Never Again to Babangida!

Thursday
Feb 09th

Jonathan's Campaign Theme Is: "Never Again!"

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President Goodluck Jonathan, in denying that he had appealed to former dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, to withdraw from the 2011 presidential race, indicated that his horse whip for the Evil Genius would be to remind him of the callous annulment of June 12 elections 17 years ago with the popular theme: "Never Again, Babangida."

President Jonathan rebuked Babangida: “Since June 12, 1993, Nigerians have in successive elections become wiser. The next presidential elections, no matter who the candidates are, would sound a resonant Never Again!

“Never again shall the will of the Nigerian people be quashed underfoot by the vaunting ambitions of a few. This is what the President has promised Nigerians, and he is fully committed to delivering on this pledge.

Some national dailies had in their reports on Monday that Jonathan made the appeal at a recent meeting with Babangida. The reports also said the former miltary leader refused to accede to the President’s request. But the Presidency, in a statement by the the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ima Niboro, said the reports were “unfortunate and uncharitable.”

Although Niboro admitted that a meeting between Jonathan and Babangida took place, he explained that it (meeting) was one in a series of consultations the President has had and would continue to hold with Nigeria’s former leaders over the 2011 elections.

The statement reads, “Anyone who has even a passing acquaintance with the President knows he is not one who dissuades people from pursuing their personal ambitions.

“This is even more so when there is no purpose to be served by it, since the long suffering mass of the Nigerian people would decide who governs them in a free and fair election.

“It is, therefore, unfortunate that any self- respecting newspaper(s) should lend its pages to reporting a series of lies against the person and the institution of the presidency.

“These tales are unverified and sourced from openly interested parties. They are lies, pure and simple. The fact is that President Jonathan has been meeting different leaders on different occasions and platforms.

“Some have come to inform him of their intention to run for the presidency. Others he has met with as a matter of courtesy being a sitting President.

“He has met former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar; he has met Babangida; he has met Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, and will meet him again soon.

“He has met with a former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, a former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; another former President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari; a former Vice- President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, and another former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar.

“He will meet with even more leaders and political actors as the race to 2011 heats up. It is extremely uncharitable for anyone to spin these meetings in such negative lights, and attempt to force the President into retreat from these well- thought out engagements with political leaders of all hue and disposition in the interest of the country.

“We think it is time to put an end to this long line of false stories and verify what is served to the general public.”

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  • Drug Dealer

  • Murderer

  • Anti-Democrat

  • Corrupt to the Bone

Let's face it - we have all always suspected Ibrahim Babangida of being a drug dealer. The story of Gloria Okon, Dele Giwa's death, the burning of the Ministry of Defence and other stories are all allegedly tied to an official drug ring during IBB's regime. We researched the rumors, and this is what we found.

In an authoritative report still posted on the web site of the Canadian Parliament on the drug trade in Africa, Labrouse marks out Ibrahim Babangida, Nigeria's former self-appointed president, as one of the drug-dealing dictators in Africa. Read more

dele giwa

Dele Giwa, a journalist, was allegedly murdered on the 26 of October 1986 by the former military dictator Ibrahim Babaginda - following damning publications. Close observers of the Nigerian media feared then it was the beginning of harsh military dictatorship in the country. It was a true assessment.

Babangida refused to appear before the duly constituted Oputa panel, giving assorted reasons for his refusal. Ray Ekpu, Giwa's colleague, said: Well, the government may say that the killers have not been found but the killers are known. ...Many Nigerians agree that it was a state sponsored terrorism and that he was assassinated by the state. Read More

Nigeria's military dictatorship, led by General Ibrahim Babangida, annulled the Jun 12 presidential election and canceled plans to return the nation to civilian rule. Britain, the United States and France condemned the latest military takeover and threatened to toughen sanctions against NigeriaAbacha urged all Nigerians to forget the June 12 election.

Lagos lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi, however, said: "June 12 is a symbol of our democracy. It was a day Nigeria and Nigerians without any discrimination whatsoever united in voting Chief MKO Abiola in the freest election in the history of election in Nigeria. ... Read More

Most Nigerian leaders have been corrupt, but Ibrahim Babangida added new, historic elements to corruption. One prime example is what he did with the defunct BCCI Bank. BCCI's activities in Nigeria were so profoundly, overwhelmingly corrupt as to suggest a very significant level of corruption in Nigerian officialdom generally.

Whereas BCCI's activities in most countries merely involved corrupting a few, key people, in Nigeria the corruption was systemic and endemic, and touched nearly every operation of the bank in Nigeria. The bank was operated by Babangida and his friends, including a deposed powerful ruler in northern Nigeria. Read More