There probably aren’t a lot of universities in the United States with a faculty member who has led a bloody coup to overthrow a dictator — but that’s not the case at Mississippi Valley State University.
Saliba Mukoro, the head of the criminal justice department at Valley, left Nigeria in 1990 to gain political asylum in America after he was chosen to lead an uprising against a military dictatorship in his homeland.
Now, 20 years later, and just a year after reconciling with the man whose regime he was charged with toppling, Mukoro is seeking the governor’s office in the Delta state of Nigeria.
Mukoro said that after his reconciliation with Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, the two became like father and son.
“We reconciled based on the fact that we do not want to become enemies for life,” Mukoro said in an interview Friday. “The reconciliation has nothing to do with political thoughts or our beliefs. The reconciliation was so that we could all come together and start to work together to move the country forward.”
Some Nigerians who participated in the same coup were executed for their involvement in the uprising. There was some controversy in Nigeria involving Mukoro’s pardon; one politician called it “treasonous.”
Mukoro said the coup and the events preceding it did not cause him stress.
“I would not say stressful because ... if you do what your country tells you is right, you just live with it and be happy with it,” he said.
Mukoro, who has spent the past summer in Nigeria, is now back at Valley.
But he’s seeking an extended leave of absence to continue campaigning for the primary, which he said is to be held at an undetermined date in January.
Central among his promises for the people of Nigeria is that he will make an effort to chase corruption from politics and business.
According to an article in Vanguard, a Nigerian Delta state publication, Mukoro is heavily backed by the community in the state.
Urieferunrume Emevor, a community leader and businessman in the Delta state, spoke highly of Mukoro during a campaign event in Otokutu.
“We need change in this state. You are the one who will lead us to the land of milk and honey. ... The Bible said when a good leader rules, the people will rejoice, but when a bad leader rules the people cry because of hardship, and that is what we have in Delta State today,” Emevor said.
Mukoro is running under the Peoples Democratic Party in Nigeria. He said corruption is one of the biggest problems in the Delta state, which has a predominantly oil-based economy. He said that while change is coming gradually, he believes it could happen faster.
He said moving to the Mississippi Delta was not that different from the Nigerian Delta. He hopes to take experiences he’s gained in Mississippi back with him.
“I’m already part of the Mississippi Valley State family. I’ve served here for quite some time,” Mukoro said. “If it becomes necessary for me to take some of the ideas and experiences here back to where I came from, I would like to do that.”
He added that he would like to remain connected to the Mississippi Delta if he is chosen to lead the Delta state of Nigeria. He said both states have something to offer the other.
“If I go back and I succeed, I would like to facilitate a business relationship between Mississippians and my state of the Delta,” he said. “I would like to see us having a good working relationship. Mississippi is almost like my home too now. I would like to see both states do things together that benefit both sides.”
Mukoro is married with four children. His children, three of whom were born American citizens, have all gone to either Ole Miss or Mississippi State. He said they are excited to see his campaign going well.
The professor said he was ready to return to Nigeria to start campaigning and is not worried about his political opponents this time around.
“I don’t think they will be a problem,” Mukoro said. “I am putting everything in God’s hands.”
Contact Taylor Kuykendall at tkuykendall@gwcommonwealth.com.
