May 7, 2010
It was recently reported that General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB), the erstwhile self-styled Nigeria military president from 1985-1993, stated that he made ‘a mistake’ in annulling the June 12, 1993 election that would have brought the late Chief MKO Abiola to power. He said inter alia: “every leader makes a mistake, and I am not an exception”.
It was recently reported that General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB), the erstwhile self-styled Nigeria military president from 1985-1993, stated that he made ‘a mistake’ in annulling the June 12, 1993 election that would have brought the late Chief MKO Abiola to power. He said inter alia: “every leader makes a mistake, and I am not an exception”.
He went further to declare that his repressive regime should be lauded for conducting the best election in Nigeria history and then annulling same on lame excuses. He must be reminded of what he uttered in his infamous nation-wide broadcast of July 26, 1993 affirming the annulment. Dr Olatunji Dare in his article in the Nation newspaper of 20th April 2010 titled: “Babaginda: Never Again” quoted from the ‘maradonic’ speech of the maverick general: “In case Babangida has forgotten, here, in his own words, is what he said in his broadcast of July 26, 1993, about the very election that he is now celebrating as the crowning glory of his eight years as president.
‘There was a huge array of election malpractices virtually in all the states of the federation before the actual voting began . . . There were authenticated reports of election malpractices against party agents, officials of the National Electoral Commission and also some members of the electorate . . . There were proofs (sic) of manipulations through offer and acceptance of money and other kinds of inducement against officials of the National Electoral Commission and members of the electorate . . . ‘ But today, IBB pride himself as the architect, engineer and builder of the most credible election ever held in Nigeria’s chequered history. What a contradiction! It will be recalled that international observers were fully satisfied with the conduct of the election and adjudged it very fair but IBB and his cronies saw it differently and cast the verdict into dustbin of history. This is part of what is haunting and hurting IBB everywhere he goes now.
IBB: A mistake?
Can it be said that IBB made a mistake in a consciously taken decision? What is it IBB’s unilateral decision to cancel the election with the stroke of the pen? Did the hawks in the corridor of power goad him into making such a “mistake” at that time? Did he realise the import and impact of such a “mistake” on the country he claimed to serve? As a researcher, I think Nigerians need to get answers to these questions, and even the list of the questions is not exhaustible! Even as it is said that to err is human but to forgive is divine, we can not but forgive IBB as fellow Nigerians. The time has come for ALL Nigerians to forgive the former ruler. However, certain things must be made clear before the clever general characteristically in his ‘maradonic’ gesture play and score against the sleepy and slumbering Nigeria followership. It must not happen again! We must be awake, alert and active not to beaten blue once again!!
Responsibility is not the same as APOLOGY
It is a welcome development that IBB is wholly taking responsibility for all that transpired in his regime of eight years from 1985-1993. However, responsibility is not synonymous with apology. To the general who claimed to be a genius, I want to say categorically that he is wrong. One person may be responsible for a decision, action or behaviour. One can be ‘responsible for’ doing something, and at the same time be ‘responsible to’ some people just like the leadership of an organization is responsible to the directors, shareholders, etc. Could it be said that IBB was ‘responsible for’ the annulment? If that was the case, who was he ‘responsible to’ in doing that? Was he responsible to the armed forces, or Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC), Nigeria, or Nigerians? We need to get it right. He must honestly come out to clarify issues.
Getting back to the real issue, apology is tendered for an error committed, wrong way of behaviour, or irrational decision leading to loss, damage, etc. In the deciphering the dictionary meaning of the word, we can turn to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary to get the root of the word apology. It is rendered thus: ‘an admission of error or discourtesy accompanied by an expression of regret’. Does IBB now after almost 17 years of his infamous decision that has so much set us back, admitted an error or ‘a mistake’ in his word? We should be able to answer that in the affirmative by his declaration of making a mistake. However, has IBB publicly showed any sign of remorse or regret to MKO Abiola’s family, Nigeria political class, Nigeria and Nigerians (many lost their lives, friends, relations, possessions, businesses, jobs, etc over the imbroglio that followed the June 12 saga). This gross error has made Nigeria to wallow and wander in the wilderness of military incursion into governance leading to economic and social degradation for many years? Nigerians, at home and in the Diaspora, need to read and/or hear this. It is instructive that majority of Nigerians are religious being mainly Muslims and Christians-roughly about 95% (sic)- and the two religions practice forgiveness. Equally true is that God himself said we must ask Him for forgiveness before He gives to us. At least this is in the Lord’s Prayer in the Bible (‘forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’). I believe a similar injunction is likely to be in the Quran as well. So we must be READY to forgive Babangida for annulling June 12 1983 elections and for his many sins like most of us too are guilty.
