R-E-V-E-A-L-E-D
1966 Coup: What I discussed with Nzeogwu — David Attah
By FRANCIS OTTAH AGBO
Sunday, November 16,
2008
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•David
Attah
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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Chief David Ogaba Attah is a veteran journalist and politician
of chequered pedigree. He was at various times, reporter,
Assistant News Manager, Personnel Manager as well as Group
Personnel and Manpower Manager of Daily Times and General
Manager of Standard group of newspapers.
Journalism linked him up with the masses and the mighty in
society so much that when he signified interest to run for
the House of Representatives to represent the old Okpokwu
Local Government Area of Benue State in the short-lived third
republic, he got it on the platter of gold. After the collapse
of the republic, his friend, the then Military Governor of
Benue State, Group Captain Jonah Jang appointed Attah Commissioner
for Information.
A progressive to the core, Attah joined the Social Democratic
Party (SDP) in the ill-fated transition programme of General
Ibrahim Babangida where he worked closely with the party’s
apparatchik for the victory of its presidential candidate,
Chief Moshood Abiola in the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Before the poll, Attah said he had advised Abiola not to throw
his hat into the ring. Why? “Abiola was already an international
figure championing the cause of reparation for the blacks.
He was also a philanthropist of inestimable proportion and
a successful businessman that had become the envy of some
powerful elite. So I felt the power that be might not want
him to have both economic and political powers.
He was very qualified to be president but I knew they won’t
allow Abiola to occupy Aso Rock. But he didn’t heed
my advice. Curiously too, Abiola died in the hands of international
emissaries who were not comfortable with his reparation posture.
Today, Nigeria is worse hit for not having an Abiola presidency
because if Abiola had made it, Olusegun Obasanjo wouldn’t
have been president. As a person, Abiola’s death shattered
me because in him I lost a friend in deed,” vintage
Attah told Sunday Sun in an exclusive interview.
When the military truncated the Interim National Government
led by Chief Ernest Shonekan, Attah was appointed Chief Press
Secretary to the then Head of State, General Sani Abacha.
His appointment caused a stir in Igumale, his home town. Abacha
had shortly after taking over the reins of power sent for
Attah. When the military men detailed to fetch Attah to Dodan
Barracks stormed Igumale, Attah was at the village square
playing local chess. When his kinsmen sighted the soldiers,
they cried profusely. Reason: They thought the soldiers had
come to arrest their hero only for them to hear his name on
radio as presidential spokesman. Attah was to be member of
the civilian wing of the powerful musketeers that ran the
show in the Presidential Villa.
Excerpts:
Journalism career
As a journalist, I was assigned to government house in Kaduna.
I covered the late premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu
Bello. I was later seconded to the New Nigeria newspaper in
1966 as reporter. This was before the 1966 military putsch
that led to the eclipse of the first republic. As a result
of my experience and flair for journalism, I was assigned
to the coverage of government house, Kaduna. In fact, apart
from Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu who killed Sardauna, I
can claim to be one of the first people who saw the remains
of the late premier.
Why? Our Editorial Adviser from New Zealand known as Dia Hayward
on the day of the coup breezed into my house on Muri road
Kaduna very early in the morning fuming. He asked whether
I did not hear what happened yesterday night? Kawo, where
the government house is located is far from down town for
me to hear the gun shots. But those of them who were living
in the GRA, got aware and his initial reaction was to drive
to my house. We drove to government house. We were the first
outside Nzeogwu to see the remains of Sarduana and I was shocked.
I had thought Sarduana was immortal. This was in 1966 and
I was about 18 years. So you can imagine the intensity of
the impression the killing of the powerful premier had on
me. This event later formed my personality that we are all
mortals. That the substance in life is quality of relationship
with people and that is why I am free with every body even
while I was in government. Sarduana was a charismatic leader
who never amassed wealth. Work and worship was the motto of
Northern Nigeria. This was the tradition I grew up with.
As an inexperienced reporter, I asked Nzeogwu whether he killed
Sarduana by mistake, he replied that it was deliberate to
effect a change in the administration of the country. I gave
so many Igbo refuge following the reprisal attacks that trailed
the Nzeogwu coup. I took time to tell you all these because
I have gone through all the trails of nationhood from my adolescence
to date. In the next few days, I will publish my autobiography
to warn all of you not to be inhibited by the ordinariness
of your environment or circumstances of birth. What matters
is what you do with your life, the nobility of your action
and not the nobility of your birth. I thank God to have come
from a core rural background yet He pre-destined me to be
active participant and key witness to major development of
Nigeria.
