President Goodluck Jonathan means well for Nigeria and anybody who means well for the country will support him, former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, has said.
Babangida was speaking at his Minna home on Saturday where he received Jonathan, who said he was on a mission to discuss as “father and son” with the retired general.
“What I will say is simple: the president means well for this country and he is working well for this country. Anybody who means well for this country should support the President to make sure that Nigeria survives as a united country,” he said.
Jonathan, who described his meeting with Babangida as “fruitful”, told journalists after the closed door meeting that he visited the former military leader because he just returned from a medical trip abroad.
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The president said: “First and foremost, I have to use this opportunity to appreciate our leader, President Babangida for his leadership. His commitment to ensuring that this country is united and we live in peace.
“Of course, you know that this is the end of the year. Within this period, people pay visits. So I have come to visit him. You know he just came back from a hospital abroad, not too long ago. Since he came back, we have not seen. I need to see my father to know how he is feeling. I am quite pleased the way I have seen him.
“Of course, you all know that as a nation, we are facing challenges: security challenges all over, not just in the north. Yes, Boko Haram in the north. The south is not safe from commercial kidnapping and robbery.
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“He is one of our experienced leaders. As somebody who is sitting where he was before, I need to see them from time to time to listen to their suggestions. That is one of the areas how we can collectively move the country forward and ensure that Nigerians live in peace.
“That is the key thing and I am quite pleased that we had fruitful discussion,” he said.
22 comments
Good to see IBB well, hale and hearty. Well, his apparent support for Jonathan is understandable. IBB will understandably feel more than a bit uneasy at the prospect of s Buhari presidency for obvious reasons. He overthrew Buhari. But his support for Jonathan might not amount to much. Babangida as charismatic as might be is not an electoral asset to Jonathan, neither in the north nor in the South West, the strongholds of APC. Can anyone forget the June 12 annulment in the South West?
You have said it all. IBB does not have any electoral value
Looord Maradona himself. The leopard can never shed its spots. You are at your art again. Please spare us this time. In any case, the game is up.
Although ibb dose not thrill me, i think he is right we should support the president to fight against boko haram. Come May 2015 we will still going to support the new president (GMB)
In my usual style of not blanketing anybody and giving benefit of doubt on people’s take or assertion on a subject matter. I like to say that if IBB actually said that, I want to unequivocally state that Ibrahim Babangida is the very man who has never meant well for Nigeria, and can never ever meant well for this country.
His records are there. How can he mean well when he overthrew Buhari’s regime who never listened to dictates of the western influences on our economy during his administration and the evil genius was himself did their bidding by destroying our economy. He introduced SAP and 2nd tier exchange, institutionalised corruption (drug dealings and 419) and the killing of the over 100 serving military officers in the Ejigbo Airforce Plane crash of 1991.
How would he have meant well he bowed to pressure to annul the most free and fair election ever conducted in Nigeria in 1993 a.k.a June 12? This time around, the evil genius in him has resurrected make him to loose his sense of moral reasoning. By him, the carrier of the mandate -M.K.O Abiola was killed in mysterious circumstance.
IBB will surely not end well if that’s truly his stand on GEJ’s candidacy for 2015. Anybody that truly means well for this country and right senses won’t ever support GEJ’s 2015 bid to preside over this country for another 4yrs.
All,
What IBB is saying is simple, support GEJ and let us all confront BH.From day 1 certain elements refused to support GEJ admin and see were we are now.
A Buhari presidency simply means another wave of attacks in the Niger Delta.The logic is simple when our son was there you did not support him so we will not support you and it will hamper oil production.
It is the same army,police,navy etc that Buhari will use same people.
When people say GEJ does not fight corruption I always ask show me a governor that has sent a commisioner,adviser or local govt chairman to jail.Democracy is not military rule.GEJ is currupt but Tinubu,and co are corruption free.
Don’t make inflammatory statements just do the needful by casting your votes
Charles
Are you real?
Charles is making good sense. Those lambasting IBB were the same set of people happy to see GMB and BAT rush to see IBB shortly after APC was formed. IBB rightly does not believe in sectional Islsmist fundamentalism of GMB. He also knows that GMB lacks the intellectually capacity to lead Nigeria
Interesting. This is a president who up till now has not thought it necessary to visit the families of the kidnapped girls in Chibok but he found time to visit IBB who just came back from a foreign hospital. Bad judgement.
That’s right, you got it. Dumbo Dumbo doesn’t give a damn about ordinary folks like the Chibok girls and their families.
It doesn’t even matter to him that most of them are the same Christians whose interests he pretends to promote. Maybe because they’re northern Christians. That 1000s of them have been slaughtered by the murderous Boko Haram is not good enough reason for him to pay visits to the northeast people; or even to go on just a single morale-boosting visit to the soldiers he sent into battle. What kind of a Commander-in-Chief is that?
