John Ayodele, Atlanta USA
The announcement by Ibrahim Babangida at a recent book launch celebrated as part of activities marking his 65th birthday blew a lot of logic out of many Nigerians including this writer. The man who ruled Nigeria as a despot from 1985 till 1993 when he was forced to step out told a majority of his lapdogs who attended his image laundering book launch that he was set to make Nigeria great again.

The meaning of his declaration is that here comes a good man who is ready to correct the mistakes of the present regime and help poor country - Nigeria to be on her feet again!

The motley crowd at the book launch included the former External Affairs Minister of IBB time - that is Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, the speech writer of Babangida during his time and suspiciously up till date, Dr. Tunji Olagunju, Brigadier John Shagaya, some other beneficiaries of IBB reign, some hungry Nigerians who came for the crumbs from the tables and other admirers/well wishers of IBB. It was no surprise that some State governors stayed away (they can not serve two masters for now), even though they are long time beneficiaries of the 65 year old evil genius. Dr. C. Mbadinuju, the ex-governor of Anambra, still in court for the Igwes’ matter was there though.

The purport of this piece is not to query all those who showed up at the book launch because it was to some of them a birthday celebration and it is good to be happy with those who have reasons to celebrate. Aside from this, some Nigerians always use such opportunity as a birthday celebration by a stupendously rich man of questionable source to get their shares. It is a puzzle to this writer that the intelligent speech writer and erudite teacher of IBB, Dr. Olagunju could not change the title of IBB’s speech to one that will be logical and more acceptable to the people of Nigeria who lived through eight years of IBB’s dastardly corrupt and retrogressive time in Nigeria.

Here is someone who ruled Nigeria for eight years in which there were constant agitation from month to month, against his misgovernance: from the bloody revolt over SAP to the annulment of Abiola’s victory in the freest election in the history of Nigeria. He could not make Nigeria great then but is now asking that the people of Nigeria should give him another chance to make the country great. His government has been variously and unanimously agreed as the most corrupt in the annals of Nigeria while he succeeded in creating many emergency millionaires or billionaires who are now ready to go all miles to see him back in power so that they can continue the plundering spree of yester-years. His hands are noticeable in many business ventures where he put his fronts who camouflage like the real owners but always take instructions from the Minna hill top. Check most of the banks in Nigeria and ask some of the employees who their main financier is. Soludo can tell us more while the new John Edgar Hoover in the EFCC knows all about it.

PEACE: Babangida in his speech promised to bring peace back to Nigeria. His promise in the mould of the peace during his time when parcel bomb was innovated to kill Dele Giwa? This is not to say who killed Giwa but it was during his reign that a parcel bomb dimension was introduced into Nigeria. What peace can Babangida bring than the one in which refineries would be deliberately put in a state of disrepairs for cronies and family members to make money? Peace in which he would keep smiles on his face while his hatchet men would be after innocent lives? The SAP riots during his time led to the death of many Nigerians while his selfish annulment of Abiola’s electoral victory not only led to the death of thousands of Nigerians but also till today messed up many families which are yet to rise from the demented decision.

UNITY: One is at a loss as to the kind of unity Babangida could produce after seeing him in power for eight years in which he united the thieves against the populace. Majority of those presently agitating for Babangida’s return belong to the ugly crowd which made millions illicitly during his time. It will be an anathema for Nigerians to allow these compradors and wolves to return.

PROSPERITY: The man wrongly described as the Mara Dona is not ashamed to promise prosperity or is being pushed by his supporters whose motive is nothing other than to return their bread basket to power. What prosperity did Babangida produce during his 1985 to 1993? Let the voodoo professors who have been shamelessly professing around Nigeria tell average Nigerians how Babangida added value to lives of majority of Nigerians during his most inglorious time. This man took over at a time when the exchange rate of dollar to naira was about 69 kobo to 1dollar and six months in office, his prosperity brought a new exchange rate of 3naira to 1 dollar. before he was disgraced out, the rate of exchange jumped up with more than 2000% ! He had encouraged a further indebtedness at the rate of 500% while he could do nothing to stop his cronies from stealing the wealth of the nation. The debt hitherto being religiously paid back by the glorious Buhari/Idiagbon regime was not only hiked up but was dubiously piled up by Babangida.

