(THE CONCLAVE ANALYSIS): How Buhari’s nemesis as Head of State, “I, Brigadier Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro”, bows out at 80, completely mute in his twilight years (plus the coup speech)

Until the announcement of his death on Thursday, May 13, 2021, nothing significant was heard of General Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro in his retirement years that could define him in ways that were different from the niche he carved for himself as a no-nonsense military officer. Unlike some military Generals who are wont to speak on the socio-economic and political conditions of the nation, he was completely mute, perhaps serenaded in the cocoon of his ambivalence about how to relate with the civil society after a life of soldiering.

Since he retired from service as Chief of Defence Staff in 1993 together with General Ibrahim Babangida, he had maintained a low-profile life. He detached himself completely from the limelight. He, perhaps, for good reasons, chose not to offer service as a corrective conscience of the nation to administrations after the ones he participated in, post-retirement.

Whereas, he played some significant, high-profile roles in military administrations of Nigeria between the junta of General Muhammadu Buhari and General Ibrahim Badamosi Babaginda, that was how far he went in etching his name in the consciousness of Nigerians.

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Quiet but stern-looking, his penetrative gaze appropriately characterised him as an archetypical soldier, instilling awe in “bloody civilians”, and even in officers and men, who were trained in the science and art of surbodinating themselves completely to the command structure of the military where the last order is obeyed.

Such was the gravitas with which he (Dogonyaro) and the like of Babangida, Abacha and Jeremiah Useni (who retired as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory with the death of Abacha and emergence of General Abdulsalami Abubakar as Head of State) walked, spoke and acquitted themselves while they held sway in the military.

Dogonyaro left government and would appear to have fizzled out in his twilight years. We can’t remember any comments he made on national issues that became issues for further interrogation. We can’t remember his advice on how governance could be deployed in serving the welfare of the people and the national good. He acted very unlike his colleagues- Babangida, Abdulsalami, Useni (who even contested and won election to the Senate and also spoke truth to power occasionally), the late Domkat Bali who granted a series of interviews besides comments on the socio-economic and political conditions, and even Ebitu Ukiwe who donned his gadfly’s robe right in the government he served as second in command to Babangida (remember his reactions to Nigeria’s reported membership of the Organisation of Islamic Countries?)

Even, if Dogonyaro granted interviews, it must have been due to some compelling pressures by some journalists to talk about his life in retirement. We cannot remember Dogonyaro being reported as a fire-spitting ex-general or military officer in the genre of Col. Umar Dangiwa, for instance.

He practically stepped out of the awe-generating horizon into the cocoon of quietness and self-created solitary ambience. Perhaps, that was the way he chose to live his life in retirement. Did he actually plan to egress the earthly stage as quietly as he had just done on Thursday, May 13, 2021 such that a member of THE CONCLAVE Board of Editors even exclaimed in surprise: so, Dogonyaro was alive until this morning and what made me think he was long dead? But if he was content with his life and time, who are we to complain?

As he took the final, eternal bow out of here to the hereafter, his most significant role in the making of the Nigeria Project- the coup speech against General Muhammadu Buhari on August 27, 1985, ricocheted with that chilling, penetrative voice, that bellowed: “I, Brigadier Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro, of the Nigeria Army….”

You are invited to read the full speech hereunder:

I, Brigadier Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro, of the Nigerian Army, hereby make the following declaration on behalf of my colleagues and members of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Fellow country-men, the intervention of the military at the end of 1983 was welcomed by the nation with unprecedented enthusiasm. Nigerians were unified in accepting the intervention and looked forward hopefully to progressive changes for the better. Almost two years later, it has become clear that the fulfillment of expectations is not forthcoming.

Because this generation of Nigerians and indeed future generations have no other country but Nigeria, we could not stay passive and watch a small group of individuals’ misuse power to the detriment of our national aspirations and interest.

No nation can ever achieve meaningful strides in its development where there is an absence of cohesion in the hierarchy of government; where it has become clear that positive action by the policy makers is hindered because as a body it lacks a unity of purpose.

It is evident that the nation would be endangered with the risk of continuous misdirection. We are presently confronted with that danger. In such a situation, if action can be taken to arrest further damage, it should and must be taken. This is precisely what we have done.

The Nigerian public has been made to believe that the slow pace of action of the Federal Government headed by Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was due to the enormity of the problems left by the last civilian administration.

Although it is true that a lot of problems were left behind by the last civilian government, the real reason, however, for the very slow pace of action is due to lack of unanimity of purpose among the ruling body; subsequently, the business of governance has gradually been subjected to ill-motivated power play considerations. The ruling body, the Supreme Military Council, has, therefore, progressively been made redundant by the actions of a select few members charged with the day-to-day implementation of the SMC’s policies and decision.

The concept of collective leadership has been substituted by stubborn and ill-advised unilateral actions, thereby destroying the principles upon which the government came to power. Any effort made to advise the leadership, met with stubborn resistance and was viewed as a challenge to authority or disloyalty.

Thus, the scene was being set for systematic elimination of what, was termed oppositions. All the energies of the rulership were directed at this imaginary opposition rather than to effective leadership.

The result of this misdirected effort is now very evident in the country as a whole. The government has started to drift. The economy does not seem to be getting any better as we witness daily increased inflation.

The nation’s meager resources are once again being wasted on unproductive ventures. Government has distanced itself from the people and the yearnings and aspirations of the people as constantly reflected in the media have been ignored.

This is because a few people have arrogated to themselves the right to make the decisions for the larger part of the ruling body. All these events have shown that the present composition of our country’s leadership cannot, therefore, justify its continued occupation of that position.

Furthermore, the initial objectives and programmes of action which were meant to have been implemented since the ascension to power of the Buhari Administration in January 1984 have been betrayed and discarded. The present state of uncertainty and stagnation cannot be permitted to degenerate into suppression and retrogression.

We feel duty bound to use the resources and means at our disposal to restore hope in the minds of Nigerians and renew aspirations for a better future. We are no prophets of doom for our beloved country, Nigeria. We, therefore, count on everyone’s cooperation and assistance.

I appeal to you, fellow countrymen, particularly my colleagues in arms to refrain from any act that will lead to unnecessary violence and bloodshed among us. Rest assured that our action is in the interest of the nation and the armed forces.

In order to enable a new order to be introduced, the following bodies are dissolved forthwith pending further announcements: (a) The Supreme Military Council (b) The Federal Executive Council (c) The National Council of States. All seaports and airports are closed; all borders remain closed.

Finally, a dusk to dawn curfew is hereby imposed in Lagos and all state capitals until further notice. All military commanders will ensure effective maintenance of law and order. Further announcements will be made in due course. God bless Nigeria.