Obasanjo reveals the mistake that led to the assassination of former Head of State Murtala Muhammad

• President Obasanjo says they were naive as young military men running the country.

• Obasanjo blames this naivety for being partly responsible for the death of former head of state General Murtala Muhammad.

• The former head of state says he and General Murtala Muhammad believed they could make Nigeria the leader of the black race.

In a new interview with veteran journalist Sonny Irabor on News Central television, Nigeria's former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, revisited major events that shaped his tenure as both a military and civilian head of state.

According to Obansanjo, who served as a deputy to the military Head of State under General Murtala Muhammad from July 1975 to February 1976, their naivety was partly responsible for how the former military leaders were assassinated in Lagos in 1976.

Obasanjo highlighted how Muhammad was driving himself around Lagos with little security detail, which made his assassination easy.

"Part of our naivety is the way we treated security. Murtala wouldn't have been killed the way he was killed if not for our naivety," Obasanjo said. "Murtala was going around Lagos driving himself as Head of State. Our belief was that we had nothing to fear because we were doing the right thing," the former president added.

Obasanjo added that he had to go to Murtala Muhammad to tell him that he shouldn't be driving himself at night without any security. He added that what gave them the audacity was that the government had nothing to fear.

"We had nothing to fear, and we genuinely believe that we could lift Nigeria up as the leader of the black race," Obasanjo said on the courage with which they ran the country as young men.

General Murtala Muhammad was 37 years old, while his deputy, General Olusegun Obasanjo, was 38 years old when they took over power from General Yakubu Gowon in a coup in 1975.

They were an era of young military leaders who managed a nascent Nigeria and led the country's pan-African nationalism that helped other African nations agitate for independence. Obasanjo's comments on their naivety as the military head of state can perhaps be ascribed to their age and inexperience in governance.

General Murtala Muhammad's decision to commute in Lagos with little security during an era where there were recurring military coups also reflects the naivety that would ultimately cost him his life.

Late General Murtala Muhammad's 8-month reign as Nigeria's head of state was cut short on 13th February 1976 when he was assassinated in Lagos in a failed coup to take over power by soldiers led by Lt. Colonel Bukar Suka Dimka, who sought to reinstall the deposed General Yakubu Gowon.

Murtala was killed in Lagos on his way to work along with his aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Akintunde Akinsehinwa, and his driver, Sergeant Adamu Michika.

General Murtala was succeeded by his deputy, General Olusegun Obasanjo, who ruled Nigeria until 1979 when he handed over to the civilian government of Shehu Shagari, who won the 1979 general elections, defeating Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe.

As part of his legacy, General Murtala Muhammad promoted pan-Africanism and decisively supported independent efforts in Angola and Mozambique, and played a major role in supporting South Africa's anti-apartheid struggles.

His portrait sits on the face of Nigeria's 20 naira note, and the international airport in Lagos was also named after him.

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