Despotic retired General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida made his book debut on Thursday, February 21, 2025, with the title “A Journey In Service-An Autobiography.” The book clearly aims to please the all-powerful God, not any individual.
It is impossible to ignore his anxiety of avoiding Aljannah if essential atonement is deserted here on earth, especially as he enjoys the twilight of his existence and believes that he is in an age range where going the mortal path is imminent.
During his book presentation in Abuja, which was attended by all known famous living victims of his misrule, the demonic military tyrant in Nigeria’s political history publicly professed a vague sense of sorrow, saying: “I regret June 12.” I acknowledge that I am solely accountable for the choices made and the events on June 12. Quick succession of errors and blunders occurred. How unfortunate that historical accident is. My declaration of contrition is something the country has a right to expect.
A sense of nostalgia for an irresponsible act of military power mongering that put the nation into an unresolved democratic and economic quagmire accompanies those skillfully chosen phrases in Babangida’s typically dishonest language.
Time teaches the value of life to Babangida, other power-hungry people, and living things, but humans only undergo transformation when confronted with the harsh realities of life. As Babangida celebrated his 83rd birthday, the tragic reality of his situation dawned. Furthermore, Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola recently acknowledged that he had criminally annulled the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which he had won with a landslide victory. He has evaded this fact for decades in an effort to maintain his pride and his already severely damaged leadership reputation.
In a nation where the younger generation lacks a true understanding of its history, Babangida’s book launch may be dismissed as superficial. For them, it’s easy to write it off as a pattern, often carried out by political figures posing as writers to dress up history in the color of their choice.
Although the aforementioned does not rule it out, Niccolo Machiavelli probably had Babangida and possibly other Nigerian political gladiators in mind when he made the observation that “Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are” a few decades ago. The truth that Babangida’s book launch crowd failed to confront is that he was a power-hungry political monster who led this nation and almost brought it to its knees politically and economically. This is especially true for Nigerians who were old enough to remember when he was an imperial military ruler.
With the group of outstanding brains he surrounded himself with during his imperial rule, he promoted an amazing policy theory that he never practically implemented. Babangida is actually a living illustration of the well-known adage that leaders should lead by example rather than by precept.
The harsh reality that confronts IBB today is further supported by the fact that, during the height of his political influence, he disregarded his gut feelings, which are selfless messages from his spirit. With joy, he gave in to the pleasures of the flesh. Now, reluctantly, through his autobiography, he has come out to half-heartedly confess the sad truth of how he denied Nigerians the chance to have a president in Abiola who now holds the record of winning an untainted election ever in the history of presidential elections in this country. His conscience has been giving him sleepless nights over his misrule over Nigeria, especially his misdeeds toward MKO Abiola.
Instead of directly apologizing and pleading with his own countrymen for forgiveness, IBB was occupied with using his secretary to blame General Sani Abacha and Aikhomu for allegedly releasing the annulment press statement while in Katsina state without his approval. He was aware that neither was able to defend themselves, but he nonetheless did this.
Unfortunately, and clearly in a calculated move, Babangida made sure that the majority of those who could support or refute his lies—including Arthur Nzeribe, Abimbola Davis, Clement Akpamgbo, Justices Dahiru Saleh and Bassey Ikpeme, Professors Humphrey Nwosu and Omo Omoruyi, and—most importantly—General Sani Abacha and Vice Admiral Augustus Aikhomu—were dead. Young Nigerians need to realize that Babangida is in its prime.
According to the chapter in his book that focuses on his journey to nowhere political transition policy, Nigerians should avoid IBB’s deceptive buck-passing presentations because he portrays himself as a victim of a problem that he willfully created, causing Nigerians to endure unfathomable suffering and despair in the process.
Millions of identifiable Nigerians liked IBB but did not trust him because of his cunning, gap-toothed smiles while he was in power.
That Benjamin Franklin once said, “Life’s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late,” is confirmed by Babangida’s latest admission. The sad thing about IBB’s existence and his tenure as this nation’s military ruler is that he is growing wiser. That is, following his blatantly shady political maneuvering.
According to a quote from Alexander the Great, “what you’ve done is all that matters in the end.” For Nigerians with a detached view of history, it is important that IBB has authentic statesmanship and trustworthy leadership. His late admission is irrelevant to us; what matters is how he irrevocably damaged our political and economic landscapes with dishonest policies and his deceptive foreign-induced Structural Adjustment Program (SAP), which caused the Naira to depreciate and drove a pitiful frenzy to seek and obtain looted loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
According to the archives, Nigerians attempted to halt IBB’s political transformation and its economically disastrous trip.
In protest of his hostile policies and political abracadabra, yours truly was on the streets at the time alongside other patriots. In newspapers, yours myself joined other patriotic writers, journalists, and activists in penning editorials and damning articles, but the “evil genius” and his tyrannical gang disregarded us. “A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody,” as Thomas Paine once warned, is understandable. We were forced to accept Babangida and his group, and they had no accountability to any of us. Such a ruler’s story about the annulment of June 12 or his apology should not be taken seriously.
In spite of his questionable admission, Babangida’s sorrow over the annulment of the June 12 presidential election may not go away, especially as it also resulted in his humiliating removal from office about thirty-three years ago.
He said that he was “not only in government but also in power,” and we will never forget that. In a statement, he issued a harsh warning to the millions of supporters who were and are opposing his choice at the time of the June 12 presidential election. Babangida was prepared to destroy this nation, even if it meant ruling over its ashes due to his insatiable desire for power at that particular moment in history.
“To err is human but to forgive is divine” is a divine command that Babangida may find comfort in.
Thomas Aquinas once said, “No evil can be excused because it is done with a good intention.” For the majority of morally upright Nigerians, this statement perfectly captures the injustice of the June 12 criminal annulment and the brutal removal of MKO Abiola, even if it isn’t mentioned in any fictitious national security report. The pointlessness of Babangida’s ambivalent apology at the book launch is evident here.
In this article, Sanusi, a journalist and business lawyer from Lagos, wrote.
