Babangida’s illness and the apology he owes Nigerians

Twenty three years after “stepping aside” from power in 1993, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), former Head of State and self-styled military President has, till date, refused, despite entreaties and expectations from many quarters, to give detailed explanations concerning why he decided to annul the historic June 12, 1993, Presidential elections won by the late billionaire businessman and publisher, Chief Moshood Abiola.

Except for granting interviews here and there, Babangida, who has generally spent his time in his hilltop mansion in Minna, Niger state, since leaving power, has simply not thought it fit or wise to write his memoirs and document his Presidency in a book towards clarifying the grey areas of his government while also detailing some of the reasons behind major decisions taken by his military junta. Yet, no Nigerian can doubt that he is an intelligent man who knows what he is doing.

But much more important than these, IBB, has stubbornly refused to apologise for his government’s annulment of the June 12 elections and other mistakes of his military government, and dashing the hopes of millions of Nigerians who cast their votes for Abiola, an uncommon philanthropist who connected well with the masses and one whom majority of the people believed would take the country to El Dorado.

Unfortunately, that injustice of the cancellation of the historic June 12 elections remains one of the troubles afflicting Nigeria even today!

And with a report published about 24 hours ago by THISDAY that the former military ruler is seriously ill, I believe Babangida, more than ever before, needs to tender his unreserved apology to Nigeria and Nigerians now. Delaying this would be further damage to whatever legacy history would record for him.

Although the real cause of Babangida’s illness could not be ascertained according to THISDAY, the newspaper’s source said the illness was age-related, and that IBB might be suffering from a relapse of the radiculopathy disease which has troubled him since he was head of state.

If the report is to be believed, Babangida, is now unable to walk unaided most of the time without a walking stick or the assistance of his security personnel. In fact, when he attended the valedictory dinner for former Niger State Chief Judge, Justice Fati Lami Abubakar, he was said to have been aided out of the venue before the end of the event.

Meanwhile, for those who don’t know what radiculopathy is all about, it is a medical condition caused by compression or irritation of the nerves as they exit the spine. The condition occurs when surrounding bones, cartilage, muscle, or tendons deteriorate or are injured in the body. Some of its symptoms include a sharp back pain that travels down to the foot, a sharp pain that worsens with abdominal pressure from sitting or coughing, numbness of the skin in the leg or foot, weakness and tingling in the neck and arm, or pain that worsens with neck or head movement.

Treating the disease requires comprehensive physical therapy and pain control. However, some patients don’t improve and have to go for surgery. And Babangida has gone for many of such treatments and surgeries especially overseas.

But be that as it may, on June 23, 1993, when Babangida annulled the June 12, Presidential elections despite the fact that local and international election observers had overwhelmingly described the elections as the freest and fairest ever in the country’s history, he effectively earned his place among our country’s villains.

Of course, the election was no doubt a watershed in the history of electoral conduct in the country as Nigerians voted for a Muslim-Muslin ticket not considering any religious factor. It was an exercise in which tribe and tongue, faith or primordial interests did not determine how Nigerians voted. Nigerians rose in one accord to choose who their leaders would be towards actualising a better, greater, and more prosperous country for all citizens.

Unfortunately, a cabal, a military gang of unpatriotic, ungodly and selfish generals, felt Nigerians were fools who didn’t know what was best for their country and therefore shouldn’t be allowed to determine who emerged President. They decided to override the decision of 14 million Nigerians!

And thus, IBB’s government killed the dreams of a people and dashed the hopes of a country. Yet, no reasonable excuse was given for the annulment.  And till now, none, not a single sane and sensible one! Of course, this was after he had used military quislings like Arthur Nzeribe, and his infamous Association for Better Nigeria (ABN) to prepare the ground for the national chaos they had planned.

Meanwhile, aside the June 12 annulment, I believe Babangida also needs to come clean and confess the part he played in the gruesome killing of Dele Giwa, one of our country’s most critical, colourful and brilliant journalists of his time and indeed, one of the best editors and columnists Nigeria has produced. Giwa, you will recall, was killed through a letter bomb delivered by agents of the state in his Talabi Street, Ikeja, Lagos home, on October 19, 1986.

The death of Giwa, founding editor and chief executive of Newswatch Communications as well as writer of Parallax Snaps, a much-followed weekly column which he started in Daily Times, transferred to Concord, and later Newswatch, at the time of his brutal and shocking murder, was a shocker to the country. It came just two days after he had been questioned by officials of the State Security Service (SSS).

With Giwa’s death, most journalists and indeed many Nigerians became frightened at opening their mails, especially from sources they weren’t sure of. And this was despite Babangida’s promise to the nation, in his first address, that he would defend and protect the media. Of course, the evidences in the little official investigation that was allowed before it was muddled up, pointed to state-sponsored killing. Babangida’s government has been the prime suspect of Giwa’s murder since then.

As if all these atrocities weren’t bad enough, Babangida, in a media interview he later granted, would describe himself as “evil genius” with a flourish of demonic pride and irritating arrogance. Maradona was what Nigerians dubbed him for his political dribbling and cunning.

Now, while his government remains one of the most corrupt governments ever in Nigeria, it’s a national tragedy that leaders like Babangida including the ministers of his regime have not been brought to justice. Is it that leaders in Nigeria, especially former Presidents, can’t be arrested and brought to justice for their crimes against the country like it is done in other developed climes? Is that the standard we forever want to set in Nigeria?

Interestingly, although Babangida’s sincerity and loyalty to Nigerians remains suspect, yet during his military regime, he demanded these from his officers. Indeed, after surviving two coup attempts, loyalty became part of the culture of power. The demand for, and emphasis on loyalty, was so common within the government that officials often tell one another or their friends, “I am still loyal.”

Meanwhile, despite the fact that his government still exhibited some semblance of being consultative as issues were often subjected to public debate, the use to which the final recommendations were put was another matter entirely.

While I certainly wish IBB a quick recovery and sincerely believe there are ways he might still be useful for Nigeria as a statesman, my advice to him is to start putting his house in order now and do all necessary things he needs to do to clear his conscience, meet his maker, and improve the legacy he would bequeath to unborn generations. Even if God will give him the grace of many more years, he must not waste the opportunity that now provides.

A wise man once said ‘when wealth is gone, nothing is gone. However, when health is gone, something is gone, even in midst of so much wealth.’ It’s so true.

At 75 years, Babangida is certainly getting nearer and nearer to his grave. I believe it is time for him to seriously look back and start making the necessary amends for his past errors in areas where he can, while trying to make peace with his maker. It is time, in his own best interest, he tendered an unreserved apology to Nigerians without further delay for the June 12 debacle, the Dele Giwa killing, the looting and corruption of his government, the impoverishment of Nigerians, and the disdain he continues to have for the country spectacularly demonstrated by his refusal to appear before the famous Human Rights Investigation Commission famously called Oputa Panel during the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidency. These are fundamentals among the undoing of his government and stewardship.

That is why Babangida mustn’t harden his heart to think that such apology isn’t necessary even now. It is. It remains a debt he owes. To God. To Nigerians. And to posterity. I just hope he’s man enough to eventually pay it.