His time was that of Gulf war when Nigeria reaped huge oil profits but Nigerians or Nigeria had nothing to show for it but a sum of 2.8billion dollars grew wings and disappeared into thin air. See who is talking about prosperity? The Okigbo panel’s reports on IBB’s handling of that huge oil profits should be released for the Nigerian public to see how the leader of some mumbo-jumbo professors was indicted. His hands for a fact are noticeable in many businesses while some errand boys of his fronted for him and became well known all over Nigeria as either egg heads or business barons. Check out some of the banking houses in Nigeria, you will find fronts for IBB holding out as if they are the real directors while in the oil industry his boys are in control and also in the latest profit yielding telecommunications sector.

He indeed turned a blind eye to all the stealing around him and his government. He did not for one single day mention ‘ corru’ not to talk of corruption because those who live in glass houses fear to throw a stone.

SECURITY: Can Babangida look Nigerians in the face and honestly tell them that he provided security from 1985 till 1993? The urchins who vamoosed from major cities during the days of Buhari/Idiagbon came back freely to have a field day during all the years of IBB. The safety of lives and properties though was not as terrible as under the civilian reign of Obasanjo was not much to write home about. The fact that a soldier regime of IBB could not assure Nigerians of safety tells the terrain of high insecurity Nigerians will be looking at if a khaki-less IBB is allowed to return to power. Nigerians should not trust a Babangida again.

LAW ABIDING: It is the hope of this writer than most Nigerians will look back to see the kind of orderly Nigeria that existed during the IBB years and reconcile against having an orderly Nigeria in a possible civilian IBB led Nigeria. IBB’s military rulership of Nigeria from 1985 till 1993 was anything but orderly and his wife’s first lady escapades certainly attest more than anything. His boys also did as they liked while there was no limitations as to what they could do with the wealth of Nigeria which was handled like that of their cult.

Babangida shamelessly ignored the legally set up Oputa Panel while he also refused to even send a representative to other similar bodies while the incumbent President made a show of standing before the panel as a witness.

It is agreed that Obasanjo is no saint and this writer remains unconvinced that he could take on Babangida. This is not because IBB would be too strong for Obasanjo to bend but based on many businesses bordering on politics or others which may be existing between the two. One can not wish away the fact that IBB was one of the groups that not only persuaded OBJ to run for the 1999 presidency but also bankrolled the political campaign. Importantly, will OBJ be the first soldier to break the unwritten bonds between khaki boys? The Nigerian soldiers have never really exposed the endemic corruption in their midst and had always ‘let the sleeping dog lie’ from one military government after another.

If OBJ is not a saint as IBB told the Nigerian nation, then IBB must the devil himself. No matter the comparison, Nigerians should never again touch IBB even with a long stick. All the chorus boys of IBB in the rotten years of 1985 to 1993 till 1995 should be watched so that they do not sneak in again to return that country to the lawlessness of that era.

To all those criticizing the investigations and arrests of some sudden billionaires in Nigeria, the Police all over the world have a duty not only to prevent crime but also to investigate suspected criminals. It does not matter when and how past misdeeds by ex-rulers or accomplices are investigated. The big men and women in the oil, banking and telecommunications sectors of Nigerian economy should be made to pay for their havocs against the country if the EFCC finds them culpable of helping some past ‘misrulers’ to milk the nation dry.

If Obasanjo can not probe some of his military colleagues who put Nigeria in the current corrupt state and killers’ nest, some future governments will surely do and Obasanjo himself may not escape the future scrutiny.

IBB should save Nigerians the headache of thinking about his inglorious days in office as the President and allow fresh, untainted people in the corridors of power to captain the ship of the Nigerian nation. The prospects of EFCC, NDLEA, NEM and all others will come to nothing if Nigerians sleep or doze off to allow IBB to come back.


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