₦airaland Forum

Building a New Ultra Modern City - Abuja

IBB realized the vision of Abuja as Federal capital city by providing its most vital infrastructure and moving the seat of government from Lagos in 1991.

Telecommunications

Mobile telecommunications, which is so commonplace today in Nigeria, was introduced as a result of the liberalization of the telecom industry by the Babangida administration, an initiative that over the years has made massive impact on the Nigerian economy.

Privatization

The privatization of the broadcast industry, the licensing of private universities and airlines; the liberalization of the banking industry, including the establishment of community banks (now micro-finance institutions), rank among his best legacies.

Economic Policy

The Babangida economic policy was predicated most importantly on the need to reverse the downward trend of the economy and arrive at a realistic exchange rate for the naira. The Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) was a necessary strategy to achieve economic recovery. It was not a capitulation to the dictates of the World Bank and IMF, but a critically-considered plan aimed at providing the platform for successfully recapturing the inflationary trend within a stipulated period of economic emergency. Deregulation, privatization and economic self reliance were key elements in the policy thrust. In the process most of the poorly-performing government-owned enterprises were sold off to private investors. The new policy also did away with the regime of import licensing which in turn allowed the entry of essential commodities into the country, thus ending the long and tiring queues, which Nigerians, for some years, had to endure for food.

Rural Development

Rural development was a very key aspect of the Babangida regime's economic plan for Nigeria. Approximately 90,857.40 kilometres of feeder road were constructed, thus opening up hundreds of rural communities to the rest of the country for the first time; electricity, water supply and improved health services reached many more rural folk than ever before. Most of those projects were implemented by DFRRI the Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure, an agency created by the Babangida administration.

Gender Equality

The Babangida administration was the first to implement a gender sensitive agenda. It created a National Commission for Women that later became the Ministry of Women Affairs. Many women were appointed to key positions in national institutions, among which was the first female vice-chancellor of a Nigerian university; and women occupied strategic portfolios in the Federal Cabinet for the first time. The Better Life for Rural Women, a programme which was anchored by the late First Lady, Hajiya (Dr.) Maryam Babangida, was highly successful in mobilizing women to rise to the challenge of economic empowerment.

MAMSER

MAMSER (Mass Mobilization for Self-reliance, Social Justice and Economic Recovery), was and still remains the best ever exercise in political re-orientation undertaken by any administration in Nigeria. Its central goal was to canvass nationwide support for the Babangida administration's Political Transition Programme and to promote self-sufficiency in the nation's economy.

Youth Employment

In order to halt the ever increasing rate of unemployment among the youth, the Babangida administration created the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in 1987. Its main task was to alleviate their suffering and provide them with the necessary skills to be self-employed. By 1997 nearly 107,000 youths had received the benefits of this initiative, and many more still do.

Consultative Government

Despite heading a military regime President Ibrahim Babangida ran the most consultative administration ever in the annals of Nigerian history. Before deciding on the IMF loan, the issue was subjected to a nationwide public debate. When the people gave a resounding NO verdict Babangida went along with their wishes and called off further negotiations. The commencement of the Political Transition Programme in 1988 was also preceded by a nationwide quest to find the right political system for the nation. Conducted by the Political Bureau to a highly enthusiastic participation by the public, the debate produced very concrete suggestions for the establishment of a more balanced and united Federation, and the key elements distilled there-from served as the template for the subsequent structural and constitutional realignment of the Nigerian nation.

National Unity

The Babangida administration, conversant with the geo-politics of Nigeria, particularly the fears of ethnic domination and marginalization, sought to correct the perceived structural imbalances of the Federation by the creation of more states. Eleven states of Nigeria, two of which were born in 1987 (Akwa Ibom, Katsina) and the latter in 1991 (Abia, Anambra, Delta, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Osun, Yobe and Taraba); and over 200 new Local Government Areas, owe their existence to this August effort.

Foreign Policy

Under the Babangida administration Nigeria demonstrated to the world its capacity to play the highest leadership role in African affairs. The formation of the West African Peace Monitoring Force, ECOMOG (a Babangida initiative), anchored by bold and heroic Nigerian troops, brought peace to war-torn Liberia and Sierra Leone, an achievement that further cemented the role of Nigeria as the great protector and promoter of international peace.

