12th October, 2010
A resident of Brooklyn in New York walked one day to his car and what he saw made him mad. Someone had stolen visible parts from his parked car! At home another day and still hurting from the theft, the man heard a knock on his door. To his amazement, a junkie from the neighborhood stood outside offering to sell back the very same items snatched from the car!
The man slammed the door on the thief’s face! Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, himself a junkie (yes, a power junkie), is hardly different from that thief. After presiding over grand political theft in Nigeria many years ago, he has returned, offering the fruits of larceny to a country still bruised from his misrule. Like the man in Brooklyn, we should simply shut him out! And show the world that at 50, Nigeria has matured enough to discern good from bad leaders! Unfortunately, not everyone is immune to IBB’s snake charms. Many have fallen under his spell, making him believe he can still fool Nigerians.
Babangida is quite bold with his fantasy to (mis)rule Nigeria again! Here is a man who at his age should be focused on helping the younger ones do better than he’s done in life. But no, IBB would rather get back on the political stage to reclaim glories he never really had! How can the younger generation ever flourish when people like him keep getting in the way? It is a testimony to his incompetence that up till now Babangida has not been able to groom political successors. He would rather insult us with more false promises and devious politicking designed to accentuate (and capitalise upon) ethno-regional divisions in Nigeria. Those now falling for his fairy tales should carefully review his record in office to avoid being fooled again.
What a scandal! The magnitude of IBB’s atrocities against Nigeria is matched only by the level of impunity that characterises his demeanor today. It is as if he believes he can get away with murder! I was there as a reporter when his military regime changed the law in Lagos State to stop the late Gani Fawehinmi from privately prosecuting Babangida’s minions for Dele Giwa’s murder. It is no stretch of the imagination to surmise that those foot soldiers were acting on Babangida’s orders. The facts are there in the history books, including Giwa’s last words to his son Billy, to remember that the deadly parcel-bomb came from the then military–President Babangida. Fear drove many people into silence after Giwa’s assassination. But not the late Fawehinmi who bravely fought against an illegal government bent on covering its tracks.
What of the June 12 issue which Babangida cannot wish away? How about the millions who were deprived of their votes? What is their compensation? To have the same man who stole their votes many years ago now presenting himself for election? Unthinkable! That is adding insult to injury! What a nerve! The assault on our intelligence is astronomical! Imagine a thief who has robbed you blind coming back to ask you to appoint him as a guardian of whatever is left of your plundered house? Would you agree? The shocking reality is that many Nigerians would, and are embracing this ludicrous notion.
Make no mistake about it – what happened to the votes of Nigerians on June 12 was armed robbery occurring on the political arena. It was enforced by the gun, not unlike a stickup at a bank or on the streets. The majority of Nigerians voted for a specific candidate. Disregard the reservations you may have about that candidate (and I have quite a few since I worked for him many years). Fair is fair: the man won, to go by all legitimate estimations. The natural course of action would have been to swear in MKO Abiola as the civilian president of Nigeria then. But did that happen? No! IBB had presided over an elaborate scheme to dupe Nigerians. People complain about 419ers, but the biggest of them all has been Babangida. He scammed many into believing he was sincere about allowing a thriving civilian democracy to succeed him. Maradona had succeeded in dribbling into the hearts of those that embraced his trickery.
Even after the elaborately contrived false transition to civil rule was revealed to be a mirage after Sani Abacha took over power, many still did not see through Babangida’s schemes. Today he has praise-singers who are falling over themselves to get a share of the considerable loot still under his control. Some may object to my use of the word ‘loot’ in the previous sentence. To them I say: give me a break! What is the salary of a general in Nigeria? What is the salary of a president or an ex-president? Total it all up, and tell me if you can maintain a private jet (and other extravagant displays) on that income? You say his in-law gave it to him? Oh yes, you’ve convinced me. NOT!
We know he did not invent some great contraption for which he is getting ample royalties. We know he didn’t create some superb software, or discover great treasures buried undersea. So, where does his wealth come from?
We all should challenge Babangida to prove that he is not like the junkie in Brooklyn who stole something and has now returned with what he stole, offering it back at a price to the people he stole from. The price of Babangida’s offer is the presidency of Nigeria. If enough of us agree to his price, then his dream of hoodwinking the country again would come true. Is that really what you want?
•Fred Gbeare writes from Lagos.