A friend of mine and I have been involved in a heated debate concerning the subject of the acheivements of Babangida's administration (1985 - 1993).

He asserts to me as follows -

"And I wish you would stop being guided by passion alone. I dont like IBB anymore than you do, but the man's administration achieved a lot. That fact does not change even if the motive was personal enrichment of himself, family, friends and cronies.

Better life for Rural women worked more than you care to think. Ask women in Kogi, Imo, Niger states. I am anticipating your response - "Mariam made billions on every ten thousand she gave "that may be so, But it still brought succour to the woman in the hinterland whose existence was hitherto unknown.

I wont vote for Babaginda (or any of his spurn), but please try and appreciate that one truth does not annihilate another truth,  "

Now i emphatically disagree with him. I am of the firm persuasion that the IBB Regime acheived exactly NOTHING in Nigeria, and that that administration virtually destroyed this country and incapacitated its structures in a manner so comprehensive that we can barely grasp the extent thereof.

I would like your views on the simple question -

- - - "Did IBB's administration record any significant acheivements for Nigeria?"

Imagine Lagos without 3rd mainland bridge
No useful project of that size has been added to this country by subsequent administration.

Great he built 3rd mainland we should give the man a cigar!
oops didn’t he legalize corruption ,not to mention allegations of drug trafficking with (what's her name again),he borrowed massively and threw us into huge debts with the IMF and world bank,but then he built 3rd mainland. There are allegations he killed Dele giwa(don’t know why he was suspected after all no one is suspecting Goodluck for the unresolved murders of journalists that have occurred this yr alone)and an entire generation of army officers on their way to JAJI.If anyone could actually evaluate the costs of IBB,s palatial mansion in Minna vis-a-vis with the cost of building 3rd mainland and also take into cognizance the amount of monies borrowed over his administration ,then u begin to understand how inconsequential building 3rd mainland was. No need to mention the failed S.A.P policies that adjusted the stomach of the masses while a few elite uniformed men and their cronies fed like fat cats. Need i mention the Pius Okigbo report on the gulf war oil windfall, nor one man’s effort at making Nigerian's sceptical of elections, after annulling the fairest election ever to be held in this nation (Nigeria has never recorded that unprecedented no of voters in all subsequent elections ,as most Nigerians lost faith in the electoral process after June 12)
Lets not make the mistake of thinking cos we are used to getting only little from our leaders that "little" is the ideal.

Of course the man achieved a lot, like, corruption, killing of nepa, nipost, nitel, murdering of citizens and mostly Killing of our electoral system. Is it not enough achievements? It is, so let us give the man a chance to rest 4eva as Yara'adua and Abacha.

Of course the man achieved a lot, like, corruption, killing of nepa, nipost, nitel, murdering of citizens and mostly Killing of our electoral system. Is it not enough achievements? It is, so let us give the man a chance to rest 4eva as Yara'adua and Abacha.

Deep Sight, I don't think I really need to repeat explicitly the kind of invectives I would use to describe your friend. I believe you already know them, please help me deliver them personally to him.

Even if his "truths" are right, an intelligent person would not judge achievements based on what is achieved alone. They will judge it on how far off the realistic optimal achievable achievements the actual achieved achievements are. [Yeah, I know that is a lot of achiev*s]

Basically, my point is, how far much better will the lives of rural women have been if Maryam Arsehole, Burn in Hell Babangida had not stolen most of the funds allocated but utilised it for its intended purpose compared to the better lives achieved with [drastically] reduced funds actually utilised to "better their lives".

Secondly, the judgement of a government's performance has to be holistic and comprehensive with far more balance of the scale being on the good side before evincing their "achievements". Otherwise a government merely sweeping one small street is a government that has "achievements".

On second thoughts, after passing my invectives to your friend, please whooze him a slap on my behalf.

I.B.B. that guy is a genius dnt know weather evil. cant tell yet.

ahmedoo:

I.B.B. that guy is a genius dnt know weather evil. cant tell yet.

What makes him a genius?

RoadStar:

Imagine Lagos without 3rd mainland bridge
No useful project of that size has been added to this country by subsequent administration.

And your point is?

@sagamite I.B.Bs next move is always unpredictable. never tot he wuld still b interested in becoming the president.4rm the look of things his drms may come true.

ahmedoo:

@sagamite I.B.Bs next move is always unpredictable. never tot he wuld still b interested in becoming the president.4rm the look of things his drms may come true.

And that is what makes him a genius? So when one is unpredictable, they are a genius? That is your criteria for genius?

