The-fate-of-the-june-12-perpetrators-and-mohammad-babangidas-dabble-into-an-old-wound
September 7, 2020 | News
THE FATE OF THE JUNE 12 PERPETRATORS AND MOHAMMAD BABANGIDA’S DABBLE INTO AN OLD WOUND
Picture Showing Former Military dictator, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) and ‘maverick’ politicians, Chief Francis Arthur Nzeribe
Recently, we could not help but comment on a Facebook picture post, which showed former Military dictator, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) and ‘maverick’ politicians, Chief Francis Arthur Nzeribe, with a caption: “Those who murdered June 12 are on Wheelchair. They are watching through the windows and heartbroken.” And we noted how life truly changes, and how “no condition is permanent”, according to Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. These two men were very powerful. One was once a dreadful Military Head of State, while the other was a revered, feared, highly respected and ‘maverick’ civilian politician. Though, they were very active in the military politics of this country. But today they are no longer active and nobody recognizes them any longer.
For Arthur Nzeribe, he was regarded as one of the principal actors that was used by the then Military Head of State and Government of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, to actualize the annulment of the June 12 Presidential election, which was still regarded today as one of Nigeria’s fairest, freest and credible elections in the nation’s political history. This is the same Arthur Nzeribe, the Oguta born politician from Orlu in Imo State, who was said to be a former Arms Dealer who earned for himself the epithet of ‘the maverick’ one in the nation’s political landscape. While for Babangida, he was the main actor of the June 12 Presidential annulment, and also was a key player in most of the military coups in Nigeria (July 1966, February 1976, December 1983, August 1985, December 1985 and April 1990). It was under Babangida that Nigeria experienced the most devastating economic policies that changed the trajectory path on the development of the nation. Most of his economic policies, like the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) that was powered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is said to be responsible for the downward progression of the nation’s once thriving economy. Since then, Nigeria is yet to recover from that experience.
We also reiterated the fact that the so-called ‘important politicians’ of today may not be active in few years to come. Michael Ibru was once the richest man in Africa, but now Aliko Dangote is the richest man in Africa. Those who undermine people today, do not know that they will be undermined by others in few years. Today, they hardly talk about Abiola except during June 12. But in the past, Abiola was a household name. This is a lesson Nigerian big man should always learn from. Most Nigerians forget that they will one day go out of fashion and become redundant like the two stated prominent Nigerians - Babangida and Nzeribe.
In another related development more recently, Muhammad Babangida, first son of the said former Military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, was reported to have revealed what his father told him and his brother, Aminu, after he (IBB) annulled the June 12, 1993 Presidential election. Muhammad, who is a Security Consultant, alleged that his father – Babangida, must have been compelled by some ‘external forces’ to take the decision, adding that Babangida told them that that particular action “is something that will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
According to Mohammad: “Like June 12, we all understood that it would be one of the biggest things that would remain as something that would haunt us for the rest of our lives. We understand that. But I am sure deep down, my dad would have passed on the mantle of leadership to his friend. There is no doubt about that. Yes. Like he said to me when I encountered him [IBB on the issue]. I said: why did you do this? He said, ‘Well, it’s part of governance that you don’t understand’ as a young boy at that time. So, to me, mistakes have happened, (what matters) is how you rise above those mistakes. We have learnt as a country. There have been tremendous benefits for some group of people who benefitted from that mistake, who are in the helm of affairs currently today. Because it was from that, that you saw the Southwest become so strong and is now developed to a point whereby their leader was able to create a bloc for the region where most of his protégés were in leadership positions at that time. And these were people who benefitted from the annulment of June 12.
“So, there was always the positive side of that annulment which gave rise to what we are saying today. In as much as it was a painful experience, the nation has, I think, grown out of that by now; and we have mended fences from that hurt. The president now has been able to recognize the family, he has been able to cool the tempers, and we hope from that, we should just be able to move on. That is just my position. I didn’t challenge him. He came to us, me and my brother, Aminu. Yes. We were at the (Aso Rock Presidential) Villa at the time. We were in the living room when he had done the recording. He came and he said, ‘I just annulled June 12.’ We both looked at each other and we looked at him, and said: why would you do that? And he said ‘you are too young to understand the intrigues of governance.’ And we said, but it is about you and your administration. And he said, ‘well, perhaps, this is something that will haunt me for the rest of my life.’ So, you could see that his hands were tied. He was limited. He couldn’t do what he would have wished to do. And this is probably a story most Nigerians don’t know.”
Having read what Mohammad Babangida said above, for us, no matter his explanations, or attempts to try to justify his father’s actions regarding June 12 annulment, there is no justification whatsoever that can be enough to remove the blame of June 12 from Babangida’s head. This is simply hinged on the fact that, there ought to be no amount of pressure, no matter how strong, that should make a leader who is supposed to be a custodian of the Nigerian entire populace, to ‘agree’ to take such an EVIL DECISION, which is against the trust and wellbeing of the Nigerian people. As political leaders (whether in past military or current civilian governments), it is expected that for ‘every decision you take’, such a decision should be seen to always be in the interest of the majority of Nigerians, and not ‘self’ or some selected few. That is what separates us from animals. More so, it is expected that political leaders should always TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS, especially one that had led to the death of thousands of Nigerians. Babangida, even at his old age and ridden in wheelchair, is yet to come to that point of remorse and repentance of his actions.
