Contrary to widespread assumption, the man whose portrait appears on Nigeria’s ₦20 note was not originally from Northern Nigeria.
General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, Nigeria’s former Head of State, hailed from Aviele, a town neighbouring Auchi in present-day Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, in Southern Nigeria. Although he was born in Kano and originally named Murtala Rufai Mohammed, his ancestral roots trace back to Edo State.
Historical records show that Muhammed later adopted the name “Ramat”, his mother’s name, after assuming office as Head of State in July 1975—a symbolic acknowledgment of maternal lineage rarely highlighted in mainstream narratives.
Born on November 8, 1938, the late military leader would have turned 86 years old today.
As part of his professional military development, Murtala Muhammed received advanced training at the Regular Officers’ Special Training School (ROSTS) in Teshie, Ghana, where he was instructed in military tactics and military law. One of his notable instructors was Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, who would later emerge as the leader of the defunct Republic of Biafra, placing the two men on opposing sides during Nigeria’s civil war.
The fact that a future Nigerian Head of State was once taught by a man he would later confront in war underscores the deep ironies embedded in the nation’s history.
Indeed, as history often reminds us, the past is rarely as straightforward as it seems.
Credit: Historical Nigeria-Yoruba