The military government of General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi appointed
Major Hassan Katsina as Governor-General of Northern Nigeria.
I covered Katsina and almost acted as his press secretary.
The Government House has always been a familiar terrain to
me.
Before the Nigeria Civil War broke out, I had been moved from
New Nigeria to Radio Nigeria, Kaduna perhaps because of my
versatility. Myself, a Lagosian, Ade Macauley and Yinusa Gwarzo
from the programme section covered the civil war particularly
the Nsukka sector for Radio Nigeria. Nzeogwu was killed in
Nsukka on July 29, 1967. I accompanied his lifeless body to
Kaduna where the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon,
gave him national burial with full military honours. I shared
one room with the late Major Bako in Kaduna.
After the civil war
I returned from the war in 1967 to go to the university to
further my education so that I can tell a vivid story of my
experience in battle and above all, to contribute to the greatness
of my environment. Ahmedu Bello University, Zaria (ABU) became
handy. The scholarship interview had been concluded while
I was in the war front. ABU gave me direct entry to study
Political Science because I had a good pass in the advance
GCE. But I had no money to pay fees and I needed money because
at that time, I was not offered scholarship.
I sold a few of my things including my Radiogram to pay my
tuition fees in the university because I was bent on acquiring
more knowledge. I did this because I never wanted to miss
the admission. The following year I didn’t have problems
because I was offered scholarship by the then Benue / Plateau.
ABU had beautiful lecturers. Patrick Wilmot and Professor
O Coniel, an Irish Catholic Priest was very popular with students.
They gave graphic and wonderfully put lectures on the Nigerian
situation.
One of them was entitled the Inevitability of Instability.
After the lecture, I would make news from the lectures and
send to New Nigeria, Daily Times and other government- owned
newspapers like the Morning Post and I was making lot of money
as a stringer. And I was also covering ABU for Lagos Weekend
News. So I became popular among the students in ABU. My early
background, my coverage of the war and government house made
me a bridge between the students and government. I became
the cynosure of all eyes on campus. Any student who wanted
to be popular must be my friend. It was in ABU that I met
Chief Tom Ikimi and we still continue as friends. The late
governor of Kwara State, Mohammed Lawal and so many others
became my friends in the university.
My lecturers taught me to be proactive. So when ABU planned
to run a crash programme without providing facilities for
conducive learning, I foresaw danger. As editor of the ABU
Students Magazine, I wrote editorial on the proposed remedial
programme for students. I stated that our Vice Chancellor,
Professor Ishaya Audu should be given a national honour in
improvisation.
But warned if explosion in student population is not consistent
with physical development and provision of instructional materials,
the consequence would be catastrophic for the educational
system. This is exactly what we see today across Nigeria.
If you visit the universities, all you see is a bloated student
population and a shrinking teaching aids and learning materials.
The students reacted and the school authorities rusticated
me and nine others regarded as hot heads for allegedly inciting
students. This was a few months to my final examination in
the university.
The Dean of Social Science, Professor O’ Connel pleaded
on my behalf in the senate. He said I should be brought back
and be encouraged because I was the calibre of person that
would be future leader. He told the senate I was only being
futuristic in my editorial and not inciting. At the end of
the day, my rustication was lifted and was called back. I
rounded off my examination and came out with Second Class
Honours in 1970.
From there, Daily Times noticed me and made me Chief Correspondent
for the six Northern States with all sorts of embellishments.
I was given free house, paid fat salary and attached with
a cook. For me, starting life with a cook was unprecedented.
In those golden old days, when you graduated, you may have
up to six or seven job opportunities. For me, it is pay back
time to the Nigerian system that made me a name.
But I had to leave Kaduna for Lagos. Reason: I broke the Jos
Water scandal. And I was detained for weeks. But I didn’t
give up. I stood by the story. Daily Times was publishing
Attah’s days in detention. And eventually, I was released
from detention. Daily Times sent me to Plamoth to do a post-graduate
study in journalism.
After graduation, I returned to Lagos fully in 1972. I was
appointed assistant news manager. Unknown to me, my trainers
in Plamoth recognised my managerial skills and they wrote
a commendation letter in that regard to Daily Times. I was
enjoying the news room atmosphere. Suddenly, six months after
my return, I was appointed Personal Assistant to the Assistant
Managing Director of Daily Times where I represented him at
conferences.
This prepared me for the next stage of responsibilities. A
few months later, I became the Personnel & Training Manager
of Daily Times. Fifteen months later, I was promoted the Group
Personnel & Manpower Manager for the entire Daily Times
group. I was in that position until I was seconded to the
Benue /Plateau Printing & Publishing Corporation, publishers
of Standard group of newspapers as General Manager in 1975.
