Babangida regime Information Minister, Mr. Alex Akinyele, has apologetically declared that General Ibrahim Babangida is corrupt, but that corruption is not enough reason for Nigerians to reject his presidential bid. Said he: "So what is the big deal about corruption?"

Akinyele, a loudmouth and Babangida crony, continued: "Is he the only offender in this country? How many offences did he commit? Those who are doing this to Babangida must be shameless. Can’t they think? Don’t they know that this is excessive? That is how it’s going to be for Babangida. It is natural!"

He was speaking to a Sunday Sun correspondent. These are excerpts from the interview:

Recently, Babangida has been at the butt of all kinds of criticisms. As someone close to the General, do you think it is still advisable for him to throw in his hat? Or, are these criticisms justified?
The criticisms, coming at this time, you will appreciate that they were not meant… To me, the criticisms, coming from the directions they are coming, reminds me of an incident in the life of the tortoise. Tortoise got up to pay a courtesy call on his in-law. When he got there, he was given a meal of porridge. He enjoyed it so much that he stole part of it. His in-law detected that he had stolen part of the porridge. So he tied the tortoise and put him out for the public to see on the market day.

All the people who were going to the market saw him, and asked why he was tied and he said he stole. They all abused and derided him. In the evening when they were returning, they were surprised to still see him tied up for the same offense. Enraged that he was still tied up, they condemned his in-law. In fact, they said your in-law is a hopeless man who has no shame. He could have taken you inside, abused and smacked you instead of this public ridicule. So all those coming from the market gave their sympathy to the tortoise and condemned his in-law.

That is exactly what the situation will be, because the general people in this country will begin to sympathise with Babangida. Is he the only offender in this country? How many offences did he commit? Those who are doing this to Babangida must be shameless. Can’t they think? Don’t they know that this is excessive? That is how it’s going to be for Babangida. It is natural!
I foresee spontaneous sympathy for Babangida and condemnation of those that are vilifying him, those who are victimizing him now.

In all honesty, do you think General Babangida is interested in contesting the presidency?
That question is quite wise! I think, by and large, he is interested in it. If not, he would have called all of us to withdraw all the activities, to stop campaigning and all of that. He is interested. But you may ask, how his interest came to be. It came through invitation from responsible Nigerians who know that, at the moment, if we do not have a man like Babangida take over from OBJ, this country can go into a very terrible mess. Nigeria of today is quite different from Nigeria of 1999.
Recently, Babangida has been at the butt of all kinds of criticisms. As someone close to the General, do you think it is still advisable for him to throw in his hat? Or, are these criticisms justified?
The criticisms, coming at this time, you will appreciate that they were not meant… To me, the criticisms, coming from the directions they are coming, reminds me of an incident in the life of the tortoise. Tortoise got up to pay a courtesy call on his in-law. When he got there, he was given a meal of porridge. He enjoyed it so much that he stole part of it. His in-law detected that he had stolen part of the porridge. So he tied the tortoise and put him out for the public to see on the market day.

All the people who were going to the market saw him, and asked why he was tied and he said he stole. They all abused and derided him. In the evening when they were returning, they were surprised to still see him tied up for the same offense. Enraged that he was still tied up, they condemned his in-law. In fact, they said your in-law is a hopeless man who has no shame. He could have taken you inside, abused and smacked you instead of this public ridicule. So all those coming from the market gave their sympathy to the tortoise and condemned his in-law.

That is exactly what the situation will be, because the general people in this country will begin to sympathise with Babangida. Is he the only offender in this country? How many offences did he commit? Those who are doing this to Babangida must be shameless. Can’t they think? Don’t they know that this is excessive? That is how it’s going to be for Babangida. It is natural!
I foresee spontaneous sympathy for Babangida and condemnation of those that are vilifying him, those who are victimizing him now.

In all honesty, do you think General Babangida is interested in contesting the presidency?
That question is quite wise! I think, by and large, he is interested in it. If not, he would have called all of us to withdraw all the activities, to stop campaigning and all of that. He is interested. But you may ask, how his interest came to be. It came through invitation from responsible Nigerians who know that, at the moment, if we do not have a man like Babangida take over from OBJ, this country can go into a very terrible mess. Nigeria of today is quite different from Nigeria of 1999.

Look at the problems in the Niger Delta. If somebody who has experience as an administrator, as a retired military man and international man, and as man who has the love of people in mind and as a man ho has charisma, who is loved by the people; a man who the people would love to listen to, to be the next president. That is what we have in Babangida. You see, you may be the president now using the force and paraphernalia of office to impose yourself on people, but the leadership that we want in 2007 will be a leadership that the people voluntarily love; that they voluntarily will want to listen to. That is the type of person we see in Babangida.