And maybe you might not have thought he is interested in returning to power, so it is unpredictable to YOU, but informed people have always known this since 1992.

mohid:

Great he built 3rd mainland we should give the man a cigar!
oops didn’t he legalize corruption ,not to mention allegations of drug trafficking with (what's her name again),he borrowed massively and threw us into huge debts with the IMF and world bank,but then he built 3rd mainland. There are allegations he killed Dele giwa(don’t know why he was suspected after all no one is suspecting Goodluck for the unresolved murders of journalists that have occurred this yr alone)and an entire generation of army officers on their way to JAJI.If anyone could actually evaluate the costs of IBB,s palatial mansion in Minna vis-a-vis with the cost of building 3rd mainland and also take into cognizance the amount of monies borrowed over his administration ,then u begin to understand how inconsequential building 3rd mainland was. No need to mention the failed S.A.P policies that adjusted the stomach of the masses while a few elite uniformed men and their cronies fed like fat cats. Need i mention the Pius Okigbo report on the gulf war oil windfall, nor one man’s effort at making Nigerian's sceptical of elections, after annulling the fairest election ever to be held in this nation (Nigeria has never recorded that unprecedented no of voters in all subsequent elections ,as most Nigerians lost faith in the electoral process after June 12)
Lets not make the mistake of thinking cos we are used to getting only little from our leaders that "little" is the ideal.

I guess OBJ never borrowed.

There was no corruption at all during the tenure of OBJ, or was there any?

Fhemmmy:

I guess OBJ never borrowed.

There was no corruption at all during the tenure of OBJ, or was there any?

There is a difference between calculated borrowing of recent and the indenture borrowing that IBB entered Nigeria into.

Every government borrows but not every government borrows irresponsibly and with the intention to loot the loan.

He-He-He - IBB's Achievement ? Now that's an inscrutable oxymoron.

Sure, IBB achieved something. The only problem is that IBB's achievements are comparable to what would happen if the occupant of Aso Rock ran away and we did not know he was gone.

Beyond that, what vision do you allocate to a man who was not elected to government, arrogated all the powers of state to himself, got unprecedented cooperation from almost all quarters, but still managed next to nothing in his achievements.

IBB needs to provide explanations on many issues or "mistakes" as he likes to call them that would justify a sane person voting for him . The first would be how do you keep making "mistakes" with the destiny of more than 100 million people for 8 years.

The man needs to sit down and preserve whatever respect people may still have for him - take his place as an elder statesman, that much he may be able to get out of Nigeria. IBB's mystique is broken and we have seen his true colors, he is like an orange whose juice is gone - forever, there is only drying out left to do!

Deep Sight:

A friend of mine and I have been involved in a heated debate concerning the subject of the acheivements of Babangida's administration (1985 - 1993).

He asserts to me as follows -

"And I wish you would stop being guided by passion alone. I dont like IBB anymore than you do, but the man's administration achieved a lot. That fact does not change even if the motive was personal enrichment of himself, family, friends and cronies.

Better life for Rural women worked more than you care to think. Ask women in Kogi, Imo, Niger states. I am anticipating your response - "Mariam made billions on every ten thousand she gave "that may be so, But it still brought succour to the woman in the hinterland whose existence was hitherto unknown.

I wont vote for Babaginda (or any of his spurn), but please try and appreciate that one truth does not annihilate another truth,  "

Now i emphatically disagree with him. I am of the firm persuasion that the IBB Regime acheived exactly NOTHING in Nigeria, and that that administration virtually destroyed this country and incapacitated its structures in a manner so comprehensive that we can barely grasp the extent thereof.

I would like your views on the simple question -

- - - "Did IBB's administration record any significant acheivements for Nigeria?"

RoadStar:

Imagine Lagos without 3rd mainland bridge
No useful project of that size has been added to this country by subsequent administration.

You and IBB should be ashamed of yourselves if all you could point to as achievement after 8years in power is 3rd mainland Bridge.

His servants as at then opened grenades inside a room and locked my father inside the same room till he died that is one of his achievements,  so i will surely become an asssasion if this scumbag is elected as the nigerian present

They did the same thing to Gani Fawehinmin but he excaped,if you recall,Gani fawehinmi was diagnosed of smokers diseases when he died,imagine someone who has never smoke since he was born .

What's with you people and your obsession with this IBB guy? This is becoming disgusting!

i prefered IBB and Abacha Regime to OBJ and his sucesssor, as of IBB and Abacha Regime how much is per litre fuel and keresone, and again how much is our highest currency then ? is it not 50naira, but now what do we have during OBJ ? well i guest u guys where kids then

RoadStar:

Imagine Lagos without 3rd mainland bridge
No useful project of that size has been added to this country by subsequent administration.

1. The Third - Mainland Bridge Project predated the Babagida Administration though that administration completed its second half only.

2. Completing roads is the responsibility of every government.

3. If a Government therefore completes one road and through massive corruption and irresponsibility ensures the destruction, mutilation and non-maintenance of 100 OTHER ROADS, that government CANNOT claim an acheivement in the Road-Infrastructure sector AT ALL, as it now has a negative balance on that score. The best that can be said for such a government is that it completely failed with respect to infrastructure.

4. As Sagamite said - this line of reasoning will eventually lead us to congratulate the Yaradua Administration on the fact that road cleaners swept ONE road while he was president.

