In February 2025, former army president Normal Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) launched his much-anticipated memoir, A Journey in Service, at a grand occasion in Abuja. Attended by Nigeria’s political elite and enterprise moguls, the e-book launch turned an event for glorifying Babangida’slegacy, regardless of his position in a few of the darkest chapters of Nigerian historical past. His controversial annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election and his administration’s involvement within the loss of life of journalist Dele Giwa stay unresolved stains on Nigeria’s conscience. But, the occasion turned a gathering of reward singers slightly than a possibility for important reflection.
Relatively than being a second of reckoning, the e-book launch felt like a second assassination of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, whose victory within the June 12 elections was stolen by Babangida’s notorious annulment. The e-book makes an attempt to sanitise Babangida’s actions and reframe historic occasions to swimsuit his narrative. This deliberate manipulation of details is particularly evident in his dialogue of the annulment, in addition to his deceptive commentary on the January 1966 coup, which he makes use of as a distraction to shift blame and divide historic views.
Rewriting historical past: Babangida’s justification of the June 12 annulmentBabangida’s memoir, A Journey in Service, presents an try to reshape historical past in his favour. He acknowledges that the annulment of the June 12 election was painful however claims that it was a crucial choice for nationwide stability. In response to Babangida, the army had intelligence stories suggesting that permitting the election outcomes to face might have led to chaos. Nonetheless, this justification lacks credibility when positioned towards historic details. The June 12, 1993, election, broadly considered the freest and fairest in Nigerian historical past, was performed beneath the watch of the Nationwide Electoral Fee (NEC), led by Professor Humphrey Nwosu. Regardless of the orderly conduct of the polls and MKO Abiola’s clear victory, Babangida’s regime abruptly annulled the outcomes, plunging the nation right into a political disaster. On the time, the excuse given was that the election was marred by corruption and irregularities.
Nonetheless, the actual purpose—broadly recognized amongst political observers—was that sure army and political elites, together with Babangida himself, feared the results of a civilian authorities beneath Abiola. Within the e-book, Babangida makes a weak try to painting himself as a reluctant dictator who annulled the election out of necessity.
This revisionist account contradicts the overwhelming proof that his regime intentionally manipulated the political course of to retain management. Many Nigerians recall how his administration tried to transition to civilian rule a number of instances, solely to sabotage the method when it didn’t favor his pursuits.
June 12 as a nationwide tragedyThe annulment of June 12 was not only a political maneuver; it was a nationwide tragedy. It led to widespread protests, repression, and in the end the loss of life of MKO Abiola in detention beneath suspicious circumstances.
Abiola’s crime was insisting on his mandate, a mandate that the Nigerian folks freely gave him. Within the wake of the annulment, pro-democracy activists have been arrested, harassed, and killed. Journalists who criticised the federal government have been focused. The annulment destroyed any remaining belief within the army’s potential to midwife democracy, finally resulting in the rise of Normal Sani Abacha’s brutal dictatorship. Babangida’s try to downplay this era in his e-book isn’t solely dishonest but in addition an insult to the reminiscence of those that misplaced their lives preventing for Nigeria’s democracy.
The 1966 Coup and nationwide unityOne notable side of Babangida’s memoir is his acknowledgment that the January 15, 1966, coup was not an Igbo coup, opposite to a long time of divisive narratives. This recognition helps dispel a long-standing false impression that fueled ethnic tensions and contributed to Nigeria’s tragic civil conflict. The coup, led by Main Kaduna Nzeogwu and different younger officers, was not ethnically pushed however a response to political instability.
By affirming this, Babangida inadvertently helps nationwide unity, reinforcing the necessity for a collective understanding of historical past that fosters reconciliation slightly than division. Acknowledging historic truths strengthens Nigeria’s path towards cohesion and progress.
Reactions to Babangida’s MemoirSince the discharge of A Journey in Service, the e-book has sparked widespread outrage, notably amongst pro-democracy advocates and Igbo leaders. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, has dismissed Babangida’scommentary on the 1966 coup as opportunistic. In response to the group, Babangida’s sudden curiosity in correcting historic narratives is suspect, given his position in deepening Nigeria’s ethnic divisions by insurance policies that marginalised the Igbo and different teams.Femi Falana, a distinguished human rights lawyer, has criticized Babangida’s try to whitewash historical past. Falana argues that Babangida’s personal phrases within the e-book function proof that the June 12 election was wrongfully annulled.
He has known as for authorized motion to carry Babangida accountable for the illegalities of his regime. Different political commentators have famous that Babangida’s memoir displays the identical crafty that earned him the nickname “Evil Genius.” Relatively than providing a real reflection, the e-book is a calculated effort to manage the narrative of Nigerian historical past.
The hazard of revisionist historyBabangida’s e-book raises an essential query: Who will get to put in writing historical past? In Nigeria, the place army leaders have dominated governance for many years, historic narratives are sometimes formed by those that held energy. The hazard of revisionist historical past is that it distorts the reality, absolves wrongdoers, and prevents a nation from studying from its previous.
For years, Nigeria has struggled with the ghosts of its previous—corrupt management, ethnic tensions, and democratic failures. If the nation is to maneuver ahead, it should confront the reality, not rewrite it. Babangida’s try to recast himself as a misunderstood chief who acted in Nigeria’s finest curiosity is an insult to the numerous Nigerians who suffered beneath his rule.
A legacy of betrayalThe launch of A Journey in Service was a reminder of how Nigeria has failed to carry its leaders accountable. As an alternative of being a second of nationwide introspection, it turned a pageant of reward for a person whose legacy is outlined by betrayal.
Babangida betrayed the Nigerian folks when he annulled the June 12 election. He betrayed democracy when he selected self-preservation over nationwide progress. He betrayed the press when his regime orchestrated the homicide of Dele Giwa. And now, by his memoir, he betrays historical past by making an attempt to rewrite it in his favor.
The true take a look at of historical past isn’t within the phrases of those that write it however within the reminiscence of those that lived it. Regardless of how a lot Babangida tries to control the previous, Nigerians is not going to neglect. The blood of those that fought for democracy, the voices silenced by dictatorship, and the desires crushed by tyranny will all the time bear witness to the reality. Babangida might have written A Journey in Service, however historical past has already written A Journey of Betrayal.Udenka is social and political analyst at #AfricaVisionAdvancementTrust