Babatunde Jose, the doyen of Nigerian Journalism and Chairman
of Daily Times was instrumental to my successes in the profession.
As far as journalism is concerned, Jose is my role model and
mentor. The day he died, I was very sick. Tony Momoh sent
me a text message to inform me. And I wept. As I read the
message I couldn’t control my emotion because I knew
the pillar of journalism had fallen. You know the way the
Moslems do it. They just buried him the following day robbing
me the opportunity of paying him my last respect. When I was
going to the Standard newspaper, he said, Attah you are going
to Jos as Daily Times ambassador.
And in Jos, I saw, conquered and delivered. I built the first
office complex for Standard. I built the first ever Sunday
paper in the North called Sunday Standard. I became the only
GM who had the power to found a football club, called the
Pen Power. We were in national division one. Players like
Sunday Bernad, Okey, Arthur Egbunam and others were groomed
by us. Coach James Peters was the coach at the time. We had
other coaches like Innocent Ogbeh and Bitrus Biwang.
My friendship with Abiola
I can not thank my God enough for using journalism to make
me a name. I tell people journalism is a profession without
compare because it is the only job that can make even a cub
reporter meet an American president. As a journalist, it was
in Lagos I met Chief M.K.O Abiola of blessed memory. If I
tell you about my relationship with him, you can not believe
it. I was the only one who was able to bring him to Benue
to launch the Agony of the Patriots written by Justice Anyebe.
Abiola was a man who understood friendship and politics. And
that was why he agreed to launch the book in Otukpo and this
was in 1985. I brought him again to launch a trust development
fund in Benue. They shouted how manage a fry like Attah brought
Abiola of all people to Benue. It was shortly after this that
I became Commissioner for Information in Benue State. I have
never met a bad person before.
Political career
Journalism had provided all the contacts I needed to make
impacts in politics. And luckily enough my people wanted me
to represent them at the House of Representatives having being
sensitive to their yearnings even as a reporter. I resigned
from Standard and joined politics in 1983. Benue was predominantly
an NPN state. Every body that mattered was in the NPN. But
I decided to join NPP led by another role model of mine, Dr
Nnamdi Azikiwe to test my popularity. I won in a free and
fair contest because the people were with me. I happened to
be the only NPP lawmaker from Benue in Lagos at the time.
I made my mark. Zik took me as his political son. His children
are so fond of me to the extent that if you came to Igumale
in those days, you saw his first son Chukwuma was always in
my village, Igumale. When this foremost nationalist passed
on, the federal government made me the secretary of the committee
that gave him a befitting national burial. I gladly did it
because as a boy I worshipped Zik and I am happy he was immortalised.
If you have not met David Attah, you must have read about
him. I am a stakeholder in my own right. I have built my character
after Azikiwe, Tarka, Abacha and Abiola who are my role models
and having deplored all my energy to making sure that the
ship of nationhood does not sink, I think I deserve some respect
from the political accidents holding us to ransom today. I
joined politics to render service to the people and not to
accumulate wealth. The irony today is that the polity is dominated
by primitive accumulators of wealth and that is part of the
reason why politics today is cash and carry. If I had been
greedy, I would have been a billionaire.
But here am I, not rich but happy that I served my fatherland.
Today I survive on goodwill. A few People who worked with
me at one point or the other still see my children and help
them in remembrance of David Attah. I fell fulfilled. I am
indebted to Nigeria, nobody owes me anything. The system has
been so good to me. In 1976, I was the only journalist sent
to USA alongside permanent secretaries to understudy that
country’s presidential system. After the collapse of
the third republic, I became commissioner and later became
CPS to Abacha and later Abdulsalami Abubakar which very rare.
In Nigeria, I don’t know any other journalist who served
two heads of state as CPS except me.
Abacha was a man with a passionate sense of nationhood. He
was a courageous leader who dared the almighty America.
He did miracle by reviving the economy without seeking for
inputs from America. He stabilised the naira. He turned his
search light to the East, sometimes in the direction of China
for bilateral relationship. We won the Nations Cup, Olympic
Gold in soccer and Long Jump. People called him names. They
gave him image that didn’t belong to him. Today every
body is copying China. You can’t bury the truth. Nigerians
are waiting to hear from me about Abacha, what went wrong,
what went well and how we successfully piloted the ship of
state. When I talk, people listen because I was a principle
witness and that is why I have taken you through this voyage.
Abacha was dreaded by progressives. Yet each time
you speak about him, you do it glowingly. How did you meet
or know Abacha?
