Murtala Ramat Mohammed
Mohammed (left) with Bolaji Akinyemi (right)
4th Head of State of Nigeria
In office July 29, 1975 – February 13, 1976
Preceded by	Yakubu Gowon
Succeeded by	Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ
Personal details
Born	(1938-11-08)November 8, 1938 Nigeria
Died	February 13, 1976(1976-02-13) (aged 37) Lagos, Nigeria
Nationality	Nigerian
Political party	(None)
Spouse(s)	Ajoke Mohammed
Religion	Muslim

General Murtala Ramat Mohammed (November 8, 1938–February 13, 1976) was a military ruler (Head of the Federal Military Government) of Nigeria from 1975 until his assassination in 1976. He is one of the only three recognized national heroes of the Nigerian Nation.^{[citation needed]}

Role during 1960s coups[link]

Mohammed opposed the regime of Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi which took power after a coup d'etat on January 15, 1966 carried out mainly by Christian Igbo from the south, in which several northern Nigerian leaders had been killed under gruesome circumstances. Aguiyi-Ironsi, as GOC of the Nigerian Army, brought normality back to the nation by imprisoning the coup makers and intimidating the federal cabinet into handing over the helms of government to him. However, Many northerners saw this and the reluctance of Ironsi to prosecute the coupist and the fact that the army was giving exceptional privileges to the coupist as an indication of Ironsi's support for the killings. Consequently northern politicians and civil servants mounted pressure upon northern officers such as Mohammed to avenge the coup. In the face of provocation from the southern dominated media which repeatedly showed humiliating posters and cartoons of the slain northern politicians, on the night of July 29, 1966, northern soldiers at Abeokuta barracks mutinied, thus precipitating a counter-coup, which may very well have been in the planning stages. The counter-coup led to the installation of Lieutenant-Colonel Yakubu Gowon as Supreme Commander of the Nigerian Armed Forces, despite the intransigence of Mohammed who wanted the role of Supreme Commander for himself. However, as Gowon was militarily his senior, and finding a lack of support from the British and American advisors, he caved in. Gowon rewarded him by confirming his ranking (he had been an acting Lt. Colonel till then) and his appointment (Inspector of Signals).

Nigerian civil war[link]

During the Nigerian Civil War, Mohammed was General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Nigerian Army's 2nd Division. This division was responsible for the legendary beating back of the Biafran Army from the midwestern region, as well as crossing the River Niger and linking up with the 1st Division, which was marching down from Nsukka and Enugu.

Mohammed's encounter with disaster during the war happened shortly after, as he attempted to cross the River Niger to Biafra. Despite the recommendation of his superiors at Army Headquarters in Lagos that he wait for the bridge, which had been blown up by the retreating Biafran forces, to be rebuilt, he insisted on a riverine crossing. Twice he was beaten back, but he steadfastly kept resolve and finally made it through on his third attempt. Shortly after this, Mohammed fed up with reprimands from Army HQ, decided to quit his command and left for an extended holiday in the United Kingdom, but not before threatening to resign his commission. His historic military fits during the war won him National acclaim and respect even from his adversaries.

Role after the civil war[link]

On his return to Nigeria after the war, he was given back his old position of Army Signals Inspector and it seemed the last chapter had been written in his army career. However, with the declining popularity of the Gowon government, which had been characterized by excesses and corruption, some Army officers, acting in what they claimed to be patriotic interests, approached Brigadier Mohammed and two other wartime colleagues. It has been speculated that the real reason for the coup was the frustration on the part of wartime commanders, who felt that despite their efforts to win Nigeria the war, their army colleagues who had remained at Army HQ, away from the frontlines, were reaping the benefits amidst an atmosphere of corruption. The coupists identified with the now popular Muhammad as the one who would lead after deposing the Gowon government.

Head of state[link]

Murtala Mohammed on a 20 Naira bank note

On July 29, 1975, Brigadier (later General) Mohammed was made head of state, when General Gowon was overthrown while at an Organization of African Unity (OAU) summit in Kampala, Uganda. Brigadiers Obasanjo (later Lt.General) and Danjuma (later Lt.General) were appointed as Chief of Staff, Supreme HQ and Chief of Army Staff, respectively.In the coup d'état that brought him to power he introduced the phrases with "Fellow Nigerians" and "with immediate effect"to the national lexicon.^[1] In a short time, Murtala Mohammed's policies won him broad popular support, and his decisiveness elevated him to the status of a folk hero.^[2]

One of his first acts was to scrap the 1973 census, which was weighted in favor of the north, and to revert to the 1963 count for official purposes. Murtala Mohammad removed top federal and state officials to break links with the Gowon regime and to restore public confidence in the federal government. More than 10,000 public officials and employees were dismissed without benefits, on account of age, health, incompetence, or malpractice. The purge affected the civil service, judiciary, police and armed forces, diplomatic service, public corporations, and universities. Some officials were brought to trial on charges of corruption. He also began the demobilization of 100,000 troops from the swollen ranks of the armed forces.

