Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has lamented what he described as “troubling display of bigotry and ethnocentric divisions in our nation.” Atiku stated this in his celebration of the former military president, Ibrahim Babangida.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
He said what Babangida pursued a head of state was a Nigeria where ethnicity had no place and common good of the country was the main goal.
The former vice president said “It is a rare quality to possess a personality that captivates the attention of all who encounter it.”
He said in a statement he released on his X handle Saturday morning, “For General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, the allure of his name and his hospitable demeanour distinguish him as a unique statesman. IBB’s distinguished military career and his role as a politician who embraced inclusive politics are defining aspects of his enigmatic persona.”
He said in an era overshadowed by “the divisive forces of ethno-religious prejudice in our national politics,” IBB serves as a reminder of the importance of striving for unity in diversity.
He argued that while some Nigerians have compared Babangida to Niccolo Machiavelli, Atiku said “I hold a contrasting view.”
He said Babangida is only “a strategic thinker” adding that he believes that the IBB administration pursued altruistic goals in its moral quest for a nation where our diversity could be effectively managed through a shared commitment to unity.
“IBB’s federalist orientation is evident in the composition of his administration. Today, unlike in the past, we witness the troubling display of bigotry and ethnocentric divisions in our nation, with individuals in positions of authority often promoting such divisive behaviours.
“Regrettably, contemporary politics has become polarized as some politicians hold the misguided belief that power must be pursued at any cost. As we commemorate General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida on his 83rd birthday, let us reflect on our values regarding national unity and the promotion of Nigeria as a nation where primordial tendencies have no place for growth.
“It is the desire for such a rebirth that I am again calling on opposition political parties in the country to come together and make our democracy worth its name.” he concluded
Babangida seized power in 1985 as a military man, transmuting to a military president later.
He would later organise an election to usher in a democratic government in 1993; an election that was marred by annulment.
The political crisis that followed that annulment led to his stepping aside giving way to an interim national government headed by the late Chief Ernest Shonekan.
Shonekan was shoved aside in a simple military take over leading to the emergence of the late Gen Sani Abacha. Abacha ruled with iron hands arresting the winner of the June 12 election, Bashorun Moshood Abiola (MKO).
Abacha himself was to later die under mysterious circumstances leading to the emergence of Gen Abdusalami Abubakar.
Abiola later died in detention under Abubakar leading to a wave of crisis. Abubakar conducted a general election leading to the return to democracy in 1999.
Babangida, in many cases, has been fingered for introducing massive corruption into the Nigerian political system. He has lived his life mostly in MInna, Niger state incapacitated by ill-health.
