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BABANGIDA’s BLOODSTAINED LEGACY AND THE SHAMELESS CELEBRATION OF  A TYRANT BY NIGERIAN LEADERS AND ELITES

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  CapitalTimesNews / 2 weeks
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• 9 min read

[The Mayor of Fadeyi writes on the vexatious book launch by General Babangida in the midst of Nigerian political leaders and elites]_ Nigeria’s history is littered with betrayals, but few are as despicable and damaging as the one committed by General Ibrahim Babangida when he annulled the freest and fairest election in our nation’s history. In his latest book, the former dictator finally admitted what Nigerians have known for decades—Chief MKO Abiola won the 1993 presidential election. This truth, which he cowardly withheld for years, came at the cost of thousands of lives, the destruction of our democratic process, and the untimely death of Abiola himself. Yet, instead of outrage, what do we see? Applause. Adulation. A disgraceful showering of N17 billion from Nigeria’s elite, rewarding a man who plunged the country into darkness. The same political and business class that has fed fat off the blood and suffering of the Nigerian people lined up like spineless sycophants to throw money at a fraudulent “library” for a man who has no use for books, let alone truth. This grotesque spectacle of hypocrisy is an insult to the memory of MKO Abiola and all those who lost their lives fighting for democracy. It is a reminder that in Nigeria, criminals are called statesmen while true heroes rot in unmarked graves. **The Cost of Babangida’s Betrayal Of His Best Friend and Nigeria as a whole** Let us be clear—General Ibrahim Babangida is not just a failed leader; he is a man who should be standing trial for treason and manslaughter. His decision to annul the 1993 election was not just an abuse of power; it was a deliberate and calculated act of treason against the Nigerian people. He organized the election, saw Abiola win in a landslide, and then destroyed it out of cowardice—fear of General Sani Abacha and other military hardliners who threatened his life. A soldier? A general? No, Babangida was a spineless coward who lacked the courage to do what was right. *His cowardice, wicked ‘genius’, led to a political crisis in Nigeria that resulted in:* * The brutal dictatorship of Sani Abacha, who took control after Babangida’s abdication, plunging Nigeria into one of its darkest periods. * The unlawful imprisonment and eventual death of MKO Abiola, who was denied his mandate and left to rot in prison under suspicious circumstances. * The deaths of thousands of Nigerians, including pro-democracy activists, journalists, and students, who were murdered, tortured, or exiled for demanding their right to vote. * A generational setback to Nigeria’s democracy, ensuring that decades later, we are still dealing with corrupt leaders who see elections as mere rituals rather than a reflection of the people’s will. Babangida’s betrayal was not just political; it was deeply personal. MKO Abiola was his friend. It was Babangida who encouraged Abiola to run for office, yet when Abiola won, he stabbed him in the back, arrested him, and sentenced him to a slow, painful death in prison. *My Personal Experience with Babangida’s Tyranny* For me, as a young man of only 27 years old at the time and Ceo of First Aid Konsult [A division of my Finance House then], this is not just history—it is personal. I was arrested and detained for weeks by the wife of this same General Babangida, Maryam Babangida, in 1992 for daring to organize a seminar on *‘The Role of Women in the 3rd Republic’ in Abuja* . At the time, I was part of an enlightenment campaign in the private sector pushing for the democracy that Babangida himself had promised, not knowing he was simply dribbling Nigerians like an evil Maradona wannabe. While I sat in detention, after being beaten blue and black by Maryam’s soldiers, I realized the full extent of Babangida’s deception. He never intended to hand over power. He was simply manipulating the nation, buying time, and enriching himself. The press once called him ‘The Evil Genius,’ but the only genius I will ever concede to Babangida is his masterful ability to manipulate Nigerians. As we can see from the disgraceful events surrounding his book launch, the wily dictator is still doing it even today. *Who Are The Billionaires Funding This Villain’s Book and calling him a Statesman?* Instead of facing trial, Babangida is being celebrated like a statesman, and so-called leaders of govt and industry like Dangote donated N8billion; Founder of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, donated N5 billion; Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, donated N3 billion; Folorunsho Alakija and a few others also made donations. By the time the dust settled, the Evil Genius has received kickbacks of over N17 billion from many of these top leaders in our economy. While everyone has a right to spend their money anyhow, we must still ask how is giving N17 billion to an 80-year-old to build a library for a man who wrote less than 3 books in his life going ot help Nigeria. How would studying his atrocities for 9 years as a head of state help with the hunger and devastation in our land, some of which are direct generational consequences of his misrule before he ‘stepped aside’ in a most cowardly fashion as head of state and let us at the mercy of the Mad Dog of Abuja, General Abacha? We must ask: Who are the billionaires and political figures who donated billions to this former dictator? Who are the men and women enriching a legacy of bloodshed and treachery? We call on international anti-corruption bodies, human rights organizations, and global watchdogs to investigate these individuals and their businesses. Many of them appear to be direct beneficiaries of Babangida’s corrupt military rule, securing government contracts, oil blocks, and power through his oppressive regime. Let them be exposed. *The Cowards and Hypocrites Applauding Babangida* Even more disgraceful than the billionaires funding Babangida’s fraudulent legacy are the so-called political leaders who are whitewashing his crimes. I was disgusted to see some of our finest at this spectiacle and travesty of a