But do you think the rest of the populace…(cuts in)?
Now you ask yourself, what segment of the populace? The masses and the middle class that he developed when he ruled for eight years are there for him. The grassroots people are there for him. Those who do not want him are in a very negligible minority and those are the people eating a lot of crumbs from the current government. That’s all!

What about the issue of corruption that is being bandied around him?
Thank you very much. That question is excellent. And let me answer it by telling you another story.
It was a day in the life of Jesus Christ, where he was attending to the people. The Sadducees and the Pharisees brought a woman before him whom they accused of adultery, as they’re accusing Babangida of corruption, is that not it? They accuse this particular woman of adultery. They were making a lot of noise and Jesus asked them what the law says about people who commit adultery. They told Jesus Christ that the law says she should be stoned to death.

Jesus said okay, any of you who has never been guilty of such sin should cast a stone at her let me see. Jesus Christ bent down and was writing (listen to me young journalist). Jesus was writing, and all the people who surrounded Jesus were looking into what he was writing. They saw that he was writing their names as being guilty of adultery at one time or the other. Behold, anyone who saw his name made a u-turn and left, until they all disappeared. And when Jesus Christ looked up, He said to the woman, ‘where are your accusers?’ and she said ‘they have gone.’ Then He said to her ‘you can go, but sin no more’.

All those who are accusing Babangida of corruption are themselves guilty of corruption. Their conscience will tell them that Akinyele is speaking the truth. So what is the big deal about corruption? They are all corrupt, all of them, excluding nobody. They know in their conscience, and God knows. The whole thing is hypocrisy, pretence. So there isn’t anything anybody can accuse Babangida in terms of corruption, of which that person is not guilty.

Do you think the EFCC can stop him, given what the chairman has been quoted as saying that all past corrupt leaders would not have the opportunity of ruling Nigeria again?
It is a very excellent ideal! But the EFCC will be giving itself a Herculean task. And by the time the EFCC has done a good job to assemble all past leaders who are corrupt, either military governors or ministers, or what have you, then all of us will be in jail for EFCC to stop us. And then we will have to go to hell to invite Satan and the devils to come and stand elections in Nigeria.

Look at the problems in the Niger Delta. If somebody who has experience as an administrator, as a retired military man and international man, and as man who has the love of people in mind and as a man ho has charisma, who is loved by the people; a man who the people would love to listen to, to be the next president. That is what we have in Babangida. You see, you may be the president now using the force and paraphernalia of office to impose yourself on people, but the leadership that we want in 2007 will be a leadership that the people voluntarily love; that they voluntarily will want to listen to. That is the type of person we see in Babangida.

But do you think the rest of the populace…(cuts in)?
Now you ask yourself, what segment of the populace? The masses and the middle class that he developed when he ruled for eight years are there for him. The grassroots people are there for him. Those who do not want him are in a very negligible minority and those are the people eating a lot of crumbs from the current government. That’s all!

What about the issue of corruption that is being bandied around him?
Thank you very much. That question is excellent. And let me answer it by telling you another story.
It was a day in the life of Jesus Christ, where he was attending to the people. The Sadducees and the Pharisees brought a woman before him whom they accused of adultery, as they’re accusing Babangida of corruption, is that not it? They accuse this particular woman of adultery. They were making a lot of noise and Jesus asked them what the law says about people who commit adultery. They told Jesus Christ that the law says she should be stoned to death.

Jesus said okay, any of you who has never been guilty of such sin should cast a stone at her let me see. Jesus Christ bent down and was writing (listen to me young journalist). Jesus was writing, and all the people who surrounded Jesus were looking into what he was writing. They saw that he was writing their names as being guilty of adultery at one time or the other. Behold, anyone who saw his name made a u-turn and left, until they all disappeared. And when Jesus Christ looked up, He said to the woman, ‘where are your accusers?’ and she said ‘they have gone.’ Then He said to her ‘you can go, but sin no more’.

All those who are accusing Babangida of corruption are themselves guilty of corruption. Their conscience will tell them that Akinyele is speaking the truth. So what is the big deal about corruption? They are all corrupt, all of them, excluding nobody. They know in their conscience, and God knows. The whole thing is hypocrisy, pretence. So there isn’t anything anybody can accuse Babangida in terms of corruption, of which that person is not guilty.

Do you think the EFCC can stop him, given what the chairman has been quoted as saying that all past corrupt leaders would not have the opportunity of ruling Nigeria again?
It is a very excellent ideal! But the EFCC will be giving itself a Herculean task. And by the time the EFCC has done a good job to assemble all past leaders who are corrupt, either military governors or ministers, or what have you, then all of us will be in jail for EFCC to stop us. And then we will have to go to hell to invite Satan and the devils to come and stand elections in Nigeria.


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