IBB @ 82: A SOLDIER AND A STATESMAN: HIS ACHIEVEMENTS AND FAILURES
IBB @ 82: A SOLDIER AND A STATESMAN
HIS ACHIEVEMENTS AND FAILURES
Babangida attended Government College Bida from 1957 to 1962.
Some of his classmates who later became his colleagues in the military were Abdulsalami
Abubakar, Mamman Vatsa, Mohammed Magoro, Sani Bello, Garba Duba, Gado Nasko and
Mohammed Sani Sami.
Babangida joined the Nigerian Army on 10 December 1962 and
attended the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna.
Babangida became a commissioned officer (Second Lieutenant)
on 26th September 1963 with Army Number.
While at the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron in Kaduna, Lieutenant
Babangida witnessed the events of the bloody coup d'état of 1966, which
resulted in the assassination of Sir Ahmadu Bello.
Babangida took part in the July
counter-coup led by Murtala Mohammed which ousted General Aguiyi Ironsi
replacing him with General Yakubu Gowon.
In 1968, he became commander of
the 44 Infantry Battalion which was involved in heavy fighting within Biafran
territory. In 1969, during a reconnaissance operation from Enugu to Umuahia,
the battalion came under heavy enemy fire and Babangida was shot on the right
side of his chest.
He was then hospitalized in
Lagos, and was given the option of removing the bullet shrapnel, which he
refused and still carries with him.
After the war in 1970 Babangida
was posted to the Nigerian Defence Academy as an instructor.
In 1973, he was made commander of
the 4 Reconnaissance Regiment.
In 1975, he became the commander
of the Nigerian Army Armoured Corps.
Colonel Babangida as Commander of
the Armoured Corps was a key participant in the coup d'état that ousted Yakubu
Gowon in 1975.
Babangida tasted power as one of
the youngest members of the Supreme Military Council from 1 August 1975 to
October 1979.
Colonel Babangida single-handedly
foiled the coup d'état of 1976 that resulted in the assassination of General
Murtala Mohammed by taking back control of the Radio Nigeria station from the
main perpetrator, Lieutenant Colonel Buka Suka Dimka.
Babangida was the Director of
Army Staff Duties and Plans from 1981 to 1983.
With support from his close
associate and businessman Moshood Abiola, Babangida facilitated the coup d'ètat
of 1983 which led to the overthrow of the Sheu Shagari-led Second Republic and
brought in General Muhammadu Buhari as military head of state from 1983 to 1985.
Babangida was promoted and
appointed as Chief of Army Staff and member of the Supreme Military Council.
Babangida led a group officers to
overthrow Buhari which included Sani Abacha, Aliyu Gusau, Halilu Akilu, Mamman
Vatsa, Gado Nasko, and younger officers from his days as an instructor in the
military academy.
While Buhari’s second in command,
General Tunde Idiagbon, was out of the
country on pilgrimage four Majors: Sambo Dasuki, Abubakar Dangiwa Umar, Lawan
Gwadabe, and Abdulmumini Aminu were detailed to arrest Buhari. Babangida was
announced as the new commander-in-chief in a radio broadcast by General Sani
Abacha. Babangida justified the coup in
a speech describing General Muhammadu Buhari's military regime as "too
rigid".
Muhammadu Buhari was placed under house
arrest in Benin until 1988.
Babangida assumed the title of
President and established the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) as the highest
law-making council, serving as Chairman.
He established the State Security
Service (SSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and Defence Intelligence Agency
(DIA).
General Babangida convoked the Nigerian Political Bureau
of 1986 to “Review Nigeria’s political history and identify the basic problems
which have led to our failure in the past and suggest ways of resolving and
coping with these problems."
Between 1983 and 1985, under
Buhari, the country suffered grave economic crisis.
In 1986, Babangida launched the
Structural Adjustment Program (SAP), with support from the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, to restructure the Nigerian economy. In
1987, Babangida launched the Mass Mobilization for Self Reliance, Social
Justice and Economic Recovery (MAMSER), following a recommendation from the
Political Bureau, to increase self reliance and economic recovery.
The cardinal programmes included
·
Deregulation of the agricultural sector to
include abolition of marketing boards and elimination of price controls
·
Privatisation of public enterprises
·
Devaluation of the Nigerian naira to improve the
competitiveness of the export sector
·
Relaxation of restraints on foreign investment
put in place by the Gowon and Obasanjo governments during the 1970s
·
Re-orientation of Nigerians to shun waste and
vanity, promoting economic recovery
·
Shedding all pretenses of affluence in their
lifestyle and promoting self-reliance
·
Propagating the need to eschew all vices in
public life, including corruption, dishonesty, electoral and census
malpractices, ethnic and religious bigotry, promoting social justice.
Babangida finished the construction of the Third Mainland
Bridge, the largest bridge on the continent at the time.
His administration completed the duplication of the
Kaduna-Kano highway and the Shiroro Hydroelectric Power Station.
He had the Toja Bridge in Kebbi constructed.
He also created the
Jibia Water Treatment Plant and the Challawa Cenga Dam in Kano.
Babangida also founded the Federal Road Safety Corps in
order to better manage the national roads.
