Deciding that the so-called IBB supporters in the United States are an untrustworthy bunch only after his fat check, Babangida has resorted to direct lobbying in the Washington D.C., with his wife as the spearhead, in the hope that it could even lead to Babangida's visit to America, a dream of over 17 years.
Maryam has visited the United States twice in one month, although that frequency is largely due to the fact that she has not been getting the expected reception in Washington. Operating under the guise of promoting her moribund Better Life Program, Maryam has been doing subtle diplomacy in D.C., talking to diplomats, government agencies and pressure groups.
In September, she was sheperded around D.C. by members of Transit for Africa, where all she got in return was a non-attributed half-paragraph reference in a wire news report that appeard on Google News. Americans laughed quietly when she said she was in the US to raise funds for her program, as even Washington knew the extent of the loot of the Babangidas.
Maryam attempted to meet with officials of a US Government agency, the African Development Foundation in D.C.. Its senior executive, Mr. James Ado, declined to comment about her when Againstbabangida.com sought to know what she had requested.
Perhaps out of frustration, Maryam has been missing events planned for her by lobbyist groups. Early October, she was absent at a fundraising in D.C.
Babangida's leeches across America are not so happy they are being ignored, even as they try to feign involvement in her itineraries. Last week, they organized a meeting with her, but it is not clear she graced it at all.
Indications are that Minna is now weary of the Nigerian supporters in America. For one, they are mostly a band of handout seekers who carry no weight in the United States. One of them, Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, an Igbo man from Texas, could not even pay a sub-$1000 lobbying license fee he needed to carry IBB's flag through D.C. for quite a while.
The group, under the leadership of Dr. Larry Egbuchulam of New Jersey, initially made modest progress, having met with the indicted former Majority Leader in the US Congress, Mr. Tom Delay, in Texas. But with Delay himself now in more trouble than Babangida, hope for any headway in that direction is lost.
The last straw that broke the back of Babangida's The Nigerian Project in America was the fraudulent collection of $80,000 from IBB by one of them for a bill payment.
The member pocketed a substantial amount of the money needed to paid outstanding debts incurred on a failed visit of IBB to America in 2005. IBB's "Think-Tank," directed by Dr. Joseph Okoh, a professor of Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland had arranged an honorary degree and book launch at a hotel in Maryland. Through effective lobbying by interested groups, both the degree in the Maryland University and Babangida's visa were denied, so he was stuck in Nigeria. All the money spent was wasted but the bill had to be paid. The group had no means, and an attempt was made to get the money from the rich dictator. He paid up, but most of the money ended up in private pockets.
Such disgraceful act, even by IBB's standard, caused him to rethink his association with the Nigerian groups professing to love him. He resorted to self-help, and the only person he could trust was his wife, Maryam - hence the shuttles.
Maryam has been operating quietly, but she is more like a goldfish. Washington is taking notice, but negatively. There is a lot of hissing behind her back. Her method is two-pronged: avoid Nigerians; reach out to influential Americans.
Not a single major or minor news medium has sought to interview her so far. The only medium she could get, a tiny African TV company, 360 Africa, conducted an interview that has not found a channel. The company had no station and only purchased slots on local channels. Even the transcripts would not be released. A source said she is a "nobody" in D.C.
She has been throwing her husband's money on lobbyists and American sympathizers, most of whom are just after her fat check like the Nigerian groups but producing little results.
Babangida's thinking is that sometime soon, his wife will pave the way for him to visit Washington and lobby directly, an opportunity that will instantly put him under international limelight.
Since 1989, he has been lobbying to visit America. Diplomatic documents now declassified in the United States prove the point. Using the then President George Bush's son, now Florida Governor, Jeb, as the contact, he did all he could to be on good terms with America. To that extent, he bought water pumps worth $74 million from Jeb Bush's M & W Pump Company in 1992 after Jeb visited Aso Rock. The former ruler pressed desperately to visit the White House, but was denied, with American not too comfortable with a dangerous dictator with wild ambitions ruling a volatile and delicately-woven Nigeria.
A US State Department official wrote: "I am sorry to say that we can no longer play low-key on Babangida's desire for a visit, which I would have preferred to do. Septel reports most eager request from Babangida himself in meeting with Jeb Bush, which frankly caught us all off guard. It's not confidential." "I also got strong pitch for same from Colonel Lawan Gwadabe, Governor of Niger State and a close Babangida confidant. The fat is in the fire. Good luck."
Read US declassified dplomatic documents: [1] Babangida begs to visit America, [2] Babangida hosts Jeb Bush
However, Babangida's romance with the Americans was short-lived. His much-desired state visit to the United States in January 1990 was cancelled by the United States suddenly when the political situation in Nigeria worsened.
Jeb Bush, for the sake of his business prospects, attempted a second visit to Nigeria in 1990, but his travel plan was cancelled twice due to security considerations. In June 1991, Jeb and partner, David Eller, sneaked quietly into Nigeria. This time, unlike his first trip, Jeb was accompanied by a U. S. Secret Service detail to guarantee his safety, as Nigeria was slowly boiling after successive cancellation of political programs by Babangida.
An unrelenting Babangida is attempting again to visit America, with another Bush in power - but with Babangida out of power.
The Obasanjo administration is known to be one of the forces working against Babangida in America. The Justice Minister has, in fact, visited America this year to lobby the US to probe IBB.
But Babangida has not given up. Neither have the groups working to thwart his ambition to rule again.
