Murtala Muhammed at 50: African Leaders Urged to Defend Sovereignty, Resist Foreign Dictation

Murtala Muhammed at 50: African Leaders Urged to Defend Sovereignty, Resist Foreign Dictation

African leaders have been urged to jealously guard the continent’s sovereign autonomy and resist external domination, with warnings that continued dependence on foreign powers could keep Africa perpetually underdeveloped despite its vast natural and human resources.

The call was made on Wednesday at a strategic policy workshop held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Nigeria’s former Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed. The workshop, themed “Has Africa Come of Age? Murtala Muhammed’s Pan-African Vision 50 Years After,” was jointly organised by the Murtala Muhammed Foundation (MMF) and the NIIA.

In his welcome remarks, the Director-General of the NIIA, Prof. Eghosa Osaghae, stressed that Africa must reclaim its assertiveness on the global stage, noting that the continent is no longer an appendage of global powers but an emerging force in an increasingly multipolar world.

Reflecting on General Murtala Muhammed’s historic declaration that “Africa has come of age,” delivered on January 11, 1976, at the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Extraordinary Summit in Addis Ababa, Osaghae said the statement was a call for strategic autonomy and self-determination.

“When General Murtala said Africa had come of age, he was telling the world not to see Africa as an appendage or a copycat,” he said. “It was a declaration of strategic autonomy — that Africa must be its own voice, its own master, and pursue paths determined by Africans for Africans. This is why African solutions to African problems remain relevant today.”

He added that overreliance on foreign aid and external prescriptions would not deliver sustainable development for the continent.

In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, Dr. Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, paid tribute to her father’s unwavering commitment to Pan-Africanism, describing him as a leader whose vision elevated both Nigeria and Africa on the global stage.

She said General Muhammed stood at the forefront of Africa’s liberation struggles and used his leadership to project African pride, unity and independence in international affairs.

According to her, the workshop was designed to inspire young Africans to pursue careers in diplomacy, governance and international development, in order to confront the continent’s enduring challenges.

Delivering the keynote address, a Professor of Political Science and former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, described the late Head of State as “a man of several parts” who restored national pride and set a high standard for leadership and governance.

Akinyemi noted that declaring Africa as having “come of age” does not imply perfection, but rather a call to responsibility and self-examination in a rapidly changing global order.

“To say that Africa has come of age is not a declaration of perfection, but a recognition of responsibility,” he said. “It demands political maturity, economic resilience, strong institutions and cultural confidence. It requires confronting the unfinished business of independence and asserting Africa’s clarity and confidence in global affairs.”

Speaking during a panel session, the Deputy Director of Research at the NIIA, Dr. Joshua Bolarinwa, argued that Africa has yet to fully realise the vision of self-reliance and courageous leadership articulated by General Murtala Muhammed nearly five decades ago.

He pointed to a persistent leadership deficit across the continent and urged African leaders to take responsibility for defending the continent’s destiny with courage and determination.

Similarly, the President of the Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA), Prof. Hassan Saliu, said both Nigeria and Africa are still far from fulfilling General Murtala Muhammed’s vision, particularly in the areas of sovereignty defence, unity, liberation and freedom, as outlined in his Addis Ababa speech.

The workshop concluded with a renewed call for African leaders and institutions to uphold the ideals of Pan-Africanism, strategic autonomy and collective self-reliance championed by the late Nigerian leader.