Aisha Muhammed, daughter of former Nigerian Head of State General Murtala Muhammed, has said that her father’s modest lifestyle and leadership philosophy unintentionally made him vulnerable to the circumstances that led to his assassination. She spoke during an interview on the Arise News Morning Show as Nigeria marked 50 years since his death.
According to her, her father did not merely speak about discipline, accountability, and fighting corruption — he lived by those values. He rejected the excessive privileges of power, including heavy security convoys, sirens, and large entourages that typically surround national leaders.
Aisha explained that General Muhammed insisted on living like the average Nigerian, even while serving as Head of State. He moved through regular traffic without heavy protection, believing that leadership should be reflected in personal simplicity and example.
She revealed that this lack of heavy security was what ultimately made the attack of February 13, 1976 possible. On that day, her father was caught in traffic like any other citizen, stopped by traffic wardens, when the coup plotters seized the moment and shot him.
Despite ruling for only about 200 days after coming to power in July 1975, Murtala Muhammed left a lasting legacy through sweeping reforms, including anti-corruption measures, the creation of new states, and the initiation of the process that led to relocating Nigeria’s capital from Lagos to Abuja.