You still ask how I met Abacha after I had told you about
my life history, my chains of movements? Is Abacha deaf or
blind to all my activities? There is no way a man who is current
about common knowledge would not know me. If you want specifics,
I am ready to tell you a little. The first time I met Abacha
was at NIPSS in Kuru, Jos in 1982 when I went there as a lawmaker
while he was there for their routine course. We worked together.
We later met at the RayField, Jos when Chief Solomon Lar was
governor. The third time we met was in Makurdi in I985 when
I was commissioner and he was Chief of Army Staff and I was
the only one he could recognise because we met before. When
I was practicing, he read my articles. As a lawmaker he listened
to my debates on the floor of the house. We were very close
and did many things in common .There other details I wouldn’t
disclose in this interview. Let me say that General Lawrence
Onoja who is now my in-law helped to cement my relationship
with my boss that eventually led to my appointment as CPS.
We hear that the day the coup was announced, you
were at the Igumale village sqaure playing the local chess.
We are told that soldiers Abacha sent to pick you to Lagos
caused a stir in the village. What really happened?
I have not been completely declassified yet. This was what
happened. There was a coup de’tat. I knew what had happened.
I was in Igumale with the district head of Ijigban, His Royal
Highness, Chief Oriri Ocheje playing the local game. Abacha
sent for me. The moment the soldiers Abacha sent to bring
me got to my village, the people were thrown into mournful
mood. They had thought the new government wanted to jail or
kill me.
But I confided in some people that it was for good. And they
later saw it. We went through Enugu to Lagos. I went to Dodan
Barracks where Abacha was at the time. And I started playing
a role. It was after I got to Lagos that I was announced CPS
. The rest as they say is now history. How did you know about
the village drama episode? Who told you this story .I didn’t
volunteer this information to you. You know the presence of
military people in a village will trigger some concern especially
when they go to a private home to hold discussions. Naturally
the thinking would be that they were going to deal with me.
Don’t forget that every putsch with the exception of
the Abacha coup had some victims.
You call Abacha a miracle worker. As an insider,
what do you think was responsible for the plaque associated
with Abacha?
General Abacha was an unusual person, a shock absorber to
the core. I pity Nigerian. The human memory especially that
of Nigerians is very short. I challenge you to revisit the
circumstances that brought Abacha to power. The political
class, opinion leaders, traditional institution and the military
were begging him to take over. Nigeria was on a keg of gun
powder at the time. The political climate was so bad. The
same people who asked him to strike were the ones calling
him names. Abacha did many good things for Nigeria that were
revolutionary.
So I don’t know why they call him names. Look at the
power sharing arrangement between the six geopolitical zones
which he evolved. He did this to permanently solve the political
problems facing this nation. We did this through the 1996
National Constitutional Conference were people gathered to
chart a way forward for Nigeria. While this was going on,
he stabilised the economy by bringing down inflation to the
barest minimum. He refurbished institutions, created states
in the interest of the nation.
He established Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) that took development
to all nooks and crannies of Nigeria. All Express Ways for
example were maintained. Sadly enough, today that we claim
to have democracy, even the Lagos Ibadon ExpressWay as important
as it is remains a death trap. So between Abacha’s administration
and eight years of civil rule, which is beneficial to you
and I? With these achievements, I can’t call such a
man bad name. Never! Abacha was a patriotic leader.
You were very close to both Abacha and Abiola, both
of blessed memory. Ordinarily, one would have expected you
to mediate in the latter’s travails.
Why do you ask such a question? David Attah was just a small
fry. The crisis was complex and beyond me to mediate .The
fact that I had the temerity to call them my friends does
not mean I had that required clout to settle the two men especially
in a matter that involved ambition. There was interplay of
several forces which you know. The two political parties at
the time: Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Republican
Convention (NRC) and many traditional rulers played roles
in the emergence of the Abacha government and in the political
crisis at the time precipitated by the annulment of June 12
presidential election won by Abiola.
I would not mention names here so that I don’t open
old wounds. But I expect you to know that many prominent Nigerians
actually asked Abacha to take over following the weakness
of the Interim National Government led by Chief Ernest Shonekan.
Every body knew that he was apolitical. They called him messiah
and he struck . The two leaders (Abiola and Abacha) were gladiators
I met on different occasions and different circumstances many
years before the June 12 challenge. Abiola was just a victim
of African politics. I was doing a biography of Abiola. And
I was constantly telling him not to run for the presidency
having developed his personality because of the role he had
assumed as the champion of the emancipation of the black race.
