Murtala Muhammed

General Murtala Muhammed GCFR
4th Head of State of Nigeria
In office 29 July 1975 – 13 February 1976
Chief of Staff	Olusegun Obasanjo
Preceded by	Yakubu Gowon
Succeeded by	Olusegun Obasanjo
Personal details
Born	(1938-11-08)8 November 1938 Kano, Northern Region, British Nigeria (now Kano, Kano State, Nigeria)
Died	13 February 1976(1976-02-13) (aged 37) Lagos, Nigeria
Manner of death	Assassination
Political party	(none) military
Spouse	Ajoke Muhammed ​ (m. 1963)​ [1]
Relations	Ireti Kingibe (sister-in-law)
Children	6, including Aisha
Alma mater	Barewa College Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
Occupation	Military officer
Nickname	"Monty of the Midwest"[2]
Military service
Allegiance	Nigeria
Branch/service	Nigerian Army
Years of service	1958–1976
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Congo Crisis Nigerian Civil War Midwest Invasion of 1967 First Battle of Onitsha Second Battle of Onitsha Abagana Ambush

This article is part of a series about Murtala Muhammed
Independent Head of State of Nigeria 1975-1976 Government 1975 coup Murtala Era Military Governors Supreme Military Council 1976 coup attempt Battle Career 2 Division Asaba massacre 1966 counter-coup Nigerian Civil War Operation Torch First Invasion of Onitsha Second Invasion of Onitsha Abagana ambush Congo Crisis Others MMIA Ramat Polytechnic
v t e

Murtala Ramat Muhammed GCFR ((listen^ⓘ); 8 November 1938 – 13 February 1976)^[3][4][5] was a Nigerian military officer and the fourth head of state of Nigeria. He led the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup in overthrowing the military regime of Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi and featured prominently during the Nigerian Civil War and thereafter ruled Nigeria from 29 July 1975 until his assassination on 13 February 1976.^[6] This period in Nigerian history, from the Northern counter-coup victory to Murtala's death, is commonly associated with the institutionalization of the military in Nigerian politics.

Born in Kano into a ruling-class religious family, Murtala served in the Nigerian Army as a cadet in the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He later served in Congo; eventually rose through the ranks to become brigadier general in 1971, aged 33, becoming one of the youngest generals in Nigeria. Three years later, Murtala became the Federal Commissioner for Communications in Lagos. As a conservative and federalist, Murtala regretted the overthrow of the First Republic and the promulgation of Aguiyi Ironsi's unification decree of 1966. He was devastated by the assassination of Sir Ahmadu Bello, and for a time seriously considered the secession of Northern Nigeria. His career redoubled after Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and the young majors orchestrated the first military coup in Nigeria of 1966 coup empowering him to lead the mutiny of the night of 29 July 1966 in Abeokuta. Murtala was briefly considered as Supreme Commander before the appointment of Yakubu Gowon.

During the war, he commandeered Nigeria's second infantry division which was responsible for the death of civilians and much of the rebels. Three years later the Federal military government declared victory which bolstered Murtala's image over Nigeria and in particular the north as a military leader through the post-war era of "reconciliation, reconstruction, and rehabilitation". In post-civil-war Nigeria, Murtala ruled with more power than any Nigerian leader before or since and developed a charismatic authority and cult of personality. During the Cold War he maintained Nigerian neutrality through participation in the non-aligned movement but supported the Soviet Union — during the latter's effort in the Angolan Civil War.

At the same time, his regime transitioned from being authoritarian into consensus decision-making with Murtala the leader of a military triumvirate, alongside Generals Olusegun Obasanjo and Theophilus Danjuma. The dictatorship softened and Murtala unveiled plans for the demilitarization of politics. In 1976, barely seven months into his nascent rule Murtala without having time to see his plans implemented was assassinated in a failed coup d'ètat, being succeeded by Olusegun Obasanjo as Head of State, who, in turn, led the Nigerian transition to democracy with the Second Nigerian Republic.

The legacy of Murtala in Nigerian history remains controversial as the nature of his rule changed over time. His reign was marked by both brutal repression, and economic prosperity, which greatly improved the quality of life in Nigeria. His dictatorial style proved highly adaptable, which enabled wide-ranging social and economic reform, while consistent pursuits during his reign centered on highly centralised government, authoritarianism, federalism, national Federalism, and pan-Africanism.