‘IBB messed us up’
From TUNDE RAHEEM, Akure.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
•Ibrahim Babangida
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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General Olufemi Olutoye was compulsorily retired in 1977 by the Olusegun Obansanjo military government. Since then, the general has been living a private life. Olutoye in an interview with Daily Sun speaks on many national issues.
Excerpts:

When did you retire from the Army?
As a result of the coup that ousted Gen. Yakubu Gowon, many of my senior rank officers were retired, but I wasn’t. I was left as the most senior major-general, I wanted to go, but the late Gen Murtala Muhammed and others refused, they said the boys would not understand.

They made me a federal commissioner in Mohammed’s regime. It remained one year for me to go, but unfortunately, Muhammed was killed so I had to stay. But it took the glory of God before I was eased out by Obasanjo in 1977.

Did you participate in any coup?
No, I did not participate in any coup during my years in military service.

Why?
Because I did not believe in killing my fellow human beings, but they did invite me. For instance, I was invited to participate in the coup to unseat Gowon, but I said no. One of those boys who invited me was shocked when I said no, but I pleaded with one of my boys that there should be no bloodshed, and there was no bloodshed as promised by him.

What is your boy’s name?
That will be unfair, he is dead now, but he happened to be one of the top officers during Mohammed’s regime as a governor.

It was during Obasanjo’s regime that you were retired?
Yes, he retired me, he asked me to go.

And what was your reaction when he asked you to go?
I asked him why? Though I was not alone, I was retired along with Ibrahim Haruna and John Obada. We asked him why he retired us because we know the three conditions under which we can be retired which are; diminishing in productivity , age and in addition to your job doing something otherwise. He couldn’t respond, but in order not to be disgraced he said terms and condition of service stipulated that anybody could be discharged anytime. He never had any concrete reason for his action. To me personally, I didn’t consider it as injustice because I wanted to leave, so I have already told my family.

During Mohammed’s regime, you spent a short time, were you aware of the coup that that led to the assassination of Gen. Mohammed?
No, Mohammed and I lived very close to each other, He stayed at Bedwell in Ikoyi, I lived at Bedwell junction, we were very close. He used to go to his office from there, he never moved to the barracks.
During your service as a military officer, you said you didn’t get involved in any coup why?

Well, we belong to the old school, because I could remember when we were welcoming the prime minister, some Americans came to visit us. They asked what do we think about the possibility of a coup in Nigeria. It was as if I and Gowon rehearsed together, we said it’s impossible. That was exactly how we felt because as Army officers, we were brought up i.e. the kind of training we received was such that we never hoped nor prayed that we should participate in coup . Our duty was to support the civilian administration and not to topple. We probably had our own idea of how an administration should be run but not toppling a civilian administration.

There is this belief that it was the military that ruined the Nigerian economy, what is your view about this?
To some extent, that is true principally because the government falls into the wrong hands i.e. those people who were not knowledgeable in the act of governance. Make no mistake about it that not every soldier is ignorant of how to govern properly. Just that those who governed then were not the kind of persons that should govern.

They were good soldiers alright but were not good in the process of governing.
Soldiers who have travelled outside Nigeria to see how the military transformed their countries, like Turkey, Ghana, transformed Egypt the way Gadaffi has performed reputably in Libya. You will agree with me that not every soldier can do that in Nigeria and other countries of the world. People like Idi Amin you know very well who was not meant to govern a country and other rascals in Western Africa but its unfortunate they found themselves in position to govern their countries but they did not do well Nigeria is not the only country.

You subscribe to the idea that military was part of those that ruined the economy?
“A run Oju Ni” i.e. it’s a thing of the eye. In Nigeria, we operate two forms of leadership; dictatorship or autocratic and democratic leadership. We have experienced both and know the difference. The few leaders we have, they have done well. Take for instance Chief Awolowo, he did well, he was a democrat to the core . He wouldn’t have achieved up to that if he was a dictator. Like every dictator, they don’t believe in other people’s idea, they believe in monopoly of knowledge which we all know is not correct and that the form of our traditional leadership .

As I said, military are not trained to rule and that is why those military that have ruled lack administrative experience despite the fact that they are good military officers. Come to think of it, the Babangida administration is the most corrupt military administration in Nigeria. He bastardized all the good structures, policies and programmes laid down by Buhari-Idiagbon regime. Virtually all the dastardly acts capable of destroying the nation’s economy were allowed during Babangida’s administration. He lacks administrative experience to govern the country. Yet, he was pretending as if he was the best military ruler that was why he was calling himself military democrat.

