Maryam was a staunch supporter of her husband’s high-handed foray into power in Nigeria in both philosophy and deed. It hasn’t been long since she directed some abusive remarks at Gani Fawehinmi. The nationally-acclaimed legal luminary and humanist was down with cancer and Mrs. Babangida was defensive of what Ibrahim Babangida, the self-styled evil genius, represents in Nigeria’s political and economic under-development. It’s therefore paradoxical that she gave up the ghost herself to the same ailment that claimed Chief Fawehinmi only months ago.
In rumour and in fact, she was wrapped in the shawl of her husband’s infamy by most Nigerians. The rumour mills had it at the time that the coup that brought her husband, Ibrahim Babangida to power in August 1985, was staged to pre-empt the planned arrest of herself and her husband by the duo of General Muhammadu Buhari and Brigadier Tunde Idiagbon over her drug-running, using one Gloria Okon who was said to have died mysteriously. The veracity of those rumours have not been put to rest even until this day. The outcome of an inquiry that the Buhari regime established to look into the existence of the said Ms. Okon, her activities and what may have happened to her was never made public after her husband ousted Buhari and Idiagbon and installed himself as Nigeria’s first military president. The same rumour mills had it that the late Dele Giwa met his death by a parcel bomb when he went after the story of Ms. Okon and what became of her. Her husband is the prime suspect in Giwa’s parcel bomb death.
Maryam took the liberty of ensconcing herself in her husband’s ruthless dictatorship in the most visible manner. She embarked on a white elephant project that she called "Better Life for Rural Women," through which countless millions of Naira were siphoned off with nothing to show by way of improvements in the living standards of rural dwellers. The paradox of the project was so stark given that only well-dressed elite woman paraded themselves on television at occasions that took place in the project’s auspices that it was pejoratively called Better Women for Rural Life by Nigerians. She pulled no punches when she sparred with people who served her husband as cabinet ministers. One of them involved Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, who worked for the dictator as Foreign Minister over her demand to insert herself in the conduct of aspects of Foreign Affairs.
After her husband was forced from power in 1993, Maryam repaired to Minna where she founded El-Amin School, a highly expensive private school that she ran until she was bundled to the US a few months ago for cancer treatment. Her thirst for power and its perks seemed unquenchable. As late as 1999 she was sending feelers out through even contractors that did business with her to ascertain the extent to which Nigerians would tolerate another foray into power by her husband and her. One such contractor who she approached disclosed that he was taken aback when she asked: “Do you think we’re still needed again?” As it is, she will not be around any more to find out for certain.
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