Though, his children cannot be held responsible for the evil deeds of their father. But Babangida has not been able to tell Nigerians why he created that evil that had led to deaths of many Nigerians? My advice is that his children should not dabble into what they did not cause because their father took the decisions he did while in government, without them. A good leader should not have acted on such an evil decision, whether he was forced or not. Babangida was the then Military Head of State, he had the ‘authority’ to say yes or no to any decision that affects the Nigerian populace. Besides, Babangida should have accepted responsibility for his evil action. It was also evident that Babangida, right from day one as the Military Head of State, he had the intention to convert his military regime/rulership to a civilian regime - using the power of the gun. Babangida, unlike other Military Head of State, styled himself as a Military President of Nigeria, which suggested that he had a mindset of ruling Nigeria for life. He remains the only past Military leader who called himself President. That is enough reason to believe that he wanted to rule Nigeria as a Military Head of State, and also as a civilian President - through the power of the gun and khaki.
This is why I will not blame his children for the sins of their father. But we advise that they should stay out of this costly and deliberate mistake of their father, and stop any sort of justification or explanation of what made IBB to do what he did. In other words, Babangida’s children should just allow sleeping dogs lie. If Babangida was forced by unseen hands, then the question is, why did he not refuse to accept the proposal of the June 12 annulment by the said unseen hands? And if possible, he should have resigned to give room for those that pushed him like the cabal did, to do the said annulment. Babangida’s children should not drag themselves to the evil actions of their father, which caused the deaths of many Nigerians, including MKO Abiola, his wife and many others. Too many evil actions were allegedly connected to their father. For example, the parcel bomb that killed Dele Giwa of the Newswatch magazine. But since they want to defend their father's action, they should as well defend the allegation of the said alleged parcel bomb that killed Dele Giwa under Babangida’s military era. We believe Babangida’s children should learn from the evil mistakes of their father, and avoid having anything to do with it.
Those in political power in Nigeria at all levels of Government, should learn from the deliberate errors of past power-drunk leaders. They should all realize that they will not be in power throughout their lifetimes. There will come a stage when they will become weak and old to fight, and their past bad decisions, brutal and evil activities will eventually turn against them. In other words, they should not undermine those they are leading.
Zik Gbemre.
October 22, 2019
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
Picture Showing Former Military dictator, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) and ‘maverick’ politicians, Chief Francis Arthur Nzeribe
Recently, we could not help but comment on a Facebook picture post, which showed former Military dictator, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) and ‘maverick’ politicians, Chief Francis Arthur Nzeribe, with a caption: “Those who murdered June 12 are on Wheelchair. They are watching through the windows and heartbroken.” And we noted how life truly changes, and how “no condition is permanent”, according to Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. These two men were very powerful. One was once a dreadful Military Head of State, while the other was a revered, feared, highly respected and ‘maverick’ civilian politician. Though, they were very active in the military politics of this country. But today they are no longer active and nobody recognizes them any longer.
For Arthur Nzeribe, he was regarded as one of the principal actors that was used by the then Military Head of State and Government of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, to actualize the annulment of the June 12 Presidential election, which was still regarded today as one of Nigeria’s fairest, freest and credible elections in the nation’s political history. This is the same Arthur Nzeribe, the Oguta born politician from Orlu in Imo State, who was said to be a former Arms Dealer who earned for himself the epithet of ‘the maverick’ one in the nation’s political landscape. While for Babangida, he was the main actor of the June 12 Presidential annulment, and also was a key player in most of the military coups in Nigeria (July 1966, February 1976, December 1983, August 1985, December 1985 and April 1990). It was under Babangida that Nigeria experienced the most devastating economic policies that changed the trajectory path on the development of the nation. Most of his economic policies, like the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) that was powered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is said to be responsible for the downward progression of the nation’s once thriving economy. Since then, Nigeria is yet to recover from that experience.
We also reiterated the fact that the so-called ‘important politicians’ of today may not be active in few years to come. Michael Ibru was once the richest man in Africa, but now Aliko Dangote is the richest man in Africa. Those who undermine people today, do not know that they will be undermined by others in few years. Today, they hardly talk about Abiola except during June 12. But in the past, Abiola was a household name. This is a lesson Nigerian big man should always learn from. Most Nigerians forget that they will one day go out of fashion and become redundant like the two stated prominent Nigerians - Babangida and Nzeribe.