Abiola had a father image not only in Nigeria but in the entire
Africa and the Diaspora. Succinctly put, Abiola was already
an international figure who championed the cause of reparation
for the blacks. He was also a philanthropist of inestimable
proportion and a successful businessman that had become the
envy of some powerful elite.
So I felt that the power that be may not want him to have
economic and political power. He was very qualified to be
president but I knew they wont allow Abiola occupy Aso Rock
at that time. But he didn’t hearken to my advice. Curiously
too, Abiola died in the hands of international emissaries
who were not comfortable with his reparation posture. Today
Nigeria is worst hit for not having an Abiola presidency for
if Abiola had made it, we wouldn’t have had Olusegun
Obasanjo as president. As a person, Abiola’s death shattered
me because in him I lost a friend indeed. Abiola should be
immortalised. Nothing is too big to do for Abiola .The federal
government should name the Abuja International Stadium after
Abiola as a mark of honour for uplifting sport in Nigeria.
I also subscribe to making June 12 of every year a national
public holiday.
Was there any decision you ever took while in government
that if given another opportunity you wouldn’t have
taken?
None. I showed love to people because I have always been a
product of love. If I have another opportunity, I would repeat
all the good I did. Similarly I have no regret in life because
I have never met a bad man. My only worry is that the people
of Idoma ethnic group, who have been agitating for Apa State
to be carved from the present Benue State could not be actualised
under Abacha.
Abacha’s government had many Idoma in prominent
positions. You were there, General Lawrence Onoja, General
Chris Garba, Chief Mike Onoja and many others. Why didn’t
you pull Apa State through?
Abacha loved Idoma people with passion. Aside the big names
you mentioned, some of Abacha’s domestic staff like
cooks are Idoma. One day I asked why he loved Idoma and he
said we are hardworking and trustworthy.
Abacha was serious on creating Apa and Ekiti, States. He was
bent on creating Ekiti. I don’t know for whose sake
but he told me at least for our sake, he would create Apa
State. He was fond of me, he was fond of Generals Onoja and
Garba and so many other Idoma people. But before states were
created, his transition programme was beginning to acquire
an image so much that more and more people were involved in
decision making. The Arthur Mbanefo committee on state creation
was set up.
And there was a rational basis for state creation. One was
to come from each zone. And we lost out narrowly to Nassarawa
State. In all, the committee that six states be created. Zamfara
from the North West, Ebonyi from South East,Ekiti from South
West, Bayelsa from South South and Gombe from the North East.
Apa was supposed to be created in the North Central but we
lost to Nasarrawa in the power game. Some people said my boss
had to change his mind on Apa to favour Nassarawa because
of his Kauri kinsmen who inhabit Akwanga in Nassarawa. But
I understand we didn’t do our home work well. We didn’t
put our act together.
I think we have learnt a lot from our previous experience.
We failed to collaborate, synchronise and synergise our comparative
advantage and closeness to my boss to achieve maximum effects.
What it implied was that we didn’t effectively utilise
our arsenal. But this time, we will go in full force to get
Apa. We have the human and material resources to be a state
of our own. We are working closely with our Tiv brothers to
support our bid and so far, the lawmakers at the state House
of Assembly and National Assembly and others in positions
of authority have aligned with us. This time, we are appealing
to the conscience of all Nigerians and we are selling our
unique selling proposition to the rest of Nigerians on why
we need a state. This time every body in Apa would be involved.
Journalists like you who are well read and connected would
be involved. All our professionals would be on board. It is
a fight for lawmakers, politicians and traditional institutions
alone. The senate president, David Mark is our son. But people
should not even think Mark alone can make Apa a reality.
We should all put our differences aside and mobilise our people
to argue as usual, vehemently in favour of Apa creation. If
consistency still remains a virtue in Nigeria, then Apa movement
is the most consistent state agitation in the country. Apa
was on the front burner as far back as 1986 when General Ibrahim
Babangida created Katsina and Akwa-Ibom were decried. In 1991,
the IBB regime leveraged on the goodwill it got from the exercise
and created more states.
Everybody thought we would get Apa for a number of reasons.
One we had the likes of Mark, Onoja, Garba, Ernest Attah and
others playing critical roles in the system. Two we are more
populous than some of the ethnic groups that got a state.
Again we lost to Kogi State. This left a structural imbalance
because the Igala who were with us in Benue left for Kogi.
Idoma is one of the major ethnic groups in the old Benue/Plateau
that has not been carved a state. The only way to correct
this defect is to create Apa.
So this time around, are you sure of realising the
Apa dream?
It is a prayer. Nobody can be confident in an unpredictable
Nigerian situation.
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