April 20, 2010
The culture of impunity, lawlessness, extreme looting of public treasury as well as the sorry state Nigeria and its people are today is a direct legacy of General Babangida (IBB) as a military dictator between 1985 and 1993. Nigerians must resist his second shot as president. It is a bad omen for our “democracy” and our country.
The culture of impunity, lawlessness, extreme looting of public treasury as well as the sorry state Nigeria and its people are today is a direct legacy of General Babangida (IBB) as a military dictator between 1985 and 1993. Nigerians must resist his second shot as president. It is a bad omen for our “democracy” and our country.
In the Nigerian mind, IBB is synonymous with gross human rights violation, massive corruption, inter-faith crises, breathtaking administrative incompetence and, above all, annulment of the most credible election in our nation’s history (June 12, 1993).
In a speech at the Sani Abacha 10th anniversary lecture in Kano, IBB said, "It is not true that he (Abacha) looted public treasury. I knew who Abacha was because I was close to him." He went on to say that Abacha’s contributions to our national economy are indelible and the best thing that has happened to the Nigeria nation. The last time I checked over $1.9bn has been recovered from the Abacha family, $750m came from voluntary surrender, N570m from Switzerland, $380m from Jersey and $150m from the United Kingdom. Ibrahim Babangida could not have more vividly illustrated his manifesto for the 2011 presidential election
Here is a man whose military and political career were derived from undemocratic acts. He has been linked with most military coups that have taken place in our country. He stole power in a military coup under the pretence of ending human rights abuses wreaked on the Nigerian people by the Buhari/Idiagbon led military junta and a promise to hand over power to a civilian government. He became the worst human rights abuser in Nigerian history, tried to make himself president-for-life, and destroyed all that Nigeria stood for.
Babangida did not only cause the worst human rights abuses, he set back our democratic process by almost two decades by annulling the June 12 1993 election. The election was adjudged by local and international observers as the freest in Nigerian history. Till this date Babangida has refused to apologise for the atrocity of June 12. History has judged the general wrong; the time has come for the Nigerian people to judge the general for the untold hardship his first misrule visited on our people.
"On General Ibrahim Babangida, we are of the view that there is evidence to suggest that he and the two security chiefs, Brigadier General Halilu Akilu and Col. A. K. Togun are accountable for the death of Dele Giwa by letter bomb. We recommend that this case be re-opened for further investigation in the public interest.” This was the finding of Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission headed by Justice Chukwudifu Oputa to investigate human rights abuses during Nigeria's decades of military rule.
IBB should be facing trial for the murder of Dele Giwa and the countless Nigerians he murdered and not conresting election for even the lowest office in our land. Is this the man we want as our president?
On corruption and mismanagement, Babangida heads the pack. The late Dr. Pius Okigbo Panel Report is an indictment of IBB over the $12.4 billion in gulf oil windfall in 1991. The report, which called for IBB’s prosecution, mysteriously disappeared from government archives shortly after it was released. The failure to prosecute IBB and his associates for the mismanagement is a serious breach of our anti-graft laws. These are funds that could have been used to develop the Niger Delta region in particular and Nigeria in general. Surely, this is not the leader we are looking for.
IBB contributed to the inter-faith crises in our nation by unilaterally upgrading Nigeria's status in the Organisation of the Islam Conference (OIC), from a mere observer status to full membership. After public outcry and initial denial by Babangida, Nigeria's status in the OIC was later terminated. Also, the Commission that investigated the recent religious riots in Jos has identified Babangida as the reason why peace relocated from Plateau State.
As head of state, the Commission said, IBB created municipalities in Plateau state through the States (Creation and Transition Provision Decree No 2 of 1991) against the concerns of the indigenous people. The Justice Bola Ajibola led Commission faulted the creation of the Jos North local government area by Babangida, observing that the cause of the crisis is the creation of that local government.
It is time that Nigerians vow that never again will we allow our nation to be governed by criminals in the likes of IBB. A second shot at Nigeria’s presidency for IBB could be catastrophic for our nation.
Felix Ayanruoh Esq.
[email protected]
In the Nigerian mind, IBB is synonymous with gross human rights violation, massive corruption, inter-faith crises, breathtaking administrative incompetence and, above all, annulment of the most credible election in our nation’s history (June 12, 1993).
In a speech at the Sani Abacha 10th anniversary lecture in Kano, IBB said, "It is not true that he (Abacha) looted public treasury. I knew who Abacha was because I was close to him." He went on to say that Abacha’s contributions to our national economy are indelible and the best thing that has happened to the Nigeria nation. The last time I checked over $1.9bn has been recovered from the Abacha family, $750m came from voluntary surrender, N570m from Switzerland, $380m from Jersey and $150m from the United Kingdom. Ibrahim Babangida could not have more vividly illustrated his manifesto for the 2011 presidential election
Here is a man whose military and political career were derived from undemocratic acts. He has been linked with most military coups that have taken place in our country. He stole power in a military coup under the pretence of ending human rights abuses wreaked on the Nigerian people by the Buhari/Idiagbon led military junta and a promise to hand over power to a civilian government. He became the worst human rights abuser in Nigerian history, tried to make himself president-for-life, and destroyed all that Nigeria stood for.
Babangida did not only cause the worst human rights abuses, he set back our democratic process by almost two decades by annulling the June 12 1993 election. The election was adjudged by local and international observers as the freest in Nigerian history. Till this date Babangida has refused to apologise for the atrocity of June 12. History has judged the general wrong; the time has come for the Nigerian people to judge the general for the untold hardship his first misrule visited on our people.
"On General Ibrahim Babangida, we are of the view that there is evidence to suggest that he and the two security chiefs, Brigadier General Halilu Akilu and Col. A. K. Togun are accountable for the death of Dele Giwa by letter bomb. We recommend that this case be re-opened for further investigation in the public interest.” This was the finding of Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission headed by Justice Chukwudifu Oputa to investigate human rights abuses during Nigeria's decades of military rule.
IBB should be facing trial for the murder of Dele Giwa and the countless Nigerians he murdered and not conresting election for even the lowest office in our land. Is this the man we want as our president?
On corruption and mismanagement, Babangida heads the pack. The late Dr. Pius Okigbo Panel Report is an indictment of IBB over the $12.4 billion in gulf oil windfall in 1991. The report, which called for IBB’s prosecution, mysteriously disappeared from government archives shortly after it was released. The failure to prosecute IBB and his associates for the mismanagement is a serious breach of our anti-graft laws. These are funds that could have been used to develop the Niger Delta region in particular and Nigeria in general. Surely, this is not the leader we are looking for.
IBB contributed to the inter-faith crises in our nation by unilaterally upgrading Nigeria's status in the Organisation of the Islam Conference (OIC), from a mere observer status to full membership. After public outcry and initial denial by Babangida, Nigeria's status in the OIC was later terminated. Also, the Commission that investigated the recent religious riots in Jos has identified Babangida as the reason why peace relocated from Plateau State.
As head of state, the Commission said, IBB created municipalities in Plateau state through the States (Creation and Transition Provision Decree No 2 of 1991) against the concerns of the indigenous people. The Justice Bola Ajibola led Commission faulted the creation of the Jos North local government area by Babangida, observing that the cause of the crisis is the creation of that local government.
It is time that Nigerians vow that never again will we allow our nation to be governed by criminals in the likes of IBB. A second shot at Nigeria’s presidency for IBB could be catastrophic for our nation.
Felix Ayanruoh Esq.
[email protected]
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