeria of today, during Muhammed’s tenure there was no siren-blaring, acrobatic and reckless-driving convoy. No wonder, it took just a traffic controller, who while performing his statutory duty, stopped the lane on which the General’s car was at the time of the incident. What a tragedy?

     

    His vision

    Gen. Muhammed came to power with a clear vision of wiping out corruption and decadence. He also had a yearning desire to chart an independent course for the nation politically, economically, legally and diplomatically. He worked with the speed of a jet and the strength of a bulldozer to give the nation a sense of direction and became a national hero

    In 1975 when he became Head of State, he immediately set to work with a clear vision for the nation. He told the nation on July 30, 1975 that: “This government will not tolerate indiscipline; this government will not condone abuse of office”.  He kept his words. He started with cleansing of the public service.  Over 10,000 public servants, including top military officers, were compulsorily retired on grounds of indiscipline, redundancy and low productivity.

    At that time Nigeria had 12 state governors. They were: Benue-Plateau, Superintendent of Police Joseph Gomwalk; East Central, Ukpabi Asika; Kano, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Audu Bako; Kwara, Brigadier David Bamigboye; Lagos, Brigadier Mobolaji Johnson; Midwest, Brigadier Samuel Ogbemudia;  North Central, Brigadier Abba Kyari; North East Brigadier Musa Usman; North West , Police Superintendent Usman Faruk; Rivers, Lt. Alfred Diete-Spiff; South East, Brigadier Udokaha Esuene and West, Brigadier Oluwole Rotimi.

    Only two of the governors, Brigadiers Oluwole Rotimi and Mobolaji Johnson were cleared of corruption. Quite a number of public servants, ministers and governors had their assets seized. However, no one was prosecuted.

     

    Achievements

     It was not how long but how well. Muhammed’s seven months tenure was action packed. In an effort to bring government closer to the people, he created seven additional states, which saw the number rising from the original 12 created by his predecessor, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, to 19. The states created are: Niger, Bauchi, Gongola, Benue, Ogun, Imo and Bendel.

    The creation of the new Federal Capital at Abuja in 1975 stands out as one of the most far reaching achievements of his administration. The Justice Akinola Aguda Panel set up to examine the desirability of locating a new Federal Capital away from the overcrowded and decaying Lagos, recommended Abuja because of its central location and conducive environment for living. The panel found Abuja suitable because it was located in an area not inhabited or dominated by any of the three major ethnic groups in the country; Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. Muhammed’s successor, Gen. Obasanjo continued with the process of transfer of the Federal Capital through physical development.

    In his commitment to hand over power to civilian government, he constituted a 50-man Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) headed by the legal luminary the late Chief Rotimi Williams to draft a new constitution for the country. The work of the committee led to the setting up of the Constituent Assembly which among others, recommended the presidential system of government for the nation’s Second Republic (1979-1983). Though Muhammed did not live to implement his transition programme, his successor kept faith with it.

    On the continental front, he made Africa as Nigeria’s centre piece of foreign policy. He was actively engaged in the liberation struggle of many African countries, particularly, the frontline states like Angola, Mozambique and the apartheid South Africa. He further demonstrated his commitment in the liberation struggle in Africa with his master piece address to the defunct Organisation of African Unity (OAU) now African Union (AU), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1976. He stated categorically that “Africa is no longer under the orbit of any super power; that Africa is for Africans to make or mar”. His foreign policy was largely responsible for the respect Nigeria earned as a ‘Big Brother’ among sister African nations and many recognised liberation movements.

    No Nigerian leader has positively impacted on the political landscape of the nation within such a brief tenure of only seven months as the late Muhammed did. Remembering his life comes with some lessons for Nigeria’s present leadership. The most important is the late General’s tough, dogged and fearless attributes, which are claimed to have been what distinguished him from his predecessors and endeared many of the rank and files in the military to him. Analysts say that Nigeria, like any country in the world, needs a leader that is not only decisive but fearless in fighting the many scourges of the nation, particularly corruption.

