General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB), the former military president of Nigeria, has explained why it took him three decades to speak about his administration as Nigeria’s military leader. The former military president made this disclosure at the prologue of his autobiography, ”A Journey in Service.”
Babangida, in his book, admitted for the first time that M.K.O. Abiola is the actual winner of the election, but his government annulled the poll. …CONTINUE READING
The former military president said he had allowed time to pass, so that he and his generation can reflect on his government and compare it with the present ones.
Recalled that the memoir was launched on Thursday, February 21, where the former president also held a fund raising for his IBB Presidential Library Project in Minna, the Niger state capital.
For the first time in 32 years after the annulment of the poll, Babangida agreed that the late M.K.O. Abiola, who was generally believed to be winner of the election, actually won Nigeria’s adjudged best general election.
Babangida’s admittance of the credibility of the election has been criticised and condemned by several Nigerians who believed it was too late for the retired military general to seek forgiveness after 32 years.
However, the former military president in the prologue of the book explained that he allowed time to pass so that the generation that witnessed his days in office would have the opportunity to reflect on the issue and also compared his government to the new one.
According to the former military boss, “three decades is a generous allowance” to give room for all concerned Nigerians to reflect on the matter and his activities in office. He said the three decades would also allow the younger generation to relate with his time and a contributor to Nigeria’s history.
The prologue reads in part:
“I have allowed time to pass. Three decades is a generous allowance. It was necessary to allow a cooling-off period so that the generation that witnessed our days in office would have had time to reflect, to experience other administrations, and be in a position to situate our contributions correctly. It has also been time enough to allow a new generation, those now in their twenties and early thirties, to relate to our tenure as part of national history.”
