IBB worse than OBJ, declares Abubakar Umar

He shares the same name with Colonel Abubakar Umar (rtd). But they are not related. He is Major Abubakar Umar (rtd). However, like Colonel Umar, he is also angry with elitists rule in Nigeria. He is particularly still very bitter with former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, IBB, for allegedly retiring him prematurely from the army simply because he (Umar) was opposed to his (IBB) continued hold to power at that time.

For this reason, and many more, Umar said he was prepared to lead a revolution in this country should IBB return to power as being speculated in 2011, even as he said in terms of corruption and bad governance, the era of IBB was worse than that of Obasanjo.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Daily Sun in Kaduna, the Kano-born military officer, who is also the Secretary of the Council of Ulamas in a response to a question said "I would say Babangida’s administration was worse than Obasanjo’s administration because Babangida ruled without any opposing force and when I say opposing force, he ruled without the Senate and House of Representatives, which was a counterforce to whatever Obasanjo wanted to do.

But Babangida authoritatively ruled by the barrel of the guns; he ruled by decree and he did what he wanted to do. In that seven years that Babangida ruled, nobody could talk. He did what he wanted to do. Besides, Babangida put fear in the minds of the people. Don’t forget that at that material time, there was no judiciary that was active.

At that time, Babangida was the alpha and omega who was making budget and also spending the country’s resources without anybody who could challenge him. So, the seven years Babangida spent was such that in the history of this country, I would say that I don’t think we shall ever have a government that will be compared to Babangida’s government in terms of destruction he visited on this country and the retarding of our progress as a country."

On IBB’s return bid, he said "except the media wage the war by way of exposing IBB and show the masses who are speechless and powerless in this country that IBB may not the right person to come and rule this country again, then I think anything is possible with Babangida."

He also spoke on why he would not have joined the Orka coup even though he (Umar) was against IBB, his retirement saga, the Jos crisis and the Yar’Adua’s administration, with a verdict that Nigerians should not hope for anything good from the administration.

Exerpts:

What year did you retire from the Nigerian army?

I retired from the Nigerian army in 1990 when I came back from the United States. I had an accident and I was retired based on medical ground. I had an accident on my way to Makurdi where I was supposed to report for my new posting. I was hospitalized for one year.

How did you feel about leaving a profession you so much cherished at the time you were retired?

In fact, to me, I say it was a premature retirement. I was retired after an accident by the Babangida administration and I felt so bitter because that was the career I wanted to pursue after having a Master’s degree and graduating from the Nigerian Defence Academy.

I believe the country spent so much on me in training and so to prematurely retire me at very tender age, to me is like wasting the money used to train me.. I felt so bitter about it, but I knew the political circumstances that led to my retirement were such that there was nothing I could do about it. But I still bear some grievances against those who retired me from service.

What were those political circumstances?

The political circumstances at that material time were that some of us were virtually against military dictatorship, particularly when Babangida came to power. We saw ourselves been used to catapult IBB to prominence and after that, the promises he made were never fulfilled. And also the essence of the military coup at that particular time was not something we cherished. We were airing our grievances and also our discontent with the government of the day and some of us were earmarked for retirement. That was the only alternative they felt they could use to ease us out of the way.

You know, as a result of the accident, I had problem with my right foot which required me to undergo surgery here and overseas. But IBB had his own idea- retirement. He has no room for is opponents, which I am one.

You had masters in what discipline and what was your Corps in the army?

I had a Master’s degree in political science. I was in the infantry. I was once the Brigade Major here in Kaduna.

Were you retired before or after the Orkar coup?

I was retired before the Orkar coup.

If you were not retired before that coup, would you have participated in that coup?

Well, I wouldn’t have participated in that coup because I knew the motive behind that coup was such that I disagree with. He (Orkar) wanted to divide the country. But I share his grudge with the system at that time, I mean in the fight against the IBB’s regime then. Orkar himself had a good heart but he was misled by people like my own course mate, Gabriel Nyam. He (Nyam) had his agenda for the coup. I was contacted for the coup actually but I did not consent to that particular coup because the agenda they were pursuing at that particular time did not agree with my beliefs.

What were those agenda that did not tally with your beliefs?

Two major things were behind the Orkar coup. One, it was purely religious and the second was that they felt the South- South people were been marginalized by the people in the Northern part of the country and that was what I was actually against in that particular coup. If it were a coup that was not religiously inclined, I think I would have supported it hundred percent.

