Oddities Of Military President Ibrahim Babangida’s ‘A Journey In Service’.
By Sir Don Ubani; KSC, JP
Wednesday (Orie)19-02-2025.
Unconstitutional overthrow of a democratically installed Government of President Shehu Shagari by Major-General Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday (Nkwo) 31-12-1983, exposed the latter’s tyrannical nature and disposition. Nigerians were, therefore, enthralled when on, Tuesday (Eke) 27th August, 1985, the very ambitious Chief of Army Staff to Major-General Buhari, Major-General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, overthrew his Government.
As a Military President, a designation that betrayed Babangida’s vaulting ambition, Babangida made some visible achievements. Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, which is 11.8 kilometres in length and comes second to the longest bridge in Africa, The 6th October Bridge in Cairo, Egypt (1996) was commissioned in 1990 by General Ibrahim Babangida. His Administration initiated both People’s Bank, headed by Dr Tai Solarin, National Directorate of Employment, and Federal Road Safety Corps, headed by Professor Wole Soyinka. He also created eleven States.
On the political side, IBB, as he was popularly called, had the longest transition programme in Nigeria, 1989-93, that only ended in disaster.
Besides running a deceitful long transition programme, witnessing autocratic enthronement of two Political Parties, National Republican Convention, NRC, and Social Democratic Party, SDP, Babangida’s dictatorship witnessed a lot of alleged State sponsored murders. The deaths of; (1) a benefactor of the main Opposition Group to the Military, Chief Alfred Rewane of National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, (2) Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, wife of the winner of June 12, 1993 Presidential Election, Chief MKO Abiola, and (3) Veteran Journalist, Dele Giwa, were sour points of General Babangida’s tyranny that climaxed in the unjustifiable annulment of the Presidential Election clearly and unambiguously won by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola on June 12, 1993.
Babangida deliberately suffocated the democratic atmosphere in Nigeria. Many Nigerians had expected that Babangida would have come up with his ‘Memoir’ as early as ten years after his infamous stepping aside in 1993, but it has taken him an unduly lengthy period of thirty-two years, 1993-2025, to concoct what he wants People to read as ‘A Journey In Service’. Of course, he had earlier stated that he was not very willing to write about his foray into power because he doubted if any Nigerian would be willing to read any narrative from him.
Unfortunately, tomorrow, Thursday (Afor) 20th February, 2025, is said to have been slated for a Book Launch, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s ‘A Journey In Service’. Is it Service or Inordinate Ambition? Speculatively, money realized from the launch would enable Babangida build a Library in Minna.
This is, obviously, a misplaced priority by IBB. What Nigerians need from him is neither ‘A Journey In Service’ nor a Library. He should express remorse by simply saying, ‘I am sorry’. This is the best time to show restitution, as he is still breathing. Anything short of open repentance by Babangida will amount to insensitivity of extreme order.
Sir Don Ubani, Okwubunka of Asa and Oke Amadi Gburugburu, is a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Abia State, Publisher of Equity Reporters.net, and writes from his native Asa land beautifully situated between Aba in Abia State and Port-Harcourt in Rivers State.
