…..His policies detrimental to
nation’s progress
…..Armed Forces on the verge of factionalization
Forty years after General Muhammadu Buhari was ousted from power by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, the latter has opened up on the circumstances that led to the coup, which many see as a testament to the loose grip on the apparatus of power by Buhari during his era as Head of State.
In the Part 4 of his new autobiography, ‘A Journey in Service’, Gen Babangida, explained how detrimental to national growth the military government of Buhari was and how the rank and file of the Armed Forces at the time, desperately wanted Buhari and his deputy, Tunde Idiagbon to be eased out of office for pursuing self-glorifying policies which were factionalising the Nigerian military and threatening the fabrics of Nigerian unity as a country.
Writing auspiciously on pages 137 to 140 of the 440-page book unveiled in Abuja last Thursday, Babangida explained that, “By the beginning of 1985, the citizenry had become apprehensive about the future of our country.
The atmosphere was precarious and fraught with ominous signs of clear and present danger.
It was clear to the more discerning leadership of the armed forces that our initial rescue mission of 1983 had largely miscarried. We now stood the risk of having the armed forces split down the line because our rescue mission had largely derailed.
“If the armed forces imploded, the nation would go with it, and the end was just too frightening to contemplate. Divisions of opinion within the armed forces had come to replace the unanimity of purpose that informed the December 1983 change of government.
In state affairs, the armed forces, as the only remaining institution of national cohesion, were becoming torn into factions; something needed to be done lest we lose the nation itself.
“My greatest fear was that division of opinion and views within the armed forces could lead to factionalization in the military. If allowed to continue and gain root, grave dangers lay ahead.
“My predecessor in office, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, and his deputy, Brigadier Tunde Idiagbon, had separated themselves from the mainstream of the armed forces by personalising what was initially a collective leadership. They both posited a ‘holier than thou’ attitude, antagonising the civil populace against the military.
“Fundamental rights and freedoms were being routinely infringed upon and abused. As a military administration, we were now presiding over a society that was primarily frightened of us. We were supposed to improve their lives and imbue the people with hope for a better future. Instead, we ruled the nation with a series of draconian decrees.
An administration intended to reflect the collective will of the armed forces as a national institution came to be seen as the private personal autocracy of a stubborn few.
“Like most military coups, our leadership change was informed by widespread disquiet among the civil populace. Ordinary people were experiencing severe economic hardship. The general economic and social conditions the people lived under were worsening by the day.
“Essential goods and supplies were scarce. Yet arbitrary controls in all aspects of economic life and an ancient resort to barter in international trade meant that the nation’s financial woes would not end soon.
Draconian decrees led to the abuse and severe limitation “People were clamped into indefinite detention, most times for minor infractions.
Punishment for crimes against the state had led to the pursuit of mechanical legalistic justice against the dictates of natural justice. As the Chief of Army Staff, I was under undue pressure from the rank and file to seek ways of reconnecting the government to society lest we lose the nation itself.
“On several occasions and instances, even the very integrity of the armed forces was being called into question. A disciplinary case involving allegations of divided interest against some senior officers was decided without due recourse to the Army Council.
Instead of waiting for a report and investigation from the Army leadership, the affected officers were unceremoniously relieved of their commission, and their military career of so many years was abruptly ended without any input from the Army as their institution of origin.
I objected to this arbitrariness and disregard for due process.
“I confided in some senior colleagues that I would rather resign my commission than continue in office as Chief of Army Staff without input into decisions that concern the careers of personnel under my command.
“In response, I was placed under surveillance, with the privacy of my communications and those of my family constantly monitored. This tense atmosphere culminated in the unanimous decision of a broad spectrum of senior and middle-level officers to change the nation’s leadership.
The processes associated with this change were completed without bloodshed by midnight on August 26, 1985.”
According to Babangida’s account after the coup was carried out, he was flown into Lagos from his hometown Minna into Lagos. “As we flew from Minna to Lagos on August 27, 1985, I was weighed down by the enormity of the task ahead of me. I was about to assume a grave national assignment on behalf of the Nigerian armed forces.
As the aircraft parked in Lagos, I was received at the lounge by a handful of officers waiting to escort me to Bonny Camp, from where my leadership of the nation would be announced to an anxious nation later that evening.
“ It was a day like no other in my life. On that day, it became my lot to step into the saddle of national leadership on behalf of the Nigerian armed forces. The change in leadership had become necessary as a response to the worsening mood of the nation and growing concern
about our future as a people.
All through the previous day, as we flew from Minna and drove through Lagos towards Bonny Camp, I was deeply reflecting on how we as a nation got to this point and how and why I found myself at this juncture of fate.
“On August 27, 1985, I assumed office as the nation’s new leader, fully aware of the many challenges confronting the country. I had no illusions about the direction in which to move the country.
I had long-standing convictions about Nigeria born of many decades of comprehensive consultations with a broad spectrum of compatriots from nearly all walks of life.
Having been part of all previous government changes, I had become quite familiar with the wishes and aspirations of our people and developed a template of what needed to be done, at least from my modest perspective.
The new administration’s determination was informed by a genuine desire to end the cycle of instability in both the politics and general history of the nation. I made this clear in my inaugural address to the nation.
Explaining his reason for the memoir, the former military President, wrote: “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 journey, my brief encounter with authority and responsibility may interest those with fair minds”.