Other Notable Reforms and People-Oriented Programmes

Abrogation of Decree No 4 (Protection of Public Officers Against False Accusation Decree) 1984
Abrogation of import and export licencing regime
Dissolution of Nigerian National Supply Company
Abolition of commodity marketing boards
Elimination of price control
Reduction of import duties on newsprint
Ban on the importation of rice
Ban on importation of wheat
Establishment of the National Planning Commission
Institutionalizing Central Bank autonomy
Establishment of the Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM)
Deregulation of capital and financial markets
Establishment of the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC)
Establishment of National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND)
Abolition of fixed exchange rate for the naira
Establishment of the Peoples Bank
Licencing of more banks and finance houses
Introduction of community banking system
Introduction of bureaux de change
Establishment of stable tariff regime
Introduction of civil service reforms
Establishment of the Political Bureau and conduct of nationwide public debate on the IMF loan
Introduction of two party political system
Introduction of Open Ballot and Option A4 voting System
Introduction of Local Government Reform
Educational sector reform and the Introduction of 6-3-3-4 System
Establishment of more federal Universities and Polytechnics
Establishment of the Technical Committee on Privatization and Commercialization of Public Enterprises under which 55 public enterprises, including nine banks, were privatized through public offers on the Nigerian Stock Exchange
Reform of obsolete colonial laws; and abrogation of law making 'wandering'' an offence
Establishment of the Urban Mass Transit Progamme
Institution of the Primary Healthcare Progamme
Establishment of the National Commission for Women
Establishment of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency
Enactment of Copyright Law and establishment of Copyright Council
Allocation of oil prospecting acreages to Nigerian oil companies
Establishment of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority
Establishment of special supervised Agicultural and Industrial Credit Schemes
Establishment of the Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) and the creation of the Calabar EPZ
Conduct of the 1991 National Population Census
Establishment of the Federal Road Safety Corps
Establishment of the National Health Insurance Scheme
Establishment of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC)
Establishment Of the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), now the Niger Delta Development Commission
Establishment of the National Boundary Commission
Establishment of National Communications Commission
Establishment of the National Broadcasting Commission
Institutionalizing of the National Housing Fund
Establishment of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
Establishment of Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission
Reorganization of Nigerian Police into zonal commands
Establishment of National Guard
Reduction in the size of the military
Reorganization of security services into three arms from the former single Nigerian Security organization, i.e. State Security Service, National Intelligence Agency, Defence Intelligence Agency
Resumption of diplomatic relations with Israel
Establishment of Technical Aid Corps


Major Projects Completed


Federal Government Secretariat (Phase 1 & 11), Abuja
International Conference Centre, Abuja
Abuja International Airport (Phase 1 & 11)
The Presidential Villa, Abuja
National Assembly Complex, Abuja
The Supreme Court Complex, Abuja
Lagos Third Mainland Bridge
Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road dualization
Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri-Ore standard-gauge railway line
Digital telecommunication gateways: Lanlate (North), Enugu (East), Lagos (West)
Onne Fertilizer Plant in Rivers State
Kaduna Superphosphate Fertilizer Plant
Warri Petrochemical plant
Elesa Eleme Petroleum Refinery in Rivers State
Kaduna Petrochemical plant
The Escravos-Lagos Gas pipeline
Jebba and Shiroro hydro-electricity projects
Egbin Thermal Power Station in Lagos
Challawa Gorge Dam
Nigeria House in New York, USA
Ajaokuta Steel Plant (Phase 1)
The Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Project, Bonny
The Oso Condensate Plant in Akwa Ibom State
NNPC headquarters in Abuja
Aluminium Smelter Plant in Akwa Ibom State
NigerDock (Africa's largest dry dock), Snake Island
Nigerian Machine Tools Manufacturing Co., Oshogbo
Military cantonments, Abuja
National Intelligence Agency administration headquarters
Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company factory, Abuja

gameboyo:
Lies

aolawale025:
Truth is IBB was a very dynamic leader and he did so much. His government paraded the best people. Even Soyinka and solarin at some point. The stain of June 12 overshadowed the progress Nigeria made then

naijapips04:
cc Mynd44 let's celebrate this great leader on his birthday.

The narrative that has been pushed for so long is wrong.

surgical:
very wrong, it was because he didn't use the press effectively and people like tinubu & co who were earger to come in to do what they are doing now were using their boys to discredit him for the purpose of taking over now that they are in power how well have they feared

ayokellany:
Was it not IBB that introduced SAP into Nigeria ?
Was he not the one that truncated June 12 ?
OP continue pushing your bigoted narrative n be lick Hausa ass. We know why you are.

naijapips04:
No Nigerian Head of state/President has ever come close to achieving as much as babangida did in his 8 year rule.

