Aisha Muhammed, daughter of Nigeria’s former Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, says her father’s modest lifestyle and leadership principles made him exposed and ultimately led to his assassination.
Aisha, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, stated this on Monday during an interview on The Morning Show on ARISE News, as Nigeria marks 50 years since the assassination of the late military leader.
She described her father as a leader who practised what he preached, noting that accountability, discipline and responsibility defined his approach to governance. According to her, Murtala Muhammed saw corruption as a serious threat to society and confronted it through action, not rhetoric.
Aisha said her father believed corruption was a “cankerworm” that could destroy a nation, adding that his personal conduct reflected his strong anti-corruption stance. She noted that events decades after his death had shown how deeply rooted the problem had become.
She further explained that the late Head of State deliberately shunned the privileges of power, including long convoys, sirens and heavy security, choosing instead to live like an ordinary Nigerian.
According to her, that decision made him vulnerable. She recalled that her father moved freely without excessive protection and obeyed traffic rules like everyone else, a situation that exposed him during the failed coup in which he was killed on February 13, 1976.
General Muhammed assumed power in July 1975 after a bloodless coup that removed General Yakubu Gowon from office. His administration lasted about six months before his assassination during an abortive coup.
Despite his short time in office, he is widely remembered for major reforms, including the removal of thousands of public officers over corruption allegations, the creation of seven states and setting Nigeria on the path to civilian rule.
His government also began the process that led to the relocation of the nation’s capital from Lagos to Abuja, a move later completed by subsequent administrations.
