Mark: Silenced or Hibernating By Iorliam'Amo Shija

Although Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, IBB, the man who played an important role in moulding David Mark into a significant mark on the polity, participated in the 1966 counter coup that brought Yakubu Gowon to power and the Nigerian Civil war of 1967 to 1970, it was the Brigadier Mohammed Murtala Coup of 1975 and the role he played in stopping the Bukka Dimka coup of 1976 , that established him as a force in the military . It would be from such a vantage  position that IBB would launch himself  and his  boys like Mark in the early 1980s.

According to Max Siollun in his book, "Oil, Politics and violence: Nigeria's Military coup culture 1966 -1976", published in 2009, the July 1975 coup was a watershed in the history of mutiny in Nigeria in that it was the first time in Nigeria's history that the executioners of a coup apportioned political appointments between themselves.

The two coups of 1966 were carried out by officers with real and perceived political and military grievances, but Siollun observed that despite their murderous intent, they had no interest in personally participating in political activity and most of the key figures in the 1966 coups didn't  participate in the new government established by their revolts.

While the most perpetrators of the two coups of 1966 were not appointed to political positions, the inner circle of the 1975 coup plotters were appointed military governors and Supreme Military Council , SMC, Members.

While the plotters could not reasonably be expected to risk their lives for the benefit of other officials , the 1975 coup seem to have made coup plotting fashionable. Prior to then, staging a coup  had been considered a dishonorable conduct.

The two 1966 coups were regarded as isolated cataclysmic events, but the clean , precise and surgical success of the 1975 coup carried the hidden  danger that  one day, a different faction of the army would try to emulate it. The coup plotters became famous and household names , moved in to plush government offices and became wealthy , thus motivating other officers to try to emulate then.

Most members of the army of this  group who before now had only  to  their credit , the pride  that they , as professionals,  had fought to unite and keep  the country one ,  rose up suddenly to become rich  and men of influence in the polity, and of course their "sons" like Mark too. Most of them who are alive today have retained much of their influence and wealth.

Some of the key players of the regime were  Murtala  who was head of state, Brigadier Obasanjo was chief of staff, Brigadier Theophilus Danjuma , chief of army staff, Lt Colonel  Babangida , Commander, Nigerian army armored cops, and Lt Colonel Shehu Musa Yar'Adua was made commissioner of transport. These were some of the members of the SMC .

Those who were  appointed as governors in the then 7 states were amongst others , Lt Colonel Muhamadu Buhari, governor , North east, Colonel Abdullahi Mohammed, governor Benue Plateau and Colonel Ibrahim Taiwo ,  governor of Kwara.

On 13th February 1976 , Murtala was killed by Lt Colonel B. S Dimka. Although a military government, the people loved the Murtala  regime, moreso, no sooner  had he taken over  power than he had set in motion a transition programme to hand over power back  to civilians on 1st October, 1979. So when he was killed , the people revolted and the bravery of dedicated and faithful  officers like Danjuma and IBB saved the day.

When IBB was appointed as commander,  armored corps in the Murtala government, most of his friends and colleagues were not happy. They said , he was not qualified, but he was to use the coup to save his name during the counter moves against the Dimka coup when he  went to negotiate with Dimka who had taken over NBC Radio station. IBB went alone ,  came back unhurt and mobilized  to relaunch an attack that finally quelled the coup and took over the air ways .

Although he played the most important role in the coup, it was Shehu Yar'Adua who benefitted most. He was elevated to the second in command. But most importantly, IBB established himself  and saved his name amongst those who thought he was not fit for his appointment. The man who took over as head of state, Obasanjo kept to the transition programme that Murtala had set in motion  and handed over power to the civilians on 1st October 1979.

At this point they were handing power, most men like Obasanjo, Yar'Adua ,  Danjuma and others had made money, had fame and tested power at the highest level so they left the stage into their cocoons after handing over power.

When they made their money , mostly through fraudulent means , it appears their lone critic was  a rebellious dare devil  hemp smoking Lagos based musician, Fela Kuti. He spoke against  milliatry corrupt practices  in most of his songs , the classical of these is his 1976 hit , "Army Arrangement".

Others like IBB who  now had money, had put in place structures but had not tested power, also left the stage grudgingly, but just  back  the barracks to re-strategize and get power.

To me, although politicians who were in power between  1st October  1979 to 31st December 1983 might have given the army guys excuses here and there ,but I believe,  it was for the inordinate ambitions of people like IBB that   1983 and 1985 coups took place . It is therefore  not coincidental  that IBB ,  his friends and boys emerged as the highest  beneficiaries of the era.

Actually, the IBB days began when he used his structures to topple the regime of Alhaji Shehu Shagari in 1983. When it was time to make appointments, he placed his boys in strategic positions . For the first time, his boys who he used in executing the coup came on the stage, one of them who became visible  was his former student at NDA in 1971, David Mark.

In 1984 at the age of 36  , IBB influenced the appointment of Mark as governor of IBB's  State  of origin, Niger State .Even after his palace coup in 1985, IBB still  allowed Mark to continue as governor till 1986 when Mark was  made a federal minister in charge of communications.

1993 when IBB left the stage, it was in the hands of his friends and allies like General Sani Abacha and his boys like Mark.

For people like Mark, danger only started when Abacha began to build his structures to take over power. Abacha was  although a long standing colleague and friend to IBB, but he didn't trust any of the core IBB boys like Mark around him. Mark  too being a student of power left the stage and ran into exile.

When Abacha died and a new dispensation was set in motion , Mark returned from exile and presented  presented himself for election in 1999. When he was coming on stage now, he came with experience, connections around the world and stupendous wealth.

Of course,  he won the election to represent the Benue South in the senate and continued winning until he  rose to become the senate president in 2007.For 8 years, from June  2007 to June 2015,Mark presided over the senate as its president. He lost out of power only  in 2015.

What might be going through his mind now? What is the reality in the polity?  What are the political odds against him? From 1984 when he came on the stage to his peak in 2015, Mark has shown that he is a Phoenix, but can he weather the storm now? I will take a deep look into such issues in the concluding part of this article next Sunday.