Danjuma, Ekwueme and Ugochukwu

In 1914, it was Lord Frederick Lugard who crafted and manipulated the amalgamation of Nigeria but after 100 years, what stares us in the face and looms large on the horizon is fragmentation.

As we launch the book “He Lived For Us All” in memory of late M. N. Ugochukwu, we should at least recognise the link between Lt.General T. Y. Danjuma; former Vice President Alex Ekwueme and M. N. Ugochukwu. Each of them came within a stone throw of becoming the head of state/president of our beloved nation but for different reasons, history took a different turn.

When the colonels led by Shehu Musa Yar’Adua toppled the military government of General Yakubu Gowon on July 29, 1975 while he was away in Uganda, some of them were rooting for Danjuma who was then a rank (brigadier) above them as the successor to Gowon. Danjuma demurred and steered them toward Murtala Mohammed who was actually out of the country. He was eventually traced to London. He was hurriedly flown back to Nigeria. On 29th July, 1975, Murtala Mohammed became the new head of state with Brigadier Olusegun Obasanjo as chief of staff, Supreme Headquarters (vice-president), while Danjuma became the chief of army staff.

On a chilly Friday morning (13th February, 1976), Murtala Mohammed was brutally assassinated in cold blood by Colonel D. S. Dimka while he drove to work accompanied only by his driver and his aide-de-camp Lt.Col. Akintunde Akinshehinwa. Again, the colonels pushed to install Danjuma as the new head of state but he declined. He stood firmly behind Obasanjo and retained the number three position as chief of army staff. Shehu Yar’Adua was promoted to brigadier and installed as the chief of staff, Supreme Headquarters (effectively the vice-president).

As for M. N. Ugochukwu (from Umunze), he was such a close friend of Shehu Shagari,the candidate of the National Party of Nigeria in the 1979 presidential election, that he could easily have recommended himself as Shagari’s running mate. Instead, he recommended Ekwueme who was from the next village – Oko in Eastern Nigeria.

Ekwueme was already a very successful architect with a chain of landmark projects to his credit. In addition, he had degrees in law and sociology. Rather than scheme his way to supplant President Shagari, he was resolutely loyal, humble and almost self-effacing. Of course, it is a matter for speculation whether he would eventually have become the president once Shagari had completed his second term. In any case, the military struck on 31st December, 1983. Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was installed as head of state and Ekwueme ended up in detention while Shagari was placed under house arrest.

One of my most memorable encounters with Ekwueme was during his visit to London in 1982. A journalist from BBC accompanied me to his hotel (Inter-Continental on Park Lane, London). There he was in a double-room (instead of a massive suite) with only one security officer outside the door!

I was somewhat taken aback by Danjuma’s deposition that it was Ugochukwu who launched him into business and the corporate world. My own recollection is that it was Sunday Dankaro and his brother David Dankaro who were directors of several companies which were my clients. Theyn simply adored T. Y. and would go to any lengths to advance his candidacy for appointment to the board of several blue-chip companies. He in turn treated them with tremendous respect which still subsists, although one of the Dankaros passed on several years ago. There was also the French MD of Michelin who was eager to introduce General Danjuma to several French companies and did so with considerable success. The General appeared to be in no hurry as he pleaded for time – at least until he had properly retired from the army.

There is another thread that connects Ugochukwu, Ekwueme and Danjuma. It is their uncommon trait of courtesy to all and sundry. The word that comes to mind is urbane in its classical sense. Regardless, how they react under pressure is a different matter. A case in point is the dastardly assassination of Murtala Mohammed in 1976. The coup leader Dimka had announced the overthrow of Murtala’s government from then “Radio Nigeria” located at Ikoyi, in Lagos. Apparently, it was Danjuma who as the chief of army staff launched the counter coup from Bonny Camp, Victoria Island to dislodge Dimka and his gang. The order given to the then Colonel Ibrahim Babangida, the commander of the armoured corps, was to launch a blitzerig against the rebels even if it meant reducing “Radio Nigeria” into a rubble. Rather than carry out the orders he had been given, Babangida chose to engage Dimka in dialogue at considerable personal risk to himself. At any rate, Babangida returned to Bonny Camp for re-inforcement when Dimka refused to surrender. Eventually, Dimka sneaked out of the building and was on the lam for several days before being arrested while trying to escape across the Nigerian border.

J.K RANDLE
Randle is Chairman/Chief ExecutiveJK Randle Professional Services Chartered Accountants