13 February 2018
Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, why did you nullify the first, freest and fairest election in Nigeria held in June 12, 1993 and set Nigeria backward by aeons?
We might tolerate OBJ's letter because his second coming in 1999 was also a fallout of the the mess you created in June 12. The power cabal that existed then were shopping for a palliative to assuage the Yorubas for your ignominious role in the entire June 12 debacle. You talked about raising a younger generation of leaders for Nigeria, what happened to the cream of young men and women dubbed new breed politicians who were elected as LGA chairmen, States and National Assembly men and women? 30 state governors who were anxiously waiting for a President in June 12, 1993 but were left in the lurch when you woke up the next day to declare that election inconclusive paving the way for its nullification.
During your reign, You assembled the best brains in the country and sought for a road map out of the many problems we were embroiled in. Politically you recommended a two-party system that we are still trying to mimic presently. We salute your ingenuity and foresight but you muddled up everything when you cancelled that historic election.
Babangida had it been you had allowed that Democratic dispensation to come into fruition you would have written your name in gold as one of the best thing to HAVE ever happened to Nigeria. But alas, you did not. Instead you elected to deceive kindergartens today by “maradonically” writing a hackneyed missive telling us what we already know. Ete you lack the moral justification to do that.
You owe Nigerians tons of explanations on June 12. Until you do just that you have no right to be a judge in our matters. If you had no plan for Nigeria you would have allowed Buhari and Idiagbon to manage the system the way it was and not to take us for a long pony ride for eight unbroken years only to abandon us in a cul-de-sac.
Most of the charade and shenaniganism that hounded us like an incubus after June 12 impasse would have only belonged to the realm of imagination if you had done the needful. We would have been spared the horrors of bloodbaths resulting from the many June 12 protests in Lagos. We would have been spared the death of Chief MKO. Abiola in 1998 whose demise sparked off another round of bloodletting in Lagos and reprisal attacks in Kano.
Babangida should hide himself in shame. It is only in a country like Nigeria where people have short memories that a Babangida can write thrash and people begin to fall for it.
Emmanuel Jimmy
Is a University don