    Muhammed will remain ever green in our memory. He paid the supreme sacrifice for putting Nigeria on track and dreamt big for his people and his country far beyond his short life.

    To immortalise the late Head of State, a number of institutions have been named after him with some other lofty steps taken. These include: Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos -Nigeria’s largest and busiest airport. With its international terminal modelled after the Amsterdam Airport Schipol in the Netherlands, the airport was formerly addressed as the Lagos International Airport. Interestingly, Murtala seized control of this same airport during the successful but bloody countercoup of July 1975 that ushered in the Gowon government.

    A Remembrance Cenotaph was also built in his honour. In addition, his portrait adorns the face of the N20 note. The note was first introduced in 1977 and re-issued in 1984 in new colours. It is also the first naira note to have the portrait of a national hero in the person of Murtala. On the February 28, 2007, the paper note was redesigned and issued in its polymer substrate, which is in use till date. A major road in Lagos, the Murtala Muhammed Way, Lagos, is named for him. A film by African filmaker, Frank Ukadike, was made in his honour. It was titled The Death of a Black President.

    The Murtala Muhammed Park, Benin City, Edo State was also named in his honour. On the February 13, 2002, the 26th anniversary of his death, the Murtala Muhammed Foundation (MMF) was established. Before then, there had been the Murtala Muhammed Memorial Lecture Series which started in 1991. Murtala, who spent just a little over 200 days in office, stood for justice, dedication to the fatherland, purpose, fought against corruption. He had his own flaws, yes, but he taught Nigerians a very memorable lesson: it is not how long, but how well.

     

  • Siasia to invite Awoniyi, Muhammed to Dream Team VI

    Siasia to invite Awoniyi, Muhammed to Dream Team VI

    NationSport can exclusively reveal that two top Flying Eagles’ stars: team Captain Musa Muhammed and top striker Taiwo Awoniyi have been invited to join the Samson Siasia-tutored Dream Team VI in readiness for the return leg final round All Africa Games qualifying battle against host Zambia in Lusaka come April 11, 2015.

    The Dream Team Chief Coach was visibly angry that his attack trio of Junior Ajayi, Oghenekaro Otebo and Tiabara Tiogolo could not convert close to 16 begging chances that team created against the visiting Zambia U- 23 national team last Sunday at the Abuja National Stadium which ended in a barren draw.

    Siasia had told NationSport that in as much as he was disappointed in his players’ performance on the day for not converting begging chances that came their way, that he would still bank on them for the return leg to turn the table in favour of Nigeria.

    “Are you saying that because they didn’t score and win here in Abuja then they won’t win in Zambia? No that is the game of football. I know the quality of this team and the players and I know they play so well away from home without tension of distractions. They will get the needed result come April 11, I can assure you”, he told NationSport few days after the match against Zambia.

    But on Thursday, Siasia could not deny or confirm his interest in the Flying Eagles players for the return leg match against Zambia. “I am still watching the players over here. I will talk to Coach Manu Garba when I need any of his players”, Siasia disclosed.

    The Flying Eagles’ Chief Coach, Manu Garba also confided in NationSport, “Yes Coach Samson Siasia has contacted me. So we are talking about the possibility of some players in the Flying Eagles joining the team for the return leg match against Zambia”, Garba disclosed.

    But NationSport gathered from very close source to the team that “because of complacency from some players who believe they have automatic shirts in the team, the Chief Coach is thinking of drafting two or three players from the Flying Eagles set to the team. Players like Taiwo Awoniyi and Musa Mohammed are seriously under considerations. But nothing has been concluded for now until Tuesday next week”, the source told NationSport yesterday.

  • Muhammed: Iraq must fall

    Muhammed: Iraq must fall

    Golden Eaglets’ captain, Musa Muhammed has assured that Iraq would surely suffer the backlash after the team’s 3-3 draw against Sweden on Tuesday.

