By Tife Owolabi
Reconciliation is indeed a noble pursuit, especially when one’s time on this earth is drawing to a close. It’s a chance to reflect on past mistakes, make amends, and seek forgiveness. However, when it takes 32 years to acknowledge a grave error, like the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, one can’t help but question the sincerity of the regret.
Former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida’s memoir, “A Journey in Service,” reveals his side of the story, but the truth, though partial, comes across as a weak attempt to salvage a tarnished legacy. His claim that he was unaware of the annulment’s announcement and that late ex-President Sani Abacha was then his chief of defence staff was the mastermind behind the plot raises more questions than answers.
The annulment of that historic election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest, had far-reaching consequences, setting the country’s democracy back by decades. Today’s governance crises can be traced back to that fateful decision.
In the wake of the crisis, Babangida had stepped down as president in August 1993 and installed an interim government, led by Ernest Shonekan, which Abacha would remove from power in November 1993 where Abacha later clamped MKO Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) the winner the election into detention for declaring himself president.
Babangida, who did a national broadcast on June 24, 1993 to officially announce the annulment of the election, said Abacha had become a major force in a “factionalised” military and it was difficult to remove him when he stepped down from power.
Again, I can’t but wallow in disbelief. That it took him thirty -two years to come up with a hogwash and watery memoir when the main accuser is not alive to defend himself or provide a counter-narrative. Again, I am appalled that some people also adored IBB so eloquently and bestowed him as a statesman. How and why?
Can we truly consider IBB a statesman, given his role in undermining Nigeria’s democratic progress? The dictionary definition of a statesman emphasizes wisdom, experience, and skill in governance. Unfortunately, IBB’s actions have left a legacy of destruction and regret, earning him the title of “self-proclaimed sage” whose actions betrayed wisdom.
IBB is a classic example of throwing away the baby and the birth water! He’s like a man who plants an apple tree for a village to enjoy, but when the tree matures and the fruits are ripe for the picking, he sets it ablaze. The fire not only destroys the tree but also killed those who eagerly awaited its fruit. What is the wisdom in managing the state has the man demonstrated? But I am not surprised by those who celebrate IBB as Dele Farotimi succinctly puts “To die for a people devoid of memory, is to be killed over and over, again and again. In a place inhabited by the conscious, IBB would not dare to show his face in public. But in the crime scene that doubles as our country, having been succeeded by even more villainous ruiners, Badamasi is installed in the seat of the statesman.”
So, In the end, those celebrating the hilltop, jab-tooth and evil genius may be right because people today celebrate Aldof Hitler, King Leopold II and the great Lawrence Anini. If someone annulled most adjudged freest and fairest election and many people died as a result of that and we still described him as a statesman then we should apologize to notorious Anini and his comrades.
Also, this doesn’t mean there were no positive accounts during his regime but the negative outweighs the positive. The good book says “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning”. He didn’t end well. His journey epitomes diss and he wasn’t brave enough to add dis to his service. IBB is a self-proclaimed sage whose actions betrayed wisdom, leaving a legacy of destruction and regret!
In conclusion, IBB’s memoir and belated apology are too little, too late. His legacy remains tainted by the annulment of the June 12 election, and his actions continue to undermine Nigeria’s democratic progress.
Tife Owolabi is a Development Studies researcher and writes from Yenagoa, Bayelsa state
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