By Chief Femi Fani-Kayode
32 years after leaving power President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida has assumed full responsibility for what happened on the June 12th 1993 ANNULMENMENT of Chief MKO Abiola’s presidential election and it’s attendant consequences.
He has explained the circumstances under which it happened and has not only acknowledged that Abiola actually won the election but that he was also unfairly robbed of his MANDATE when he and his military regime annuled it.
What he didn’t say was that if he had not a annuled the election those that wanted it aborted would have killed him, key members of his Government, MKO Abiola, MKO’s family and everyone else that opposed them and his Government would have been toppled in a very violent and bloody coup which would have definately led to a long, brutal and protracted civil war.
IBB has told his side of the story and explained to us what actually transpired. He refused to remain silent, he did not shy away from speaking the truth or refuse to accept responsibility and he did not pass the buck.
Instead he came clean, displayed immense courage and did the right and proper thing.
That is what leaders are meant to do and he did it without fear or favour regardless of whose ox was gored. Kudos to him.
We need to appreciate this gesture, eschew all bitterness, let go of all our pent up anger, forgive him for what many perceive him to be his sins and move on.
Equally we need to accord him his rightful place in history as one the the greats despite his fallibility. He is after all a mere man, albeit a great one, and not God.
Only God is free of fault and is infallible and there is not one man that has ever lived, led or ruled that is infallible.
All those insulting and abusing him today for putting the facts and his experiences on record in his book are malevolent bitter twisted souls & unenlightened ignorant cowards who have no appreciation of history or what this man actually achieved or the events that led up to June 12th.
They only see things in part and are allowing their emotions rather than their heads to rule them.
I was in the NADECO trenches during that difficult time and like many others paid my dues too but I can say that outside of the June 12th matter IBB did more for Nigeria than virtually any other President or Head of State.
He left power 32 years ago & yet every single living former Nigerian President and Head of State bar President Muhammadu Buhari who he had removed from power in a coup in 1985 attended his book launching in person a couple of days ago and despite all Buhari actually sent a representative.
It was an extraordinary event & I witnessed it with my own eyes because I had the privilege of being invited.
If the number of leaders that attended, which included President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President and former Head of State President Olusegun Obasanjo, former President Goodluck Jonathan, former President of Ghana Nana Akufo Addo, former President of Sierra Leone Koroma, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Vice President Sambo & former Vice President Atiku Abubakar not tell Nigerians the high esteem that the ruling elites have for him then nothing will.
May God continue to be with this great & inspiring man who has displayed immense discipline, resilience, dignity, self-respect, courage & humility throughout his distinguished life.
I pray he continues to share his vast reserves of knowledge & wisdom & make his contributions to national development for many years to come.
Whether his numerous detractors like it or not IBB remains an enigma, an institution & the most consequential Head of State & President in our history. No-one can take that from him and we are very proud of him.
I wish both him and his family well.
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