    Musa said the it was unfortunate that they failed to beat the Swedes as widely expected. He promised that Nigerians would see an improved performance against Iraq on Friday.

    He said the players were not oblivious of the huge expectations of Nigerians particularly that of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    ” Frankly, we are not happy that we didn’t get the maximum points against Sweden but Nigerians would see a good response from us against Iraq on Friday,”said the soft-spoken defender.

    Musa said the Golden Eaglets have the motivation and willingness to be on the podium on November 8 in Abu Dhabi after failing to win the CAN Under-17 Nations Cup last April, he also thanked President Goodluck Jonathan and Nigerians for supporting the Golden Eaglets’ quest for glory .

    “We know the game against Iraq is crucial and we are going to give it our best, we don’t want to disappoint Nigerians,” he said. “We were told before the match against Sweden that President Jonathan and so many people in government watched us play and I want to use this opportunity to thank them for their support.”

  • Murtala Ramat Muhammed (November 1938-February 1976)

    Murtala Ramat Muhammed (November 1938-February 1976)

    Some 37 years ago Gen Murtala Ramat Muhammed was assassinated in a coup d’etat led by Col Bukar Sukar Dimka. He was barely 38 when he died. Right from the time his participation in the countercoup of July 1966 brought him to the fore of Nigeria’s often cataclysmic struggle for power at the age of 28, the intensely ambitious military officer never left the thick of military politics and leadership until assassins’ bullets stopped him on February 13, 1976, a little over six months after he seized power. He was a man in a hurry who died in a hurry, in the prime of his life. Imagine what he could have done with power had he lived for a little longer, say, until he handed over power to an elected civilian government in 1979? Could the transition to civilian rule have proceeded the way his sanctimonious successor, General Olusegun Obasanjo, managed it? Indeed, in spite of his glaring weaknesses, particularly his riling and famous impetuousness, would he have handed over power to Alhaji Shehu Shagari, especially considering his highly publicised antipathy towards the gentle style of Gen Yakubu Gowon, his predecessor? These are indeed interesting areas of discourse historians and political scientists should engage themselves in.

    But for our purpose today, let us simply remember the young officer who at 28 had the chutzpah to want to rule Nigeria consequent upon the success of the countercoup. In the event, and to his eternal dismay, the opportunity of ruling Nigeria went to another northern officer, the then Col Yakubu Gowon, perhaps because the scheming American and British advisers read him (Murtala) correctly and knew he was too hot-headed and opinionated to be amenable to their dictations. He proved the meddlesome duo right in 1976 when he took power and began the most intense domestic policy and external relations transformation the country had ever witnessed. Indeed he was at once so activist and populist that the undiscriminating intelligentsia of the day idolised him and the less finicky rabble to whom he had seemed to throw caviar were ecstatic.

    The love affair between the country and Murtala was so instant and so passionate that few paused to ask questions about the appropriateness or long-term impact of his radical policies. The nationalisation of the so-called commanding heights of the economy, the takeover of the very large newspapers of the day, the Daily Times and New Nigerian, and the appropriation of private and state schools unleashed such social devastation and developmental dislocations that the consequences are still being felt even today. And who can forget the tsunami he unleashed against the civil service, a catastrophe that the hitherto professionally-run institution has not recovered from?

    Yet, it was clear that after many years of the Gowon government, and especially the casual manner he reneged on the original 1976 handover date, the country had sunk into such stultifying staleness that only a horse dose of adrenalin could have brought the country back to life. Murtala rode on that resuscitated crest for about six dizzying, unbelievable months. Would to God he had ridden more carefully, and dealt with antagonistic foreign powers more circumspectly. But there is no denying he is still regarded as one of Nigeria’s true heroes. He was detribalised, he was authentic, he was eager, he was extraordinarily bold, and he was a patriot who truly loved his country, even if many of his policies were misconceived and misplaced. Could anyone say the same of his successors, particularly the pretentious Obasanjo and the considerably insular and divisive President Goodluck Jonathan?