Yet, this is the same man who flew all the way from Abuja to Lagos to visit TB Joshua’s synagogue building that collapsed where some 60 or so people sadly died because he thinks Joshua can bring him votes. It is such discriminatory and insensitive behaviour towards even northern Christians that leads some people to accuse Jonathan of being the most sectional and divisive leader Nigeria has ever had.
Take also the several major bomb attacks that occurred in Kano, Bauchi and Gombe in which hundreds of people were murdered. Still, not a word let alone a visit from Jonathan to the people of those towns.
Fact is Jonathan went to see IBB in search of votes come 2015. That is, to win him over in order to fight General Muhammadu Buhari since he knows IBB will be a deeply unhappy man if Buhari were to win the presidency in 2015, something that IBB wanted to do in 2007 but failed woefully.
Mercifully, IBB has zero electoral value whom some northerners might like to lynch if he and Buhari were to take an open air walk by themselves alone.
Far from helping GEJ, IBB’s declaration of support for him is actually more likely to boost northern support for Buhari. So, this may well be another ‘handball’ by the walking disaster on two legs called GEJ.
I agree with your submission word for word.
As GEJ rightly stated, IBB happens to be his (GEJ’s) spiritual father in that his (IBB’s) corrupt rule paved way for the emergence of GEJ as president. Just as a son hailed from his father, so did GEJ’s corrupt practices hailed from IBB’s institutionalization of corruption in Nigeria. Little wonder therefore, that the ‘father’ and the ‘son’ come together to stop the second coming of War Against Indiscipline (WAI). They plan and Allah also plan against them, and Allah is the best of planners.
God will never allow GEJ and IBB to rule this contry again,becouse for every headship there is a relief.And for the sake of the blood of over 3000 innocent Nigerians that was spilled.
IBB is a light weight right now in Nigeria politics. It was a wasted trip that has no electoral value. GEJ is finished.
I feel so sorry and ashamed when I see d way our leaders celebrate going abroad for medicals when our health system is is shambles, strike etc. I wonder when other presidents will travel down to Nigeria to use our facility? A big shame! all our leaders both past n present have failed us. But never d less I think GEJ is d worst of them all. I think with his half baked phd in zoology, he will do very well as a zoo keeper afterall. So let’s return him where he belongs with our pvc come 2015.
You have said it and said it well. There are more credible persons in APC why does it havE to bE buhari. I’d supPort the lessEr of the two Evils. Presidency is no ones birth right. We have millions of other NigErians who Can hold that ticket and do us proud amongst the yoUths.
Babangida has successfully – and unknowingly – made matters worse for GEJ. He has also encouraged other corrupt leaders to come out in support of Jonathan. After all, they would all prefer a Nigeria where stealing is not corruption! God save our country!
Am very sorry for those who do not have inner insight to see. Let me you General Buhari should please have a rethink about his ambition, he should be a father and adviser now to the younger ones because he did not know those that surround him because these peoples do not mean well for common Nigerian they are self center peoples. Moreso, Nigerian need to be united now. What IBB said is a fatherly advice because He believed in one Nation called Nigeria.
Ibb is just playing a good host to his august visitor.
let him go and visit obasanjo
Bros Jonathan u told Nigerian’s dat u have no shoes then but now am sure u can build a factory producing shoes we don try for u and ur family,we did a change cos u won’t still do anything
HUMM! GOING 2TROU REACTIONS TO IBB COMMENT, I FEEL G8TLY DISTURBED BY PEOPLE GROSS DISPLAY OF LACK OF BOTH SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING AND THE COMPLEXITY OF A COUNTRY CALLED NIGERIA.WE FORGET COMPLETELY THE FACT THAT THE WAY OF GOD IS NOT THE WAY OF MAN.PEOPLE FORGET THAT GMB LACK THE CORE LEADER WILL TO ACT WHEN IT MATTERS MOST, OTHER WISE NIGERIA WOULD NOT BE WHERE WE ARE TODAY BECAUSE IBB WOULD HAVE APPROPRIATELY BEEN DEALT WITH WHEN ALL EVIDENCES TO DO THAT WERE MADE AVAILABLE TO GMB DURING HIS JUNTA DAYS BUT ALAS WHAT DO WE HAVE HE BOWED TO THE NORTHERN WISH OF NAMU NEE. A DEEP LOOK AT NORTHERN PRESIDENT WOULD SHOW ANY VERY THOUGHTFUL NIGERIAN THAT IT IS ALWAYS A VERY NORTHERN NONCHALANT ATTITUDE TO GOVERNANCE WHERE MERIT IS JETTISONED FOR TRIBALISM AND SECTIONALISM. AT ANY RATE, THE LET ALL KNOW THAT THE WILL OF GOD WILL PERFECTLY BE COMPLIED WITH, BITTER OR SWEET. AS FOR ME MY PRECIOUS VOTE GOES TO GEJ. GOD PLEASE HELD NIGERIANS TO TRULY DISCOVER NIGERIA