It’s been Babangida this, Babangida that, since last Thursday, 20 February Abuja, when the Evil Genius himself ‘spilled’ almost what many people had known or suspected about several happenstances during his tenure as self-proclaimed military President.
Self-proclaimed president because his military colleagues before him were content to be called military Head of State since they were not elected by the people as President, according to the country’s Constitution. But that is another story.
His book titled, A Journey in Service: An Autobiography of Ibrahim Babangida, looked more like an occasion for his erstwhile publicly known enemies, friends or “frenemies” to jointly try to whitewash the man and make Nigerians forget all the evils he perpetrated.
Since everyone seems to know who he was and what he stood for, I believe no further knocks should go his way for the niceties exhibited by those we saw on TV as attendees and performers during his book launch.
The knocks should go to those who were part of the event and blandly told us to forget all the evil deeds of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. But most of what was said on the day was all lies, lies, and lies, as if no one was strong or bold enough to call a spade a spade and make him recall with his octogenarian brain how much he destroyed our country with his Maradonic manipulations of all sectors, including the academia, who have not yet recovered from what hit them then, and the corruption it has brought to the sector.
Billions of Naira was raised or pledged to launch the book that everyone knew the so-called secrets, but they still went ahead to praise the man who can be conclusively said to be responsible for the quagmire, decadence and political mess Nigeria is in now.
I was a young journalist reporting from the airport in the late 70s to early 80s when he was one of our top army officers who would fly in and out of the then Ikeja Airport. Those were his radiculopathy days when he had a slight limp and bounced from one leg to the other, with his gap teeth showing the smile of a nice guy, but he could devour you the next second, as several stories unfolded. He conned many of us with his gap teeth.
I got closer as State House correspondent after he overthrew Muhammadu Buhari and made himself military president. At State House Ribadu Road (or Dodan Barracks as it was named earlier), I covered him and his activities, but I was officially assigned to his No. 2, then Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe who was Chief of General Staff (CGS). We all operated from Dodan Barracks. But I bet Ukiwe will have his say some day, for all they did to rubbish a polished man like him and had him relieved of his position as CGS.
I had left journalism to work in a foreign mission in Lagos when the 12 June 1993 election was conducted. But as many people know, a lot of information about the country gets filed and reported on by the foreign missions to their home countries. So they know much more than Nigerians, what was happening in Nigeria. The mission I was in, also had a relationship with Chief Moshood Abiola, and we visited him even in his home, off Toyin Street, Ikeja, when he was Chairman of the Presidential Monitoring Committee to build or prepare stadiums for a top football tournament Nigeria was to host then. Some companies from our home country were interested in that project, hence the relationship. I bet the foreign missions knew much more about what happened with the election result annulment, and how it happened, even when Nigerians were crying “foul” and demonstrating on the streets, as it had never happened before.
Babangida’s evil genius personality was known to all, and he claimed it. So also, was his manipulative personality that gave him the nickname Maradona after the wizardry and dribbling skills of Argentine footballer, Diego Armando Maradona.
That Babangida cancelled the 12 June election was known to all. That he has now become a frail human being is known to all – practically unable to raise his hand and order his goons to attack. Yet politicians still go to him in Minna to ask for his wisdom, and blessing, as they claim.
Last Thursday, our so-called elites went to his book launch to hail him and laugh with him as if he was a saint and did all he did for the good of Nigerians.
He should not be the one to blame. To all those who attended the book launch and showered him with encomiums, praise, laughter, donations and pledges ostensibly meant for his presidential library, they are the ones to carry the brunt of our condemnation, resentment and fury for the show of shame. That is what it was – Shame!