There was no need for Babangida to topple Buhari-Idiagbon government
He should have allowed them to stay there because their programme was well defined and formulated. If IBB did not hurriedly topple their government out of inordinate ambition, the two gentlemen would have done this country good because there was orderliness. People were obeying the rule of law and they were on the verge of putting the nation’s economy to the normal shape before IBB sent them packing. They meant well and they have done their homework very well. Look at IBB, what did he do to the economy? Bastardized! And the man in 2007 was clamoring to be the president of this country.

He obtained presidential form under PDP, but he couldn’t submit the form because it dawned on him that he would be disgraced out of the system. Other military rulers who came after IBB like Abacha, Abdulsalami tried their best but the fact still remains that military are not trained to govern the country. It is an open fact that it was the military who ruined the nation’s economy because they lack sound administrative experience to administer the country.

Taking you back to Obasanjo’s regime, did he apologize after you left the government?
Yes. We have met after I left and he apologized so we had no grudge against one another. Do you have anything against him. That was his best you can’t do better than your best.

How will you assess Obasanjo’s as a civilian president?
Obasanjo is not a democrat, he pretended to be a democrat. The fact that he was elected doesn’t make him a democrat. A democrat is somebody who has people at heart. Election is not an evidence of democracy it starts from the heart. Going to church doesn’t make you a good Christian. He cannot perform more than that because he is not a democrat he is a dictator par excellence. You don’t expect such to achieve anything under a democratic form of government

How will you describe the Nigerian economy?
Right now we are just starting. We’re just picking up unfortunately those who are there won’t allow those who understand the system to perform or give them chance to try their best. They are there just to fill their pockets, that’s our problem. I heard they want to review the Constitution. Those who don’t want the Constitution reviewed are more in number than those who want it reviewed. They are benefiting from the system and want it retained, but you and I know that the Constitution needs to be reviewed based on our experience over 10 years. Most of us have travelled to countries that were in the same level with us when we gained independence e.g Indonesia, South Korea can you compare ourselves with them. They have left us behind.

With the present situation of the country, some people are clamoring that the president should resign.
I think it is unfortunate for people to say publicly because the president is ill he should resign. Is there anybody that is immuned to illness? Nobody is immune. Those people will not tolerate anybody who says, they should resign. The only thing I see that if you are ill and you are not able to carry out duty in most establishment, you can hand over to your number two to act on your behalf, that’s why one has to be careful in choosing your number two when surrendering yourself for a duty.

Some people said even if Yar’Adua resigns, they would not allow Goodluck Jonathan to take over.
Well that’s goodluck to them.

Are we not heading towards anarchy if the Vice president is not allowed to take over the mantle of leadership and don’t you foresee a military intervention?
Well, the situation has not yet come, so don’t lets jump the gun. I don’t think it may arise, unless we force it to arise, it is the people that will dictate. Most of the coups that have taken place had been civilian-inspired, you know that. Do we have any military government that civilians don’t participate in a big way. We start first of all by making them the Attorney-General. So it is you civilians that will invite those guys. If civilians don’t invite military they will not strike.

Mind you the present crop of military guys now are very intelligent, they know what is good for the country. The least qualified has a second degree and that makes a lot of difference compared to those days. Education is very important due to the role it plays in association with act of governance. The thinking faculty is very different between a university graduate and primary six holder. Things have changed, everyone of us has to sit and think in the interest of this country.

On the electoral reform, I want you to shed more light on it. There are some people who are benefiting from the contribution who don’t want the electoral reform to take place, what do you think we can do for the review to take place?
As I told you, hiding in my little pigeon hole quietly, haven’t you heard of people stealing ballot boxes even before the election started? How do you want such a person to allow the reform to take place? Can you imagine that? How do you want such a person to allow changes to take effect in the electoral system that make such disgraceful behaviour? These are the facts I want us to face squarely. If we want to practise democracy. Let’s practise true democracy. We just have to change, people must be educated and good picture of ourselves must be shown to the outside world.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/newsonthehour/2009/dec/16/newsbreak-16-12-2009-001.htm

Would buhari and idiagbo goverment make nigeria great nation?

Absolutely yes!

I totally agree, !