Never Again to Babangida!

Former military ruler, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, is fighting hard to make himself appealing by launching a book crafted to change public opinion about how he misruled Nigeria. His stooge is the Director of the Centre for Democratic Development, Research and Training, Dr. Abubakar Mohammed, who hepled write the book titled: "Impressions And Facts About IBB’s Govt: 1985-1993." The book captures the events in the Babangida government, with a clear intention to make the outcome of the regime better than it was.  The event was largely avoided by notable invitees.

According to the author, some of the impressions of the IBB regime are mere fantasies and the purpose of the book, therefore is not just to go beyond the myth of ‘Maradona’; evil genius and institutionalization corruption which IBB is credited with, but to unambiguously state the facts as they are.

Saddique maintained that the book is not a biography or autobiography but a study and research on the government he headed, adding that the book is purely without any input from IBB and that he has presented issues as they are, explicitly stating both the rights and wrongs of the regime.

While defending the allusion that the idea behind the book was to kick start the process of cleansing the perceived “dirty image” of the retired General, Saddique stated that the book is the first in the series that will also in the future carry out studies on the regimes of other leaders before and after the IBB’s. This notwithstanding, there are however, arguments as to why the author started the supposed series with the regime of IBB as against those before him. The conclusion, to observers is that the book was deliberately released to coincide with the presidential bid of the General.

Eminent personalities  failed to turn up as expected at the book launch. Governors, ministers, traditional rulers, top business men and many others personalities across the country shunned the event expected to boost IBB’s political campaign and public rating.

However, Chief Tony Eze the chief launcher, a big time businessman during the military era donated N10 million in support of the book entitled: "Impression and Facts: Nigeria under General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, 1985-1993."

Notable personalities present other that IBB himself included former Inspector General of Police, Alhaji M. D. Yusuf and former Information Minister, Chief Alex Akinyele.

The Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris and his counterpart in Katsina sent representatives to the ceremony that was attended by scores of not-too-privileged Nigerians. The book launch was held at the International Conference Centre in the federal capital city.

Academia and members of some civil society groups contributed to the nine-chapter, 342-page book edited by Mr. Abubakar Siddique Mohammed, the Director, Centre for Democratic Development, Research and Training, Zaria.

According to the editor, the book is an effort to analyze facts and re-assess events of the IBB era that many critics have deliberately misconstrued while others fail to appreciate or understand them.

"With such warped impressions, a rational review and assessment to establish exactly where we are coming from, and why, and where we are going, and why, is just impossible. With the political leadership of the past reduced to either demons, or angels, saints or sinners, the good and the evil, a balanced, rational and realistic assessment of this past is made very difficult".

"Society just flounders around and sinks into recriminations and denunciations, which serve no useful purpose in grasping what actually happened in the past, in mastering the present and developing the capacity for determining the future", he added.

He added that the myths created around Babangida and other military leaders could only divert attention from their genuine achievements.

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