It amazes me how we chose to overlook all of these and focus on the one bad thing he did, which others before and after him have done worse.

Have a look for yourself at this achievements and tell me any Nigerians leader that has achieved as much.

Happy Birthday to you Sir!

Participation in the Nigerian counter-coup of July 1966

Babangida, then a lieutenant with the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron in Kaduna, was one of the many officers of northern Nigerian origin who staged what became known as the Nigerian Counter-Coup of 1966 which resulted in the death of Nigeria's first military Head of State, General Aguiyi Ironsi (who had taken power in another coup earlier that year), and his replacement with General Yakubu Gowon.

naijapips04:
You know that SAP stopped the food queue that buhari introduced right?

Shukuakukobambi:
And started the decline of the Naira and destruction of the middle class. Always make your history lessons complete bro

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/theres-a-lot-more-to-learn-from-ibbs-sap-than-meets-the-eye/

naijapips04:
No bro that was the crash in the price of oil not SAP. Here's a true narrative of what actually happened. Dont let Tinubu misinform you with unfounded myths.

Shukuakukobambi:
SAP is an IMF requirement for the loan IBB needed and it came with currency devaluation.

Oil crashed in 1982 which is what caused the FX cash crunch that led buhari to think wrongly that he could stem it with such control. Anyway, essential commodities politics started under shagari. Ask about umaru dikko and his import license racket.

You're dreaming of and are obsessed with tinubu. He's irrelevant here

naijapips04:
The Naira was already devalued even before SAP. The value it had was ephemeral and not a true reflection of it's worth in the Market. SAP exposed the Naira for what it was and IBB truly had no choice.

Shukuakukobambi:
now you're coming.

So IBB had no choice? but Buhari and Osinbajo had a choice after the crash of oil from a high of $115/barrel to $26/barrel as a new govt?

You admit the oil crash of the early 80's started the problem. why don't you accept this same reason now despite Iweala's well documented warning of 2013?

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/138723-exclusive-okonjo-iweala-opens-up-says-nigeria-economy-in-danger.html

naijapips04:
So now that the oil price have improved, has the value of the Naira improved?

Remember this is about IBB not Buhari.

SternProphet:
How can anybody try to whitewash IBB of all people?. This fear of Buhari is just too much, people just want to fling anything at him and run.. Fayose stone is over, Saraki stone don start, after they may try IBB.

IBB is a thief, an agent of foreign interests, election annulled, journalist killer and retired drug smuggler. If you want to finish the little support that PDP has in the SW keep praising IBB. Your party will carry so much failure in 201o, they will only earn enough votes to secure fourth place below SDP and APGA.

Shukuakukobambi:
the oil price also recovered under IBB with the gulf war oil windfall. Did the Naira come back?

Buhari is not an economic guru. My only grouse is your attempt to paint IBB as one because he's also a failure on the economy just like buhari

And yeah, you're right. This is about IBB's birthday, not buhari

naijapips04:
we can argue back n forth on his economic policies, but one thing you can't take from him is his massive reforms and infrastructural milestones most of which stands to this day.

Shukuakukobambi:
You have a point on infrastructure but remember he spent 8 years as a military president with no NASS to go beg every year to pass a budget? With no defection drama and other shenanigans of democratic life.

Buhari can only be judged until after 8 years and if what Amaechi and Fashola are currently doing is anything to go by, he might equal or surpass IBB altogether

naijapips04:
with what we are seeing right now, with no single project you can point to that has been started and finished by this admin in 4 years, giving them another 4 years would be massively stupid.

Guess how long it took IBB to start and complete the entire length of the 3rd mainland bridge?

Blessed200016:
That one na human being

Shukuakukobambi:
Imagine if IBB had come in and instead of starting some new projects, he had instead completed the Ajaokuta steel complex. Imagine the Aladja steel complex started by a previous govt being completed. the Oshogbo, katsina and Jos mills receiving feedstock from a completed Ajaokuta and Aladja. How many 3rd mainland bridges could we have built eventually? How many Niger bridges, power plants and thousands of jobs could have been created.

Buhari is continuing on the projects he met and i think it's better than starting new projects he might not finish. In fact, you've sworn he would not come back so let him finish those GEJ, Yar'adua and OBJ abandoned before 2019 so Atiku or RMK or Tambuwal or Lamido or whichever abok! gets the ticket to Aso Rock can come start new projects

naijapips04:
if you are making this statement while plying the 3rd mainland or Onitsha-Asaba bridge everyday, then you are a hypocrite.