Mohammed Ma’aji Reveals Patriotism Behind His Coup Against Tinubu

Mohammed Ma’aji, a colonel in the Nigerian Army who is suspected of spearheading a plot to topple President Bola Tinubu’s administration, claims that his motivations were more patriotism and concern for the nation’s declining state than self-interest.

Ma’aji stated that economic hardship, bad governance, and what he called the deteriorating welfare of Nigerians and military personnel shaped his concerns.

He said;

“What has happened has a very long history, and it is driven by patriotism and I love the job and country,”

“What has happened has a very long history, and it is driven by patriotism and I love the job and country,

“As we are all sitting down here, we have our biases and our thoughts and concerns on what was going on in our country from a state of gradual decline up to now, and we are almost at the point of collapse.”

“Every time I look at how I’m struggling to raise 5 children with my meager salary, I get worried.”

“I attended Army Day Secondary School, but today, how many of us afford to take our children to these schools, and for one reason or the other, which is connected to the bad governance.”

“The summary of all this is that this action was driven by the desire to have a prosperous nation and country that we all can be proud of. It got to a point that I was worried that if nothing is done, we may not have a country to call our own in the near future.”

“Nigeria was turning into a banana republic right before our eyes. We know that during the era of the military regime, the country was functioning better. I believe that, as it is now, we are on a dangerous trajectory.”

“The plan was to get enough officers of like minds who could participate. We were still at the stage of mobilizing to get more officers involved.”

“This team has not been fully formed because there were supposed to be other meetings. There was no D-Day. We were waiting for the availability of resources and more officers and soldiers.”

“From the time I have been arrested till now, If I were to be released and these issues in the country persist, I will consider a different approach.”

“We are pleading for leniency and pardon as first offenders. The system should take a deep breath and pardon us. They should give us a chance to mend our ways. We have no other country than Nigeria and no other job.”

“This incident has really opened our eyes and has changed our mindset forever. It was not intended to destabilize the country at all.

“Everything we planned was born out of patriotism, love of country, and the desire to have a prosperous Nigeria that we all can be proud of.”