In another related development more recently, Muhammad Babangida, first son of the said former Military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, was reported to have revealed what his father told him and his brother, Aminu, after he (IBB) annulled the June 12, 1993 Presidential election. Muhammad, who is a Security Consultant, alleged that his father – Babangida, must have been compelled by some ‘external forces’ to take the decision, adding that Babangida told them that that particular action “is something that will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
According to Mohammad: “Like June 12, we all understood that it would be one of the biggest things that would remain as something that would haunt us for the rest of our lives. We understand that. But I am sure deep down, my dad would have passed on the mantle of leadership to his friend. There is no doubt about that. Yes. Like he said to me when I encountered him [IBB on the issue]. I said: why did you do this? He said, ‘Well, it’s part of governance that you don’t understand’ as a young boy at that time. So, to me, mistakes have happened, (what matters) is how you rise above those mistakes. We have learnt as a country. There have been tremendous benefits for some group of people who benefitted from that mistake, who are in the helm of affairs currently today. Because it was from that, that you saw the Southwest become so strong and is now developed to a point whereby their leader was able to create a bloc for the region where most of his protégés were in leadership positions at that time. And these were people who benefitted from the annulment of June 12.
“So, there was always the positive side of that annulment which gave rise to what we are saying today. In as much as it was a painful experience, the nation has, I think, grown out of that by now; and we have mended fences from that hurt. The president now has been able to recognize the family, he has been able to cool the tempers, and we hope from that, we should just be able to move on. That is just my position. I didn’t challenge him. He came to us, me and my brother, Aminu. Yes. We were at the (Aso Rock Presidential) Villa at the time. We were in the living room when he had done the recording. He came and he said, ‘I just annulled June 12.’ We both looked at each other and we looked at him, and said: why would you do that? And he said ‘you are too young to understand the intrigues of governance.’ And we said, but it is about you and your administration. And he said, ‘well, perhaps, this is something that will haunt me for the rest of my life.’ So, you could see that his hands were tied. He was limited. He couldn’t do what he would have wished to do. And this is probably a story most Nigerians don’t know.”
Having read what Mohammad Babangida said above, for us, no matter his explanations, or attempts to try to justify his father’s actions regarding June 12 annulment, there is no justification whatsoever that can be enough to remove the blame of June 12 from Babangida’s head. This is simply hinged on the fact that, there ought to be no amount of pressure, no matter how strong, that should make a leader who is supposed to be a custodian of the Nigerian entire populace, to ‘agree’ to take such an EVIL DECISION, which is against the trust and wellbeing of the Nigerian people. As political leaders (whether in past military or current civilian governments), it is expected that for ‘every decision you take’, such a decision should be seen to always be in the interest of the majority of Nigerians, and not ‘self’ or some selected few. That is what separates us from animals. More so, it is expected that political leaders should always TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS, especially one that had led to the death of thousands of Nigerians. Babangida, even at his old age and ridden in wheelchair, is yet to come to that point of remorse and repentance of his actions.
Though, his children cannot be held responsible for the evil deeds of their father. But Babangida has not been able to tell Nigerians why he created that evil that had led to deaths of many Nigerians? My advice is that his children should not dabble into what they did not cause because their father took the decisions he did while in government, without them. A good leader should not have acted on such an evil decision, whether he was forced or not. Babangida was the then Military Head of State, he had the ‘authority’ to say yes or no to any decision that affects the Nigerian populace. Besides, Babangida should have accepted responsibility for his evil action. It was also evident that Babangida, right from day one as the Military Head of State, he had the intention to convert his military regime/rulership to a civilian regime - using the power of the gun. Babangida, unlike other Military Head of State, styled himself as a Military President of Nigeria, which suggested that he had a mindset of ruling Nigeria for life. He remains the only past Military leader who called himself President. That is enough reason to believe that he wanted to rule Nigeria as a Military Head of State, and also as a civilian President - through the power of the gun and khaki.
This is why I will not blame his children for the sins of their father. But we advise that they should stay out of this costly and deliberate mistake of their father, and stop any sort of justification or explanation of what made IBB to do what he did. In other words, Babangida’s children should just allow sleeping dogs lie. If Babangida was forced by unseen hands, then the question is, why did he not refuse to accept the proposal of the June 12 annulment by the said unseen hands? And if possible, he should have resigned to give room for those that pushed him like the cabal did, to do the said annulment. Babangida’s children should not drag themselves to the evil actions of their father, which caused the deaths of many Nigerians, including MKO Abiola, his wife and many others. Too many evil actions were allegedly connected to their father. For example, the parcel bomb that killed Dele Giwa of the Newswatch magazine. But since they want to defend their father's action, they should as well defend the allegation of the said alleged parcel bomb that killed Dele Giwa under Babangida’s military era. We believe Babangida’s children should learn from the evil mistakes of their father, and avoid having anything to do with it.
Those in political power in Nigeria at all levels of Government, should learn from the deliberate errors of past power-drunk leaders. They should all realize that they will not be in power throughout their lifetimes. There will come a stage when they will become weak and old to fight, and their past bad decisions, brutal and evil activities will eventually turn against them. In other words, they should not undermine those they are leading.
Zik Gbemre.
October 22, 2019
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes