TheCable

Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB), a former head of state, says he gave his best as Nigeria’s president.

Babangida ruled Nigeria as military president from 1985 to 1993.

He infamously formed an interim government and “stepped aside”, after annulling the June 12, 1993 presidential election, with MKO Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in an unassailable lead.

Speaking with journalists in his Hilltop residence in Minna on Saturday, IBB said he would allow history be the best judge of his time in office.

“Number one is that I served the country the best I could. It may not be to your satisfaction but to the best that I could; I leave that to history to judge,” he said.

“I related fairly well with the people of the country. I had no problem with them and I got to know the country more as I was well travelled. I made friends all over the country and I thought that was one of the greatest achievements.”

Babangida also advised young Nigerians to study the country they intend to lead in future.

“You have an opportunity now as young people, get to know the country, study the country, the people and if you are able to do that or to understand that, basically I think that will go a long way to prepare you for the eventual leadership of the country,” he said.

“Just like any other style, you are placed in a leadership position; your job is to lead people. You develop a situation where people look up to you to provide certain solutions to their problems or to their fears.

“Whatever it is and you stand out as the person who will be able to do that. So you have to study human beings, you have to read about them and you have to be very compassionate.

“Sometimes ruthlessness to get things done but there are a lot of ways you have to develop so that you will be able to achieve certain things. Others you plead with, some you coerce and so on and so forth.”

‘I WANTED TO BE A CIVIL ENGINEER’

Babangida also disclosed that he wanted to become a civil engineer earlier in life.

He explained that his military career began thanks to a deliberate policy of the then government of northern Nigeria, to enlist as many young people as possible from the region, into the army.

“Well, maybe to understand the background, in about that period, there was a deliberate government policy,” Babangida added.

“The government of northern Nigeria… at that time there were not a lot of people from the north who were in the military.

“So they took a deliberate policy to go around and invite the younger generation from secondary schools, (government colleges) to come and join the military and that’s what started our career in the military.”

Asked what his career trajectory would have been like had he not joined the military, Babangida said, “I wanted to be a civil engineer”.

Answering questions on his experience during the civil war, Babangida said the war was fought to keep Nigeria united — not to break it.

He described the ensuing polarisation as a “uniquely sad aspect of a civil war”.

“It’s not a very nice experience I must say. First of all, you had people you went to school with, people you trained with, people who were your friends, suddenly as a result of the war you find yourselves facing each other on opposite sides” he said.

“It is not very comfortable but then we had to do it.

“The purpose was to unite the country to keep it one, not to break it. So that’s the uniquely sad aspect of a civil war and I pray it never happens again.”