The television station that General Ibrahim Babangida sought to promote his presidential ambition in the United States is now the source of his ridicule. The station, 360AfricaLive, based in Maryland, USA, aired an interview it did over two months ago with the dictator's wife, Mrs. Maryam Babangida, only after Babangida's political light had dimmed, and it even told its audience so.
In an evidence that Babangida's fall from grace is running full circle, 360AfricaLive jumped on the bandwagon of his misfortune, tuning what was to be a public relations success into a nightmare for the Babangidas.
The television production company promoted the interview thus: "In a Maradona way Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida IBB was smartly RAIL-ROAD out of PDP Presidential Primary. Tomorrow on the invitation of OBJ, IBB will only be a spectator at the PDP Convention in Abuja. Wow! What a turn of Events. Before the OBJ maradona rail-road, a former First Lady Mariam Babangida hoping to refurnish the Aso-Rock Presidential Villa had something to say to the all-new 360Afrika Live Radio/TV."
The TV company continued to lash at the Babangida's in its promo: "What will Mariam say now, after IBB chances has evaporated into the thin air? See below IBB - To Be or not to Be? an 'abortion before pregnancy' (sic)."
Againstbabangida.com had been trying to obtain the transcripts ever since the interview was conducted, to no avail. Last Friday, a day before the interview was scheduled to air, Againstbabangida.com tried again to get the transcripts and failed. The program was aired on local stations, and those living outside of the greater Washington D.C. area did not have access to it.
It seemed 360AfricaLive was stalling. We spoke to one of its officicals, Mr. Phillip Njowusi, who said he would respond to our request but did not. Njowusi asked why we were after the transcript, to which we told him we were monitoring Babangida's activities worldwide to stop his political ambition. After a long pause, Njowusi promised to respond to our email request.
We also spoke to the promoter of the television interview, a Nigerian called Matto. He would only refer us to Njowusi.
In spite of all the stalling, one thing is clear - even the interviewers have admitted the interview was done with the intention of polishing the image of the dictator and possibly, herald his long-sought visit to the United States.
The sagging fortunes of Babangida must have suddenly emboldened 360AfricaLive. The company is a production company that buys broadcasting space in Northern Virginia, Washington DC and Maryland.
Celebrating IBB's demise in its promotional email, 360Africa generously used anti-Babangida quotes from a African Chart web site . One of them, by a Seyi Oduyela, says: "...and as for Babangida, I consider his ambition as a case of abortion before pregnancy. He that has ears let him hear."
On the same day that it aired Maryam Babangida's belated interview, 360AfrikaLive also featured another interview with Nigerian Dr. Patrick Utomi, who has declared a presidential ambition.
As part of the efforts that culminated in IBB's famous withdrawal from the PDP nomination process, we published a full page advert in The Guardian on December 4, 2006. We also wrote letters to Babangida, President Olusegun Obasanjo, federal lawmakers, various leaders within the Nigerian society and the African American leadership in the United States. Babangid's withdrawal came within one week of the pressure and a few days before the PDP national convention.
Babangida had been attempting to contact the Congressional Black Caucaus (CBC), after the failed shuttle by his wife, with the hope that they would listen to him. The Caucaus is made up of all African American legislators in the US Congress. His sponsored The Nigeria Project Group - which lobbies for him in the United States - had been making overtures to the CBC. He hoped the CBC would help him secure a visa to visit and US and lobby openly.
The Citizens for Nigeria (CFN), the operators of AgainstBabangida.com, have equally lobbied the CBC and other African American leadership such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Mr. Andrew Young and the NAACP. In letters personally addressed to all black congressmen, among others, the Citizens for Nigeria warned that Babangida was a poison to Nigeria's democracy, and they should not tamper with him.
