Reviewer: Ozolua Uhakheme
Until Thursday February 20, there have been consistent demands by many Nigerians for former military leader, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (Rtd) to share his stories about his service years as a military leader. The demands are not only just and necessary, but also expedient to put the records straight particularly on the annulment of the June 12 presidential election, death of Dele Giwa, privatisation, IMF, SAP, among others.
But did the 440 page autobiography, A Journey In Service, published by BookCraft, do justice to Nigerians expectations in all of these matters?
Like an appetiser for the readers, General Yakubu Gowon retd, a former military leader writes the foreword to the book. He highlights among others why Babangida’s book is important. “Given the monumental and historical changes that General Babangida presided over, it is only natural that many Nigerians of different generations would be eager to learn first-hand the motivations…and the reasons behind these far-reaching decisions, and events, some of which shook the nation to its very foundation.”
The five-part book comprising 13 chapters, provides ample opportunities for the author to tell his stories. Expectedly, he provides in the book stories of his early years, which take two chapters as Part One, followed by Part Two with Early military Career in chapters 3 and 4.
But of all the 13 chapters 7 are dedicated to Part Four of the book, which dwells on In the Saddle in Chapters 6 to 12, while Part Five focuses on his retirement years.
Interestingly, IBB is not oblivious of the fact that in the estimation of most Nigerians of older generation, his stewardship will forever be defined by ‘June 12’ on which he expressed regrets. “If I have to do it all over again. I’d do it differently,” according to his account in the book.
Since he stepped aside as military president over three decades ago, he finds one of the joys and benefits of retirement in the luxury it provides for sober reflection and even remembering and assessing things past. “These days, in my spare time, I contemplate more on what could have been in the growth trajectory of our country. Collectively, how could we have made things work better for our country? Was the problem a governance system or a governance style? Should we go back to the British-type parliamentary system of governance and jettison the American-type presidential system, which seems truly expensive? Or is it the case that a Western-type democratic system of government is unsuitable in a developing society like ours? And if so, should we in Africa and the third world be designing a system of government that’s best suited to our needs, driven, as it were, by the age-long African principle of consensus? Or is our problem simply that of leadership, as our renowned writer, Chinua Achebe, once said?,” he ponders in Chapter 5 on Murtala Mohammed Years on Page 113 of the book.
But, how well has IBB put these benefits of retirement into effective use of putting the records straight? Lots and lots to find out in the book. A peep into A Journey in Service, reveals some bulk passing, contradictions, (when you recall his annulment speech to Nigerians after the annulment 32 years ago), attempt to buy time till when memories of the annulment would have faded, and when some assumed key opposition members in the Security Council are no more.
Again, his explanation that he was away in Katsina when the annulment of the June 12 election was announced by the Abacha forces, appears begging the issue. Does being away in Katsina amounts to temporary handover of authority to a junior officer not within the power structure to handle such a national assignment?
Now, here is his perception and what to expect as reactions from Nigerians.”For those in my generation and those immediately after us, especially the privileged few who have held positions of responsibility, the Nigerian journey is a labour of love, a privilege to serve our patrimony. Even after it ends, its aftermath and consequences remain with us sometimes for life. I embrace this fate with complete confidence and as a patriotic responsibility.
Since we left office, the desire to share recollections of my national service days has persisted. Family members have been insistent in their polite reminders. Friends and compatriots have kept asking me to share my recollections. Associates and curious Nigerians have demanded that I tell ‘my side of the story.’ People have asked that I share the high points of my national journey to benefit posterity.
I have granted the most media interviews of all former Nigerian leaders!
This book may disappoint those whose eagerness for my memoirs is driven by curiosity about the more dramatic moments of our tenure. This is not a book about finding blame, inventing excuses, or whitewashing known facts. I have no separate story to tell solely about the drama of state affairs under my watch. We live in a country where primarily uninformed commentators are often the final judges about events they know little about. But, because I had the honour to lead a chapter in our national ourney, my brief encounter with authority and responsibility may interest those with fair minds” he says remorselessly.
The former military leader says that ‘my colleagues and I defined Nigeria’s mission as we saw fit. As a military leader in a political role, my colleagues and I acted in the best interest of the nation and its people at the time.’
On why it took him three decades to share his stories, the former military dictator says:
“I have allowed time to pass. Three decades is a generous allowance. It was necessary to allow a cooling-off period so that the generation that witnessed our days in office would have had time to reflect, to experience other administrations, and be in a position to situate our contributions correctly. It has also been time enough to allow a new generation, those now in their twenties and early thirties, to relate to our tenure as part of national history. I believe our youth should be allowed to make their own judgments about the various stages of our national history. That process has begun, especially from what I see now on social and legacy media platforms. My belief in the ultimate verdict of history is starting to manifest as we wrestle with the same issues of nation-building that engaged my colleagues and me more than thirty years ago.”
Reading through some of his statements on the cancellation of June 12 election results, one will doubt the logic in a military set up, where hierarchy is key in decision making.
First, a decision as critical as cancellation of a presidential election shouldn’t be that of a lesser officer but that of the Commander in Chief.
Again, how can a C in C be in Katsina and a decision as sensitive as election cancellation is taken without his approval in a military administration and no consequence? You can add one and one to get two.
One other puzzle is if Abacha’s forces truly cancelled the election, was his Vice, Aikhomu by hierarchy under Abacha’s control and order? To the extent that Augustus Aikhomu’s press secretary Nduka Irabor, made such announcement? What disciplinary actions were taken against such forces that took that decision of cancelling the election without his approval?
If not, there must be some sacred cows within the military or the CinC was not far from being a coward to act decisively.
Lots of contradictions if you ask me. Hear him on this.
He says: “But to suddenly have an announcement made without my authority was, to put it mildly, alarming. I remember saying: ‘These nefarious inside forces opposed to the elections have outflanked me!’
“I would later find out that the ‘forces’, led by Gen. Sani Abacha (late) annulled the elections. There and then, I knew I was caught up between ‘the devil and the deep blue sea’! From then on, the June 12 elections took on a painful twist for which, as I will show later, I regrettably take responsibility.”
He also paints a picture of the Nigerian military in the image of social clubs in colleges where hierarchy and authority can be compromised.
For instance on page 276 of the book, Gen. Babangida writes: “Within the military leadership, there was palpable outrage. The best of us, like Lt. General Salihu Ibrahim and Maj.-Gen. Ishola Williams were alarmed and Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar threatened to resign.”
Where then is the discipline that is central to military system?
In one breadth, the author admits that the June 12 election was free, fair, transparent and was won by MKO Abiola. In another, he says the decision to cancel the election was taken in the supreme interest of the nation.
So, what constitutes supreme interest of the nation?
I am not sure he knows the extent of damages that singular act caused Nigeria in terms of human and economic waste.
But regrettably, he however says the tragic irony of history remains that the administration that devised a near-perfect electoral system and conducted those near-perfect elections could not complete the process.
“That accident of history is most regrettable. The nation is entitled to expect my impression of regret. Mistakes, oversight, and missteps happened in quick succession, but as I state in my book, in all matters, we acted in the supreme national interest so that Nigeria could survive.”
He did not also fail to admit that his administration’s actions disrupted the nation’s transition to civilian rule but emphasised that the country ultimately overcame the setback.
“Our nation’s march to democracy was interrupted, a fact that I deeply regret,” he admits.
To get a fairly balanced account of the June 12 debacle, those Nigerians opposed to the realisation of the June 12 election will need to offer us their own versions and reasons why they took such position.