Recently, Nyam granted an interview where he claimed that even though the Orkar coup did not succeed, the motive behind it appears to have taken shape in Nigeria, talking especially about the marginalization of the Niger Delta people, which you have mentioned. Do you share his view?

The issue with Gabriel Nyam is that I’m very much aware of the discontent he has for Northerners. I schooled with him right from secondary school. He was my classmate in secondary one in the Nigeria Military School and we graduated from the Nigeria Defence Academy together. We also happen to have gone to England to train together.

The issue behind Gabriel Nyam joining the Orkar coup can be traceable to the aftermath of the civil war. A lot of them, who were from the East at that time before the creation of other States, felt that the Gowon administration did not actually absorb them into the Nigerian army, let alone give them the due consideration they were supposed to have been given after the war and that grudge persisted till the Orkar coup.

I’m aware of Gabriel Nyam’s discontent with the North particularly. In fact, after the handover of Biafra by Odumegwu Ojukwu, he was voicing out that grudge even before the Orkar Coup and I think it was a combination of that and other things that necessitated Orkar to carry out that coup. I think Orkar was misled into believing that he was fighting a just cause for the middle belt. But what happened was that they co-opted the issue of the middle belt to that of the Niger Delta and popped up the coup.

You are political scientist and a retired military officer. In Nigeria today, it has always been said and in fact it is still being said that the army was responsible for the moral decadence and the level of corruption we have in this country today. How do you react to this?

It is true that to some extent, the military has been party to the corruption in this country in the sense that the first military administration in this country came on board to remedy the corruption situation that was the hallmark of the First Republic. But thereafter, several other things happened.

For instance, the Babangida administration was more responsible for institutionalizing corruption in this country in that not only did Babangida waste the resources, we saw how the revenue from our oil was badly mismanaged by those in the military, in a manner that was worse than the civilian administration.

We cannot altogether put our blames of corruption on the civilian government we’ve had in this country in that they were not allowed to mature in the democratic system they were elected to practice. The democratic system was short-lived in that the second term of the then President Shehu Shagari only lasted for about a year before it was ejected from office.

And thereafter, we saw a continuation of military regime, which was a system that was imposed on the people by a certain clique of people using the barrel of the guns, rather than a democratic system and much of what happened in this country by way of corruption and mismanagement was due to the fact that people who inherited the mantle of governance were not trained actually in the act of governance.

We can see that Babangida’s administration came with no programme whatsoever. We saw the greatest disregard for human lives and property during the Babangida administration. That is something that has been well documented and we are very much aware of. I don’t think there is any credit that will go to military government in this country by way of saying they have advanced the democratic system, since they did not evolved democratically or elected by the people.

I don’t know if you listened to Babangida recently on AIT, where he gave an indication that he was still interested in ruling this country. What do you make of that proposal?

In this country, I would say nothing is impossible with anyone, as long as you have the money and the influence; there is nothing you cannot do in this country. After all, in this country, election by the people does not matter.

We have seen that there is no government in this country, right from the Shehu Shagari government of the second republic that we can say was actually elected by the people. So, if Babangida can come and say that he’s interested in politics and he can come and rule this country, I would not be in a position to say no to that postulation. After all, we are all witnesses to the fact that Obasanjo’s government was whole-heartedly supported, initiated and installed by Babangida himself. So, the issue of him coming to say that he will come back to government is something that I can say as far as Nigeria is concerned, is possible.

This is equally so because our leaders have no credibility and the electorates too are helpless. So, except the media wage the war by way of exposing IBB and show the masses who are speechless and powerless in this country that IBB may not the right person to come and rule this country again, then I think anything is possible with Babangida.

But as for me, I will never forgive IBB. He’s the most dangerous human being that exists and lives today. I don’t think I will ever forgive him for retiring me prematurely. I’m not the only person who is a victim of the injustices perpetrated by IBB. We have seen what has happened to Gwadabe, we have seen the case of Gloria Okon, and we have seen the case of Dele Giwa and many others.

So, I’m not the only victim alive today who is suffering from what Babangida has done to this country. The whole country is suffering from what Babangida has done to them and I think nobody will forgive that man. I’m one of those who will pioneer a revolt in this country if Babangida comes back to power.

If you say these of IBB, what will you say of Obasanjo?