5. The legacy of corruption that IBB left Nigeria is incomparable. That legacy has ensured the siphoning of billions of dollars over the years allocated to road infrastructure. Summarily, the IBB regime is indeed the massive catalyst of the system that today ensures a dilapidated road infrastructure in Nigeria and consequently it is absolutely incongruous to single out ONE road and attempt to impose such as an "acheivement" in any terms.

What is this craze about third mainland bridge?The only info is that he opened d bridge.Not that his administration built it.Also,the country started spiraling out of control in IBB nd abacha's regime,so some people should stop lying about his regime being the best.All the institutions IBB created were only created to assasinate opponents and cover his dubious tracks.Nothing more.He messed this country up and sowed the seeds of fraud nd corruption we are seeing everyday.All because of his greed nd desperation.He is a terrible person.

Sagamite:

What makes him a genius?

We. Us. We built the cult and keep sustaining it. You only need to pay some attention to the man when he is talking to see he is no genius at all and to see how perfectly he fits the uncomplimentary description of him contained in Patrick Wilmot's book Nigeria: The Nightmare Scenario. But with a little bit of luck on his side, the "genius" picture may be the one that lives after him. It has happened to several blackguards and monsters of history. Already many educated Nigerians have shocked me with their capacity to forget what IBB stood/stands for.

MyJoe:

We. Us. We built the cult and keep sustaining it. You only need to pay some attention to the man when he is talking to see he is no genius at all and to see how perfectly he fits the uncomplimentary description of him contained in Patrick Wilmot's book Nigeria: The Nightmare Scenario. But with a little bit of luck on his side, the "genius" picture may be the one that lives after him. It has happened to several blackguards and monsters of history. Already many educated Nigerians have shocked me with their capacity to forget what IBB stood/stands for.

The cult genius folklore is a making of our utter, useless, illiterate, moronic, quack Nigerian journalists.

Sagamite:

The cult genius folklore is a making of our utter, useless, illiterate, moronic, quack Nigerian journalists.

Right. If I recall it correctly, Okey Ndibe gave us "Maradona" and Tell magazine coined "evil genius".

IBB? he killed in tons

thats a good one on his CV

Sagamite:

There is a difference between calculated borrowing of recent and the indenture borrowing that IBB entered Nigeria into.

Every government borrows but not every government borrows irresponsibly and with the intention to loot the loan.

Show me the effect of OBJ's borrowing

absolutely nothing, he institutionalised corruption
a thief and fraudster, the sooner the nigerian government probes that okigbo report, the better for nigeria

ayo84:

absolutely nothing, he institutionalised corruption
a thief and fraudster, the sooner the nigerian government probes that okigbo report, the better for nigeria

I will wait to see that probe done

Fhemmmy:

Show me the effect of OBJ's borrowing

I would be the last to defend the primitive farmer, but it is on record that his administration dealt with the nagging problem of Nigeria's $30 Billion external debt.

He was able to do this because there was a surge in global oil prices on account of the war in Iraq, amongst other factors.

There was a similar war in Iraq about 1990. That also triggered a rise in Oil prices globally. At that time IBB was the Nigerian Sovereign.

Strangely, rather than eliminate the debt with the excess, he got us further and more deeply indebted.

What does that say?

Sagamite:

Deep Sight, I don't think I really need to repeat explicitly the kind of invectives I would use to describe your friend. I believe you already know them, please help me deliver them personally to him.

Even if his "truths" are right, an intelligent person would not judge achievements based on what is achieved alone. They will judge it on how far off the realistic optimal achievable achievements the actual achieved achievements are. [Yeah, I know that is a lot of achiev*s]

Basically, my point is, how far much better will the lives of rural women have been if Maryam Arsehole, Burn in Hell Babangida had not stolen most of the funds allocated but utilised it for its intended purpose compared to the better lives achieved with [drastically] reduced funds actually utilised to "better their lives".

Secondly, the judgement of a government's performance has to be holistic and comprehensive with far more balance of the scale being on the good side before evincing their "achievements". Otherwise a government merely sweeping one small street is a government that has "achievements".

On second thoughts, after passing my invectives to your friend, please whooze him a slap on my behalf.

Fhemmmy:

Show me the effect of OBJ's borrowing

I don't work in the ministry of finance Nigeria.

What I know is that, since 1999 when Baba Iyabo took over:

- Debt is at a manageable level now, we are no more an indentured nation unlike after the end of IBB after he borrowed and then stole it
- Nigeria has progress economically, which is the reason of most borrowing (to invest, grow and be competitive), unlike under IBB where we regressed drastically
- Workers earn more since OBJ, unlike under IBB when people were pauperised and he introduced SAP to recover the economy

So I think, anedoctally at least, it is safe to say Baba Iyabo used more of the borrowings to build the nation, not prop accounts in Switzerland.

Fhemmmy:

I will wait to see that probe done

The probe has been carried out already, we only await to see a Nigerian leader who has enough liver to carry out the recommendations/prosecutions highlighted in the report.

He made corruption fashionable