IBB: Understand the Five Languages of Apology
My advice to IBB is that he should not exhibit pride anymore in justifying his actions while he was the “boss”. He wants our votes and he is still bossy as he was in 1993! He is making matters worse by saying the youths of Nigeria are bereft of ideas as if the elitist class he belongs to has given our talented and intelligent youths, at home and in the Diaspora, any chance to prove their mettle. Has IBB, and many after him, even till the present day, not be rotating and re-cycling themselves, friends, and relations instead of re-inventing leadership? If IBB accepts responsibility, then he should follow it up by tendering an apology humbly and honourably-simple and straight-forward! In Yoruba common parlance it is said, “pele la’ko, o si la’bo” which can be interpreted to mean “I am sorry depending on the way it is said can be positive or negative”. So far, IBB the way you are expressing your ‘apology’ is negative.
In concluding, this article, I will want to advice IBB to read this good book that my son once recommended that I read. He passed the book over to me after reading it and I later advised a friend coming to visit me in Singapore at a time to take it a copy of the book back to Nigeria of which he was grateful. The book is titled: "The Five Languages of Apology: How to Experience Healing in All Your Relationships" by Gary Chapman & Jennifer Thomas. It is available on Amazon.com, and I believe it should be available in some bookshops in Abuja, Kaduna and Lagos. The authors of that book made it clear through research studies in counselling services that there are at least FIVE dominant languages of apology including “I am sorry”. In fact, some people do not want to hear I am sorry, because the offender has been doing the same thing over and over and repeating the phrase “I am sorry”. They want to hear “I will not do it again”, yet some others before the relationship and the hurt can be healed want to be reassured by the offending party in saying “will you please forgive me”. Not to compound issues, IBB may have to speak these languages to enact free forgiveness from Nigerians. It is better to be done now than postponing it whether IBB is contesting in 2011 is not the issue. IBB should think about his family members, what legacy will he be leaving for them? Moreover, for us as Nigerians, it will not be good to be guilty of being stereo-typical in our reactions and judgements of IBB misrule and pass this to his generation. He may not be thinking of this now. Please, IBB think out of the box.
It is never too late. Be ready to HUMBLY, and GENUINELY apologize IBB! We are humans and we not infallible. I want to reiterate that to err is human but to forgive is divine.
IBB we are waiting, time may run out. You witnessed a sample of this on the 29th April in the rally in Benin City where Hassan Sunmonu, Secretary General, Organization of Africa Trade Union declared in your presence that Nigerians must ‘never again allow any free and fair elections to be annulled in the country.’ He went further to declare to the hearing of all and sundry that ‘whoever annulled the June 12 election was the cause of the problem Nigeria was passing through today.’ Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, president of Campaign for Democracy threw his own stone with rough edges at you as well stressing that Nigeria needs a public apology for the annulment while a Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo declared with impunity: “we protest the presence of Babangida at this rally.” What else do you want to hear?
A stitch in time saves nine. Readers thank you for taking time to read this piece. I welcome comments on this write-up, and you can reach me: [email protected]
JMO Ekundayo
Leadership Researcher/Doctoral Student of Leadership
Malaysia
Email: [email protected]
He went further to declare that his repressive regime should be lauded for conducting the best election in Nigeria history and then annulling same on lame excuses. He must be reminded of what he uttered in his infamous nation-wide broadcast of July 26, 1993 affirming the annulment. Dr Olatunji Dare in his article in the Nation newspaper of 20th April 2010 titled: “Babaginda: Never Again” quoted from the ‘maradonic’ speech of the maverick general: “In case Babangida has forgotten, here, in his own words, is what he said in his broadcast of July 26, 1993, about the very election that he is now celebrating as the crowning glory of his eight years as president.
‘There was a huge array of election malpractices virtually in all the states of the federation before the actual voting began . . . There were authenticated reports of election malpractices against party agents, officials of the National Electoral Commission and also some members of the electorate . . . There were proofs (sic) of manipulations through offer and acceptance of money and other kinds of inducement against officials of the National Electoral Commission and members of the electorate . . . ‘ But today, IBB pride himself as the architect, engineer and builder of the most credible election ever held in Nigeria’s chequered history. What a contradiction! It will be recalled that international observers were fully satisfied with the conduct of the election and adjudged it very fair but IBB and his cronies saw it differently and cast the verdict into dustbin of history. This is part of what is haunting and hurting IBB everywhere he goes now.
IBB: A mistake?
Can it be said that IBB made a mistake in a consciously taken decision? What is it IBB’s unilateral decision to cancel the election with the stroke of the pen? Did the hawks in the corridor of power goad him into making such a “mistake” at that time? Did he realise the import and impact of such a “mistake” on the country he claimed to serve? As a researcher, I think Nigerians need to get answers to these questions, and even the list of the questions is not exhaustible! Even as it is said that to err is human but to forgive is divine, we can not but forgive IBB as fellow Nigerians. The time has come for ALL Nigerians to forgive the former ruler. However, certain things must be made clear before the clever general characteristically in his ‘maradonic’ gesture play and score against the sleepy and slumbering Nigeria followership. It must not happen again! We must be awake, alert and active not to beaten blue once again!!
