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Chief Matthew Tawo Mbu from Okundi, Boki LGA in Cross River State was only twenty-two years old when he was appointed as a Member representing Ogoja in the Eastern House of Assembly and House of Representatives in 1952. In 1953, at the age of twenty-three, he was appointed as Minister, Federal Ministry of Labour. He remains Nigeria’s youngest ever minister. Thereafter, he served as our First High Commissioner in London (the Court of St. James) from 1955 to 1959 and Foreign Minister from January to November 1993
While he was our High Commissioner in London, he attended University College, London and bagged a degree in law.
It was an amazing feat of self-actualisation and upward mobility. Regardless of his superlative achievements, he endeared himself to all and sundry with his exceptional humility and good natured disposition. He was also blessed with a great sense of humour. He died in Hampstead, London, U.K. at the age of 82 on February 6, 2012.
Whenever our paths crossed, mostly on planes or at social engagements, he simply overwhelmed me with his concern for the “Nigeria project” and the role which he felt I should play – in the footsteps of my father Chief J.K. Randle and my grandfather Dr. J.K. Randle.
He never failed to remind me that my father, regardless of the difference in their age, treated him as a dear friend. Hence, he was duty-bound to sustain and nourish the goodwill which I had inherited.
We have to rely on the amazing leap in technology which has made it possible for late John F. Kennedy, President of the United States of America to deliver in his own voice the speech he was about to read in Dallas, Texas. Tragically, he was assassinated while his motorcade was on its way to the venue– The Dallas Trade Mart; to address the Citizen’s Council.
In the case of our beloved Ambassador M.T. Mbu, the audience at the launching of his book: “M.T. Mbu: Dignity In Service” at Yar’Adua Centre, CBD, Abuja on Tuesday 10th April, 2018 were stunned when he spoke “live”:
“I was in Kaduna on January 5, 1966, to represent the Prime Minister at the commissioning of the air force base when I overheard soldiers discussing a coup.
I confronted the GOC and said, ‘You are discussing a coup!’ That was my good friend, Sam Ademulegun. He and two of his friends were of Brigadier rank: Brigadier-General Aguiyi Ironsi and Brigadier-General Maimalari.
Sam, who was GOC, retorted, ‘It’s not you we want, we know the people we want, those who are corrupt must be removed from the system,’ and I was alarmed.
I said to my good friend Sam, ‘The coup you propose to carry out, won’t you use guns with bullets? If you use guns with bullets, will the bullets distinguish between the corrupt and the non-corrupt? Once bullets are fired, they don’t discriminate. If the target is a human being and it hits you, you will die.’
He patted my back and said, ‘We won’t hurt you MT, you are everybody’s friend. We know the people we want to remove.’ Unfortunately, my good friend, Sam Ademulegun himself perished in the coup with his wife. He didn’t survive the coup because he didn’t know that he was going to be a target.”
Upon his return to Lagos, Ambassador Mbu alerted Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa of the plan to carry out a coup by senior officers in the military who were openly discussing the matter, but the Prime Minister said to him:
“Matthew, you worry too much.”
We have to rely on the extract from Lindsay Barret’s book: “Danjuma: The Making Of A General”; Dr. Nowa Omoigui’s account of events:“Operation Aure”;and the leaked version of events by Julien Assange of WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden, the fugitive former CIA consultant regarding what transpired on 29th July, 1966 when the counter coup occurred:
“Upon arrival at the Government House, Ibadan, having established that the Supreme Commander was in, Major Danjuma was confronted by two command problems. Both arose from the fact that he neither belonged to the 4th battalion nor was he part of the National Guard, although he was senior to all the boys on the ground. First task, therefore, was to ensure the cooperation of those elements of the 4th battalion who were on duty there. The second was to secure the cooperation of the National Guard Commander on the ground. In order to address the first problem he asked the adjutant (“Paiko”) to issue a “legitimate” order that all his soldiers on duty be disarmed by the duty officer (Onoja) who was there to conduct a “legitimate” inspection.
After being disarmed by the Duty Sergeant, they were illegitimately screened and those who could be trusted (i.e northerners), illegitimately rearmed. Then they were supplemented by the pre-selected group Danjuma brought along from the barracks with Onoja. To deal with the second problem he confronted Lt. William Walbe directly and secured his cooperation. This wasn’t too difficult. Although they were in different cells, Walbe himself had been attending separate meetings in Lagos with Joe Garba and others and was well aware of the outlines of a coup plot although he did not expect one that night.
Once the building was surrounded and the 106 mm gun positioned in support, Danjuma came under pressure from the boys on the ground to proceed with the operation. There were fears, based on myths acquired in the Congo, that General Ironsi was assisted by “juju” and that he could disappear at any time using his “crocodile”. Junior officers who had come to join the party urged immediate attack, some even suggesting a repeat performance of the Nzeogwu assault on the Nassarawa Lodge in Kaduna in January. They wanted the 106 mm weapon used to bring down the complex. Danjuma resisted the pressure.
Lt. Col. Hilary Njoku, Commander of the 2nd Brigade in Lagos, then emerged from the main building and was walking right past the soldiers on duty moving toward the gate. One account says he came up from Lagos with Ironsi, had been staying at the guest house next to the main lodge, but was at the main lodge where Ironsi was staying, socializing with both Ironsi and Fajuyi. Another account says he came up from Lagos that evening, when rumours of a coup gained strong currency among senior Igbo officers in Lagos, to brief the Commander-in-Chief.
When he attempted to leave the premises, ostensibly to mobilize loyal units, he was shot at by soldiers who had been ordered not to let anyone out and he responded in kind. (Some say he shot first). Luckily he escaped with serious injuries, some say with no less than 8 pieces of shrapnel in his thigh. Njoku initially made his way to the University College Hospital but had to escape again when a “mop up” team came searching for him.
At this point, Lt. Onoja asked for permission to leave, saying he was going to get more ammunition from the barracks. However, he panicked and ran away in one of the landrovers, fearing that Njoku’s escape meant the coup would fail. He was later arrested at Jebba.
When it became apparent that Njoku had escaped, Danjuma, guarded by two soldiers, made rounds to check all guard positions around the lodge and was moving toward the guest house when he heard the phone there ringing. He asked one of his guards to break the window so he could reach in to answer the phone. According to General Danjuma (rtd), this is how the conversation went:
Danjuma: “Hello”
Gowon: “Hello. I want to speak to the Brigade Commander. I want to speak to Colonel Njoku.
Danjuma: “May I know who is speaking?”
Gowon: My name is Gowon. Yakubu Gowon.”
Danjuma: “Rankadede. This is Yakubu Danjuma.”
Gowon: “Yakubu, what are you doing there? Where are you?”
Danjuma: “I am in the State House here.”
Gowon: “Where is the Brigade Commander?”
Danjuma: “He is not around.”
Gowon: “Have you heard what has happened?”
Danjuma: “Yes, I heard and that is why I am here. We are about to arrest the Supreme Commander. The alternative is that the Igbo boys who carried out the January coup will be released tit for tat since we killed their own officers.”
Gowon: (after a period of silence) “Can you do it?”
Danjuma: “Yes, we have got the place surrounded.”
Gowon: “But for goodness sake we have had enough bloodshed. There must be no bloodshed.”
Danjuma: “No, We are only going to arrest him.”
Bashorun J.K. Randle
