All that Babangida, (nicknamed IBB), has to show for his over eight years in power in Nigeria, is private colossal wealth, and the edification of corruption in our body politics. Yes, he is richer than many African governments and can buy who ever he wants, but he ruined our lives to reach there. 

The book, The Sink, by Jeffrey Robinson, an American writer, says it all about Babangida. “Of the $120 billion siphoned out of the Nigerian treasury into offshore accounts by dishonest politicians, $20 billion is allegedly traceable to IBB directly as president from 1985 to 1993.”  The World Bank and other international sources of information put his total loot from the Nigerian treasury at over $35 billion.

 He is now threatening to use a fraction of his loot to return to power and a figure of N400 billion has been mentioned by his cronies as his campaign chest.  We ought to be worrying now about how to survive this viper’s poisoned food. We are desperately hungry but if we eat, we die immediately. If we don’t, we die slowly from hunger anyway, terrorized by the viper’s fang. We are trapped.  We can’t get up to look elsewhere for food or do anything else.  The evil genius has hijacked our destiny.

 

Fortunately, there are still principled, conscientious and patriotic Nigerians, determined that if they must die, it must not be without a fight.  Babangida would not return to rule over one Nigeria.  If he does, lovers of Nigeria would, at least, make Nigeria ungovernable for him, failing which, they would emigrate.  I would definitely renounce my citizenship of Nigeria if nothing else.

 

The Yoruba have a proverb about: ‘a person about to be roasted, who rubs his body with fat and goes to stand by a raging fire.’ This must have influenced the following remarks on IBB by our popular human rights lawyer/activist, Mr. Femi Falana: “I am not quite sure that Nigerians can stop him from exposing himself to ridicule.  He has been lucky that he is not in jail now.  His coming out to contest will provide an opportunity for Nigerians to deal with him squarely and confront him with the annulment of June 12 election, the murder of Dele Giwa, the Ejigbo tragic plane crash, the destruction of our values as a people, corruption, and massive violation of human rights.”

 

M. D. Yusufu, a former Inspector General of police said in Karl Maiers book, This House has fallen, that: “Babangida went all out to corrupt society.  Abacha was intimidating people with fear.  With him gone now you can recover.  But this corruption remains and it is very corrosive to society.”

 

Professor Akin Oyebode of the University of Lagos law department describes IBB’s attempt to return to power “as a colossal assault on the national psyche.  At the end of the debate on the IMF conditionalities, he clamped on SAP, which was more draconian than the IMF conditionalities.  Because he has a 50-bedroom house at Minna, he thinks the world is his oyster.  He latches on the popular yearnings to launder his image.  He has dirty rotten underwear that he wants to clean so that people will give him a new improved IBB.  IBB is a bad statement to the whole world that at the end of the day we again brought Babangida to the scene.  I don’t want my children to live under Babangida.  I won’t live under Babangida.”

If all he could deliver, as a young man was to loot our treasury dry, what is he bringing to the table now?  He does not even have the basic education or the intelligence.  To be an expert at maneuvering a people and their treasury does not demonstrate intelligence as much as lack of moral fiber and self-discipline.   Babangida is an empty barrel midget, robed in threatening vulgar giant frippery of evil exploits.

He lacks respect for democracy and worth of human life.  He killed Dele Giwa.  He closed down Ogun state radio; Concord, Guardian, Punch and Sketch newspapers; Newswatch and News magazines, during his time.  He treated with contempt the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa led Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission (HRVIC), when summoned to answer charges on the murder of Dele Giwa.  He also rushed to the court to prevent the implementation of the report of the Commission as it affected him.

Perhaps he wants to come back to rule so that he can retire with the biggest loot in history?  But according to the book: The Sink, and  International anti-corruption agencies reports, he has achieved that status already so why does he not want to leave us alone?

Speaking obliquely a few months ago in Babangidaspeak, he threatened that when he would speak on the June 12 annulment issue, Nigeria would shake to her foundations.  In an interview in late May, 2004, on Channels TV, Babangida spoke on the June 12 issue, and no feathers were ruffled.  Instead, Babangida admitted toothy smile and all, that he made a mistake but that he did it in the interest of Nigeria.

That was the same argument Mariam Abacha used when asked about her husband’s loot stashed away in his foreign accounts.  She said her husband was saving the money for Nigeria. On hindsight, we got some of the money back didn’t we?  That is more than can be said about Babangida’s loot and the political turmoil he plunged Nigeria into since his selfish, irresponsible, June 12 annulment.

On why Babangida ignored all pleas not to kill Mamman Vasta, the master dribbler said that Vasta’s death was a painful decision for him, but that he had no choice in the matter, because he was following military rules, and he did it in the national interest.  But Vasta, his fellow infantry soldier and childhood friend, was hurriedly killed and his body dumped in a mass grave on the night of the announcement of his sentence, (i.e. early morning of 5th March 1986), to prevent last minute pleas for reprieve.  Acid was poured on the bodies, including Vasta’s and burnt, so one must ask, was the rush to kill Vasta and burn his carcass sanctioned too by the military laws?  The whole thing smacks of envy, apart from being hideous and barbaric. Babangida used the phantom coup allegation to remove or marginalize the Middle Belt military top brass in his government.

Babangida said that he brought Obasanjo back to power to stabilize the polity.  What he was not telling, was the apparent deal between the two of them not to probe each other in power.  Otherwise, why would Obasanjo ignore the bigger rogues to vigorously pursue the return of Abacha’s loot of a mere US$5 billion relatively?

Babangida on the Channels‘TV interview said he wants to return to power to correct Nigerian problems because he has been there before.

The man has no shame.  Our most critical problem as a people is the rampant and systematic looting of our treasury by our successive leaders. Babangida was no exception, and he is being accused of the biggest loot of all, so, is he now saying that he wants to voluntarily refund whatever he is being accused of diverting from our coffers while in power?  I have written personally to him before to do this, and he did not answer.  He does not have to return to power to help Nigeria pay off her staggering foreign debt.

In a country of over 140 million people, what makes Babangida think he alone deserves to rule for perhaps seventeen or more years?  What is he bringing to the table now if he never had it in the first place? Don’t we deserve better than our past illiterate leaders who could not differentiate between the national and their private purses?

http://www.saharareporters.com/article/general-ibrahim-badamosi-babangida-evil-candidate

No shaking. His evil wings have been clipped. It has just dawned on him that Naija has advanced and not like those days. Henceforth, he will be forced to respect Nigeria and Nigerians.