Twelve of the twenty-five ministerial posts on the new Federal Executive Council went to civilians, but the cabinet was secondary to the executive Supreme Military Council. Muhammad imposed the authority of the federal government in areas formerly reserved for the states, restricting the latitude exercised by state governments and their governors in determining and executing policy. Newly appointed military governors of the states were not given seats on the Supreme Military Council, but instead were expected to administer federal policies handed down by Muhammad through the military council. The federal government took over the operation of the country's two largest newspapers, made broadcasting a federal monopoly, and brought remaining state-run universities under federal control.

Murtala Muhammad initiated a comprehensive review of the Third National Development Plan. Singling out inflation as the greatest danger to the economy, he was determined to reduce the money supply that had been swollen by government expenditures on public works. Muhammad also announced that his government would encourage the rapid expansion of the private sector into areas dominated by public corporations. He reappraised foreign policy, stressing a "Nigeria first" orientation in line with OPEC price guidelines that was to the disadvantage of other African countries. Nigeria became "neutral" rather than "nonaligned" in international affairs. The shift in orientation became apparent with respect to Angola. Nigeria had worked with the OAU to bring about a negotiated reconciliation of the warring factions in the former Portuguese colony, but late in 1975 Murtala Muhammad announced Nigeria's support for the Soviet-backed Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, citing South Africa's armed intervention on the side of the rival National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola). The realignment strained relations with the United States, which argued for the withdrawal of Cuban troops and Soviet advisers from Angola. In October the Nigerian Air Force took delivery of Soviet-built aircraft that had been ordered under Gowon.

Assassination[link]

Car in which Murtala Mohammed was assassinated.

Murtala Mohammed was killed on February 13, 1976 in an abortive coup attempt led by Lt. Col Buka Suka Dimka, when his car was ambushed while en route to his office at Dodan Barracks, Lagos. Several top officers and foreign intelligence agencies, including his predecessor and at the time, graduate student in Warwick University, England, Yakubu Gowon, the CIA and the MOSSAD were accused of either planning, sponsoring or aiding the coup attempt. He was succeeded by the Chief of Staff, Supreme HQ Olusegun Obasanjo, who completed his plan of an orderly transfer to civilian rule by handing power to Shehu Shagari on October 1, 1979. Today, his portrait adorns the 20 Naira Note and he stands one of the only three national heroes of the Nigerian Republic. Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos is named in his honor.

See also[link]

	Nigeria portal
	Biography portal
	Politics portal

• Nigerian Second Republic

References[link]

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.

v t e Presidents of Nigeria (List) First Republic Azikiwe Military regime Aguiyi-Ironsi Gowon Mohammed Obasanjo Second Republic Shagari Military regime Buhari Babangida Shonekan (interim)* Abacha Abubakar Fourth Republic Obasanjo Yar'Adua Jonathan * civilian; headed transition to abortive Third Republic

Ramsey Tokunbo Nouah Jr, (born 16 July 1973)^[1][2]is a Nigerian actor. In 2010 he won the African Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.^[3]

Early life[link]

Nouah was born in Edo, Nigeria to an Israeli father and a Yoruba mother who hails from Owo, Ondo State. He grew up in Surulere, Lagos and attended Atara Primary School and Community Grammar School in Lagos before heading unto the University of Lagos where he graduated with a degree in mass communication.^[2][4]

Career[link]

Nouah's acting career kicked off when he starred in the Nigerian TV soap opera Fortunes.^[5] Nouah has since then appeared in numerous films starring as the lead role. He has been called "Lover-Boy"^[6][7] for his numerous roles in romantic film. Due to his light skin complexion he was selected to star in several love related romantic films.^[4] In 2010 Nouah won the African Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in the Best Picture award winning film The Figurine.^[3] Nouah is considered to be one of the most sought-after actors in Nigeria.^[8]

Personal life[link]

Nouah is married with 2 children.^[6]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ramsey Nouah at the Internet Movie Database

Rita Dominic
Rita Dominic at the African Movie Academy Awards in Abuja, Nigeria, April 2008
Born	Rita Uchenna Nkem Dominic Waturuocha (1975-07-12) July 12, 1975 (age 36) Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria
Occupation	Actress
Website
http://www.ritadominic.com/

Rita Uchenna Nkem Dominic Waturuocha^[1][2] (born 12 July 1975 in Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria) is a Nigerian actress.^[3] In 2012 she won the African Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.^[4][5]

Early life[link]

Rita Dominic is a member of the Royal Waturuocha family of Aborh Mbaise local government area in Imo State.^[1] She is the youngest of 4 siblings.^[2] Her late parents were medical practitioners; her father was a medical doctor and her mother a nursing officer.^[6] Dominic completed her primary and secondary school in Abia State, Nigeria, before heading to the University of Port Harcourt, where she graduated with a BA (Honours) Degree in Theatre Arts in 1999.

Career[link]

Dominic started performing when she was a child, appearing in school plays and children's television shows in Imo state. In 1998 she starred in her first movie A time to kill.^[2] She won the City People Awards in 2004 as the Most Outstanding Actress.^[7] She has starred in over 100 Nollywood productions.^[3]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Rita Dominic at the Internet Movie Database