Late Dogonyaro: The fighter who announced Buhari’s regime change

Every Tarok man is a fighter,” said Lt. Gen. Joshua Dogonyaro (rtd) in an interview last year when he clocked 80.

A peep into the life and times of General Dogonyaro, who died yesterday at the age of 81, showed he was a fighter.

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Native to Tarok land, the late general was born in 1940 at Vom Missionary Hospital, Vom, Plateau State.

He attended Saint Peter CMS Primary School, Bukuru; Boys’ Secondary School,

Gindiri; Dental Technology School, Broad Street, Lagos, and the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna.

Armed with a professional qualification in dental technology, the then young Dogonyaro was fascinated by military officers and their disciplined lifestyle, and this motivated him to join the army.

In an interview he granted a national newspaper when he clocked 80, the late Dogonyaro said: “I went to the officers’ mess one time, I saw how officers were fraternising there and realised that you can’t get that in a dental club. It was interesting seeing how officers were relating with one another in a very disciplined and cordial way. I found that very motivating and then I said to myself, ‘Okay, let me venture into this’.”

His journey into the army spanned over 30 years, including playing significant roles in the civil war, as an ECOMOG commander in Liberia, and even participating in a military coup which toppled Major General Muhammadu Buhari on August 27, 1985.

In addition to holding several positions of high esteem in the military and beyond, he was a Chief of Defence Staff under the regime of late Gen. Sani Abacha.

He was purported to be a member of the “Langtang Mafia”, a clique of military men from Langtan, Plateau State, who hold or have held positions of power in the Nigerian government, especially key players in the 1985 – 1993 Babangida junta.

He was commissioned Second-Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army Armoured Corps, 1967; Officer Commanding, 1 Recce Squadron, NA, 1967-69; Quartermaster General, I Infantry Division (Main), N, 1969-70.

He went on to hold several sensitive positions in the army, culminating in his promotion as Major-General in 1988 and further to Lt. General, and eventually retired in 1993.

On his participation in the civil war, Late Dogonyaro said, “I was just doing what I was supposed to do” while also describing his commanding role in the war-torn Liberia under ECOMOG as one of his “best moments.”

“The military chose me to lead the operation but God designed it and called upon me. And when that happened, I called on God to take care of me. I took it seriously; I carried out the mission as professionally as required alongside other officers and God’s guidance saw me through. It was one of my best moments,” he said.

When the war veteran clocked 80, he attributed everything he had achieved in life to God, adding that it was in God’s plan that he would attain the age.

On the principles that shaped his professional and personal life, he said, “I always strove to do what was right. What is not yours is not yours. Do your work well and you get your reward.”

Just last year, Late Dogonyaro expressed sadness over heightened insecurity across the country.

“We have to take care of our country as nobody will come and defend it for us. So, security is the responsibility of everybody. Those who are put in positions should know what to do and have the fear of God, otherwise, palaver dey o,” he said.

On August 27, 1985, the military regime of Maj General Muhammadu Buhari was truncated and Military President Ibrahim Babangida took over.

The late Joshua Dogonyaro delivered a speech on behalf of the coup plotters, accusing the Buhari regime of dashing the hope of Nigerians.

The deceased’s coup speech has been reproduced below:

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 decisions.

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.