Gen. Mohammed was Nigeria’s fourth Head of State and the spot where Abdullahi, the gardener, was scraping with his grass-cutting machine, was where the late leader was shot dead 38 years ago.
Though Abdullahi claimed he has been told the history of the late Head of State, he, like many others within the vicinity, were apparently unaware that less than 24 hours away from the time he was working on the lawn, the anniversary of that inglorious moment that General Murtala was killed beckoned once more.
Abdullahi’s forgetfulness, though, might be forgiven. Not a few Nigerians who passed through the spot on daily basis have also forgotten what the cenotaph stands for in the annals of the nation’s history. No thanks to government’s tendency to abandon important national landmarks which has striped the spot of its historical value.
“You can hardly blame Nigerians. What has government, federal, state or local, done to this place to remind us that this is where one of Nigeria’s greatest leaders was murdered in cold blood? Absolutely nothing! So, you can’t blame us if we can’t recollect that this is the same spot General Murtala was assassinated 38 years ago,” Prince Taiwo Oluwafemi, 44, who claimed to have witnessed the tragic event as a primary school pupil in 1976, said.
Standing directly opposite the massive old Federal Secretariat building in Ikoyi, the Murtala cenotaph which was constructed by Eti Osa Local Government, 16 years after the military leader was killed, now appears abandoned. Already, some critical sections of the cenotaph which were made up of sculptural works are caving in, while other metallic objects in the structure are rusting away.
For instance, the sculptural work, depicting the cap of the late general is already distressed, while the two symbolic guns placed on the cenotaph have also become corrosive. Also, the white edifying slabs at the cenotaph are turning brownish while the scripted plastics on the cenotaph which carry notable quotations of the late general are weathering away.
On the cenotaph is the inscription, ‘Cenotaph erected by Eti Osa Local Government in honour of Late General Murtala Mohammed on the spot where he was assassinated on 13 of February 1976.’ It was commissioned by then-President Ibrahim Babangida on 13 February, 1992.
“For me, this is never a better way to immortalise illustrious Murtala Mohammed. This man lived for Nigeria and died for Nigeria,” Olufemi said.
“I remember that as a child when his assailant gunned him down, the whole of Lagos and Nigeria at large was ruptured into anguish.
“It was in the ensuing chaos that my mother alongside other parents rushed to our school and picked my younger brother and I. And because my father was a police officer, was quickly taken to the police barracks, Obalende.
“I remember that my parents used to tell us then that Murtala was Nigeria’s best Head of State because his seven months’ rule was quite adventurous. To say such a personality will be so ill-treated by the same nation he laid down his life for is quite pathetic.”
Adding his voice, Abdullahi, the gardener, said the spirit of selflessness with which Murtala ruled Nigeria is seriously lacking in the present crop of leaders Nigeria has. He said even though he is being paid for cutting the grasses at the spot of the assassination, he is nonetheless satisfied because it is a privilege on his part to be the one cleaning such a historical spot in the country’s history.
“In the last seven months, I have been coming here fortnightly to cut the lawn. Of course I am being paid for the services by the management of Forte Oil fuel station, yet I count myself lucky to be the one cleaning this place for the soul of late Murtala,” Abdullahi said.
Forte Oil which has assumed the responsibility for periodic cleaning of the spot is situated opposite the cenotaph. The
management of the fuel station pays Abdullahi N5,000 for his effort fortnightly. And this they describe as a gesture they wish to sustain for long as possible.
“We are motivated to pay the gardener for the cleaning exercise for two reasons. One, we understand the import of history, and we consider it a privilege to be the ones occupying a place close to where the cenotaph of Late Murtala Mohammed is situated.
“Two, the cenotaph is situated within our premises. It will not speak well of us to carry out business activity here while the lawn leading into out premises is overgrown,” Maureen Okafor, the station manager, Forte Oil fuel station, Ikoyi-Obalende, said.
Okafor, however, said since they took up the cleaning of the lawn, no government agency or personnel had called to appreciate them, assuring that they will not be deterred.
Like Oluwafemi and Abdullahi, Okafor also called on government at federal, state and local levels to beautify the spot and make it attractive to Nigerians.
Source: Daily Trust
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