I would say Babangida’s administration was worse than Obasanjo’s administration because Babangida ruled without any opposing force and when I say opposing force, he ruled without the Senate and House of Representatives, which was a counterforce to whatever Obasanjo wanted to do. But Babangida authoritatively ruled by the barrel of the guns; he ruled by decree and he did what he wanted to do. In that seven years that Babangida ruled, nobody could talk. He did what he wanted to do.

Besides, Babangida put fear in the minds of the people. Don’t forget that at that material time, there was no judiciary that was active. At that time, Babangida was the alpha and omega who was making budget and also spending the country’s resources without anybody who could challenge him. So, the seven years Babangida spent was such that in the history of this country, I would say that I don’t think we shall ever have a government that will be compared to Babangida’s government in terms of destruction he visited on this country and the retarding of our progress as a country.

Others have also argued that even though the National Assembly was in place, Obasanjo also ruled like a feudal lord.

I agree that Obasanjo too ruled without due process. What you have to understand is that Obasanjo was a military man. Obasanjo was not a democrat. He ruled with fiat as he was in the military. Secondly, we should also understand that at that material time, even the two houses were not having elected members. Elections were not carried out throughout the length and breath of this country. Everybody knows that. They were there to satisfy their personal ambitions and greed and that was what Obasanjo played on.

But to me, Babangida surpasses Obasanjo in areas of mismanagement and bad governance. The reason people are talking about Obasanjo because some of them felt they have a share in the system of government Obasanjo operated, in that it was a democratic government, but Obasanjo did not extend such a patronage to them. He was not playing to their tune and he was harassing and chasing them out and that was why his third term agenda was not sanctioned by these people.

Na’Abba in a recent interview said Yar’Adua was never the candidate of the North. Do you share that view?

To me, I don’t feel there is any candidate for a particular region or not. Everybody is free to come out and participate for election. It’s just a way by which the elitist class would want to have a hold unto power forever. Even if they say it’s rotational, you will see that it’s only the elitist class that will have access to that power. So, I don’t believe that it should be made a rotational something. It has never worked anywhere in the world and it has never worked in a democratic system and, to me, it’s not democracy.

Looking at Yar’Adua’s administration, he has been talking of seven-point agenda. What do you make of that agenda?

To me, Yar’Adua’s agenda is just a farce; a mirage; it something that cannot materialize. You cannot have a President who is inactive and who is a prisoner of his own political party to run an administration. Yar’Adua is weak in the sense that he’s a prisoner of his own political party and prisoner of some influences that surround him.

So, even if there is an agenda for the country for him to implement, I don’t think he will implement it without the consent of those people that put him in power. So, I don’t think the seven point agenda is something we are going to say Nigeria has any hope in.

Since yar’Adua came in about two years now, we have seen that he has not even executed any budget successfully. So, I don’t think the issue of seven-point agenda will ever materialize. It’s just in the interest of that elitist class that put him there, not in the interest of Nigerians.

Are you saying with Yar’adua’s presidency, we don’t have hope?

In the first place, Yar’adua has a court case. Let’s see the outcome of the case first. Secondly, for somebody who was not elected through the mandate of the people, I don’t think Nigerians should have hope in such a person as long as his masters, the Obasanjo and co are still around him.

What do you make of his recent ministerial nominees, especially against the background of argument by some Nigerians that there was no point recycling old people?

I don’t think it’s in the interest of Nigeria to keep recycling people we’ve found that they’ve not been of any importance to the country when they held unto power. I will give an example, look at Rilwan Lukman.

Are we saying that we don’t have anybody who is more competent than Rilwan Lukman to run the affairs of this country?

This is the issue. We cannot continue to recycle people that we know are incompetent. They have not been doing any justice to this country, these people have outlived their time, we need fresh bloods that are attuned with current technologies.

What is your take on the recent Jos crisis?

To me, I feel it’s a political incident which has no religious connotation whatsoever. Those people who are attaching religion to it are only trying to play to the gallery. I don’t think it has anything to do with religion, but political activists trying to oppress the people. That’s what I feel.

How do you think we can get out of such situation?

Unless people understand democracy, I don’t think we shall come out of what we are seeing today. Unless people are given the chance to elect those they want and we are going to accept the result of an election as it is, then we shall continue to have crisis in this country.

Are you talking about violent revolution or what?

All I will say for now is to remind you of the popular saying that once you make peaceful change impossible, then know that a violent change is inevitable.