Nigeria: Family Kills Murtala Muhammed Again

20 February 2013
opinion

Wednesday February 13th was yet another "Murtala Day", being the 37th anniversary of the gruesome killing of the foremost Nigerian leader, General Murtala Ramat Mohammed. In stark contrast to established tradition, the day passed with barely a whimper. The family, which runs a foundation in his name, kept mute. Not a single event held in his memory. No messages or newspaper pull-outs, no speeches, no essays, no editorials, no lectures, no symposia to remind the younger generations of the greatness of this leader who, in the view of many, is only next to the legendary Nelson Mandela on the continent.On that day, all I saw was a tail piece in the back page of The Nation, a full page in the new, vibrant Hausa Newspaper, Rariya, published by Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar and a short commemorative statement from the State House, Abuja.

Was this an indication that the relevance of Murtala Mohammed has completely ebbed?

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