The Republic
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1984-01-01Coup broadcastExtended excerpt

Coup broadcast — 31 December 1983 / 1 January 1984

Major-General Muhammadu BuhariDodan Barracks, Lagos

Buhari's first national address after the 31 December 1983 coup that toppled the Shagari government. The address inaugurated the War Against Indiscipline.

Speech · synthesised reading

Coup broadcast — 31 December 1983 / 1 January 1984

Major-General Muhammadu Buhari · Dodan Barracks, Lagos

0:000:00

Fellow countrymen and women: I, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, of the Nigerian Army, address you this morning on behalf of the Federal Military Government. You are all living witnesses to the grave economic predicament and uncertainty which an inept and corrupt leadership has imposed on our beloved nation for the past four years.

The Armed Forces have, therefore, decided to put an end to the present misadministration. The Constitution is hereby suspended and the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly are dissolved.

This generation of Nigerians, and indeed future generations, have no other country than Nigeria. We shall remain here and salvage it together.