Responsibility is not the same as APOLOGY
It is a welcome development that IBB is wholly taking responsibility for all that transpired in his regime of eight years from 1985-1993. However, responsibility is not synonymous with apology. To the general who claimed to be a genius, I want to say categorically that he is wrong. One person may be responsible for a decision, action or behaviour. One can be ‘responsible for’ doing something, and at the same time be ‘responsible to’ some people just like the leadership of an organization is responsible to the directors, shareholders, etc. Could it be said that IBB was ‘responsible for’ the annulment? If that was the case, who was he ‘responsible to’ in doing that? Was he responsible to the armed forces, or Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC), Nigeria, or Nigerians? We need to get it right. He must honestly come out to clarify issues.
Getting back to the real issue, apology is tendered for an error committed, wrong way of behaviour, or irrational decision leading to loss, damage, etc. In the deciphering the dictionary meaning of the word, we can turn to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary to get the root of the word apology. It is rendered thus: ‘an admission of error or discourtesy accompanied by an expression of regret’. Does IBB now after almost 17 years of his infamous decision that has so much set us back, admitted an error or ‘a mistake’ in his word? We should be able to answer that in the affirmative by his declaration of making a mistake. However, has IBB publicly showed any sign of remorse or regret to MKO Abiola’s family, Nigeria political class, Nigeria and Nigerians (many lost their lives, friends, relations, possessions, businesses, jobs, etc over the imbroglio that followed the June 12 saga). This gross error has made Nigeria to wallow and wander in the wilderness of military incursion into governance leading to economic and social degradation for many years? Nigerians, at home and in the Diaspora, need to read and/or hear this. It is instructive that majority of Nigerians are religious being mainly Muslims and Christians-roughly about 95% (sic)- and the two religions practice forgiveness. Equally true is that God himself said we must ask Him for forgiveness before He gives to us. At least this is in the Lord’s Prayer in the Bible (‘forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’). I believe a similar injunction is likely to be in the Quran as well. So we must be READY to forgive Babangida for annulling June 12 1983 elections and for his many sins like most of us too are guilty.
IBB: Understand the Five Languages of Apology
My advice to IBB is that he should not exhibit pride anymore in justifying his actions while he was the “boss”. He wants our votes and he is still bossy as he was in 1993! He is making matters worse by saying the youths of Nigeria are bereft of ideas as if the elitist class he belongs to has given our talented and intelligent youths, at home and in the Diaspora, any chance to prove their mettle. Has IBB, and many after him, even till the present day, not be rotating and re-cycling themselves, friends, and relations instead of re-inventing leadership? If IBB accepts responsibility, then he should follow it up by tendering an apology humbly and honourably-simple and straight-forward! In Yoruba common parlance it is said, “pele la’ko, o si la’bo” which can be interpreted to mean “I am sorry depending on the way it is said can be positive or negative”. So far, IBB the way you are expressing your ‘apology’ is negative.
In concluding, this article, I will want to advice IBB to read this good book that my son once recommended that I read. He passed the book over to me after reading it and I later advised a friend coming to visit me in Singapore at a time to take it a copy of the book back to Nigeria of which he was grateful. The book is titled: "The Five Languages of Apology: How to Experience Healing in All Your Relationships" by Gary Chapman & Jennifer Thomas. It is available on Amazon.com, and I believe it should be available in some bookshops in Abuja, Kaduna and Lagos. The authors of that book made it clear through research studies in counselling services that there are at least FIVE dominant languages of apology including “I am sorry”. In fact, some people do not want to hear I am sorry, because the offender has been doing the same thing over and over and repeating the phrase “I am sorry”. They want to hear “I will not do it again”, yet some others before the relationship and the hurt can be healed want to be reassured by the offending party in saying “will you please forgive me”. Not to compound issues, IBB may have to speak these languages to enact free forgiveness from Nigerians. It is better to be done now than postponing it whether IBB is contesting in 2011 is not the issue. IBB should think about his family members, what legacy will he be leaving for them? Moreover, for us as Nigerians, it will not be good to be guilty of being stereo-typical in our reactions and judgements of IBB misrule and pass this to his generation. He may not be thinking of this now. Please, IBB think out of the box.
It is never too late. Be ready to HUMBLY, and GENUINELY apologize IBB! We are humans and we not infallible. I want to reiterate that to err is human but to forgive is divine.
IBB we are waiting, time may run out. You witnessed a sample of this on the 29th April in the rally in Benin City where Hassan Sunmonu, Secretary General, Organization of Africa Trade Union declared in your presence that Nigerians must ‘never again allow any free and fair elections to be annulled in the country.’ He went further to declare to the hearing of all and sundry that ‘whoever annulled the June 12 election was the cause of the problem Nigeria was passing through today.’ Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, president of Campaign for Democracy threw his own stone with rough edges at you as well stressing that Nigeria needs a public apology for the annulment while a Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo declared with impunity: “we protest the presence of Babangida at this rally.” What else do you want to hear?
A stitch in time saves nine. Readers thank you for taking time to read this piece. I welcome comments on this write-up, and you can reach me: [email protected]
JMO Ekundayo
Leadership Researcher/Doctoral Student of Leadership
Malaysia
Email: [email protected]
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