Babangida created two states: Akwa Ibom State and Katsina
State on 23 September 1987.
On 27 August 1991, Babangida created nine more states: Abia,
Enugu, Delta, Jigawa, Kebbi, Osun, Kogi, Taraba and Yobe bringing the total
number of states in Nigeria to thirty.
Babangida increased the share of oil royalties and
rents to states of origin from 1.5 to 3 percent. Babangida and his Ministers of
the Federal Capital Territory led by Mamman Vatsa, Hamza Abdullahi and later
General Gado Nasko, led the regime's relocation of the seat of government from
Lagos to Abuja on 12 December 1991.
On the international scene Babangida supported the anti-apartheid
struggle in South Africa and involved Nigerian troops in the Liberian Civil
War. He hosted the Abuja Treaty which gave rise to the African Union and
enhanced relations with the United States and United Kingdom.
Babangida was the second Nigerian leader after Yakubu Gowon to
pay a state visit to the queen of England.
In 1989, Babangida, leaning on one of the reccommendations of
the Political Bureau started a transition programme for the Third Nigerian
Republic. A two-party system with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and
National Republican Convention (NRC) was instituted. In November 1991, after a
census was conducted, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) announced on 24
January 1992 that both legislative elections to a bicameral National Assembly
and a presidential election would be held later that year. A process of voting
was adopted, referred to as Option A4.
This process advocated that any candidate needed to pass
through adoption for all elective positions from the local government, state
government and federal government.
The 1992 parliamentary election in which the Social
Democratic Party (SDP) won majorities in both houses of the National Assembly
went well.
On 7 August 1992,Babangida annulled the 7 August
presidential primaries in which Shehu Yar'Adua emerged as the SDP presidential
candidate and Adamu Ciroma as the NRC candidate in order to get rid of the old
guard in both parties.
In January 1993, Babangida rejigged the ruling military
junta – the AFRC – replacing it with the National Defence and Security Council,
as the supreme decision-making organ of the regime.
On 12 June 1993, the presidential election was finally held.
The results though not officially declared by the National Electoral Commission
– showed the duo of Moshood Abiola and Babagana Kingibe of the Social
Democratic Party (SDP) defeated Bashir Tofa and Slyvester Ugoh of the National
Republican Convention (NRC) by over 2.3 million votes.
The elections were later annulled by military head of state
General Babangida, citing electoral irregularities. The annulment led to
widespread protests and political unrest.
The lingering June 12 crisis led to the resignation of
General Babangida in August 1993. Babangida signed a decree establishing the
Interim National Government led by Ernest Shonekan.
As interim president, Shonekan initially appointed Abiola as
his Vice President.
Abiola refused to recognize the interim government and the
crisis lingered for months culminating in the seizure of power of General Sani
Abacha.
From his hilltop residence in Minna, Babangida has
cultivated a patronage system which cuts across the entire country. In 1998,
Babangida was instrumental in the transition to democracy.
Babangida is one of the founders of the Peoples Democratic
Party alongside other prominent military generals such as Aliyu Mohammed Gusau.
They were said to have supported General Olusegun Obasanjo in the 1999 Nigerian
presidential election in order to springboard themselves back to power.
On 8 November 2006, General Babangida picked up a nomination
form from the Peoples Democratic Party headquarters in Abuja. Babangida later
withdrew his candidacy citing "moral dilemma" of running against
Umaru Yar'Adua, the younger brother of the late General Shehu Yar'Adua, and General
Aliyu Mohammed Gusau.
In September 2010, Babangida officially declared his
intention to run for the presidency in the 2011 presidential election in Abuja,
Nigeria.
He was later urged by his military inner circle to withdraw
his candidacy after the October 2010 Abuja bombing. President Goodluck Jonathan
later emerged as the PDP presidential candidate and throughout his presidency
sought counsel from Babangida and his military inner circle.
Since 2015, following the election of his long-time rival
General Muhammadu Buhari as President, Babangida has maintained a low profile.
In 2017, Babangida had a corrective surgery.
Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida is considered a foremost elder
statesman.
ACHIEVEMENTS
OF THE BABANGIDA ADMINISTRATION
The Babangida regime abrogated the unpopular decree No 2 and
then reorganized the Nigerian security system.
The structural Adjustment programme (SAP) was introduced to restructure
the economy.
There was commercialization and privatization of many
parastatals in order to enhance their efficiency and productivity.
The regime established the peoples Bank and community Bank
to help the poor in both urban and rural areas.
The programme “Better Life for Rural women” was established
to improve the lot of women.
FAILURES OF
THE BABANGIDA ADMINISTARTION
The regime was characterized by a high level of indiscipline
and corruption.
During this regime, incidents of hard drugs pushing by
Nigerians became rampant.
Most of the bodies established and generously funded by the
Babangida regime later became avenues for the self-enrichment by a few e.g.
DFRRI, MAMSER and peoples’ bank.
There was little respect for popular opinion. The regime took
IMF loan and swallowed $12.8 billion United States dollars realized during Gulf
war between USA and Iraq.
The regime annulled the June 12th 1993 presidential election
believed to have been won by late business Mogul Bashorun MKO Abiola.
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