Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Babangida's Legacy of Woes


General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangaida is the most Machiavellian politician in Nigeria. His Machiavellian way of looking at the Nigerian reality is that everybody has his/or her price. You are either bought or eliminated. Babangida is a polarized politician. On taking power through coup de'tat in August 1985, General Babangida restructured and reconstituted the higest organs of the Federal Military Government. First, he redesignated the Supreme Military Council (SMC), the higest policy-making body for the country under the military regime as the Armed Forces Ruling Council(AFRC). Second, he changed the name of the Chief of Staff Supreme Head-quarters- the second in command and de facto prime minister-to the Chief of General Staff (CGS). The Babangida's Chief of General Staff was a figure-head without control over the Nigerian Armed Forces. The boldest change Babangida made was concerned his own position. He made himself President and Commander-in-Chief of
the Nigerian Armed Forces, thereby becoming the most powerful of the country's military rulers. In essence, Babagida became president of the AFRC, head of state, and the supreme authority of the land, who can do and undo whatever he wants.
As head of state Babangida destroyed the Nigerian economy and told Nigerians in September 1985 that "Fellow Nigerians, this country has had since independence a history of mixed turbulence and fortunes. We have witnessed our rise to greatness followed with the decline to the status of a bewildered nation." 
The socio-cultural and economic landscape of Nigeria changed dramatically and drastically to what we have today with fraudsters, con-artists and 419 people holding sway since 1986 when General Ibrahim Babangida administration imposed IMF condionalities on the people through the devaluation of Nigerian currency-the Naira overnight with a military decree. Since General Babangida took power in 1985 Naira has not recovered but is getting worst. The Nigerian Middle class has been destroyed and what the country has now is about 5% the top rich and the rest of about 90-95% population are poor and in abject poverty.  Babangida-IMF Structural Adjustment Program did not restructure Nigerian economy but destroyed it. Babangida regime also brought about what was known as the "Settlement syndrome" whereby Babangida not only encouraged sealing political opponents's lips with cash, political appointments, and also engaged the deception and dribbling of the populace
like the Argentine footballer, Diego Maradona. The assassination of Dele Giwa in October 1986, Giwa, the editor of the weekly Magazine Newswatch was murdered by a parcel bomb which was rumored that it was sent by Commander-in-Chief. Babangida has refused to explained his involvement in this assasination.

Transition without end: Babangida's transition program negated any honest attempt at national consensus or popular involvement in the evolution of government in Nigeria. Apparently, all Babangida's and his military cliques efforts were mere shadow chasing. All along, General Babangida , the "self-confessed evil genius" had no intensions of quitting the political scene. While blaming the politicians and the so-called money bags elites he created for country's political problems, Babangida poured money into the hands of the Nigerian political class and his politico-military cliques. All these promoted and institutionalized corruption under Generall Babangida regime. This increased the political stakes, promised each candidate something and bribring them, mostly with monetary rewards to strengthen their resolve to capture political power by hook or crook, and continued to make the transition program as uncertain as possible by introducing new rules,
reinterpreting existing legislation, and manipulating the set up transition institution/program.
General Ibrahim Babangida sponsored a bogus organization the Association of Better Nigeria led by one of his cronies Arthur Nzeribe to campaign and fight to annul the June 12, 1993 Presidential election. General Babangida annulled this presidential election won by Chief M.K.O. Abiola. Both the domestic and international Observers team praised and declared that this election was the most free and fair and credible in the history of Nigeria since its independence. One of Babangida's closest associate and his minister of Communication, David Mark now the present President of the Senate had an axe to grind with Chief Abiola over the telecommunication industry in the country, perceived Chief Abiola as someone who would kill him off economically, therefore, promised to kill Abiola before he is sworn in as president. Babangida's exit after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election paved the way for Interim National Government (ING) which he created by decree
and handed power to Chief Shonekan, a civilian appointee of General Babangida who had been chairman of Babangida's Permanent Transitional Ministerial Council. Before he was dramatically forced out power on August 27, 1993, Babangida retired all the service chiefs in the Nigerian armed forces with the sole exception of General Sanni Abacha. General Abacha who was always been called Khalifa, or king in waiting continued as minister of defense, and the most senior minister. True to form Babangida, the gap-toothed, self professed genius, had already decided upon the composition of the ING before he departed from office. Babangida tricked the Nigerian people and inserted one proviso in the decree that set up the ING: "that in the event of the incumbent's resignation or death, the most senior minister would take over as head of the government." Babangida set trap for Ernest Shonekan which paved the way for Abacha coup that kicked out the ING led by Shonekan
within a period of less than three months.

General Babangida the "son of the Niger and self-professed Evil genius"  was very corrupt, and it was the corrupt practices he started that General Abacha continued and perfected. The government commission Panel set up and headed by Pius Okigbo in 1995 found that during Babangida's regime over $12.billion excess crude oil sales during the first Gulf War of 1990-1991 could not be accounted for. Up till now Babangida could not explain to Nigerians what happend to the fund.
Babangida refused to appear before the Justice Oputa's Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission to give testimony. He even went to court to fight against his appearance before this Commission. Is Babangida above the law of the land?

It is difficuilt to believe that somebody like Babangida who should be in jail and still walking the street of Nigeria as a free man with all the woes he has brought upon nigeria and Nigerians. General Babangida is an expert political schemer which has earned him nickname "Maradona" after the popular Argentine football star. Has Babangida deserve to rule Nigeria again after eight wasted years? As a polarising figure, he does not deserve it. With all the woes and damages this man has caused Nigeria is not the right person for the country today. Lately he has displayed arrogance and disdain towards Nigerians, when he said, "that Nigerian youths are incapable of leading Nigeria." What other contributions is he going to make that he did not make for the eight years of his woes on the country? He joined the Nigerian Army in 1962 and was in the military for 31 years, 1962-1993.  He should declare and explain the sources of his wealth to the Nigerian people.

However, many times Nigeria defy all political theories, and is a place where anything goes. People get the kind of government they deserve but Nigeria and Nigerians do not deserve this kind of character to lead them now. For how long will people like Babangida deceive Nigerians? Nigeria needs a leader with vision and good manager and not mediocre.  While Nigeria is spending its resources and Nigerians soldiers are dying in trying to bring stability, rule of law and democracy to the war torn countries all over Africa, Nigerians should wake up, and after fifty years of independence the people of Nigeria deserve better. 

I rest my case

To read more on the woes that General Babangida has caused Nigeria and Nigerians see the following books:

1. Larry Diamond, Anthony Kirk-Greene and Oyeleye Oyediran (eds.), Transition Without End: Nigerian Politics and Civil Society under Babangida, Lynne Rienner, 1997
2. Olayiwola Abegunrin, Nigerian Foreign Policy under Military Rule, 1966-1999, Praeger Publishers, 2003
3. Omo Omoruyi, The Tale of June 12: The Betrayal of the Democratic Rights of Nigerians (1993), Press Alliance, 1999




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