You still remember him, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida IBB for short. The only styled military President of Nigeria who held sway for nine years on the seat of power of Nigeria. He transited from Dodan Barracks Lagos then the seat of terror and power to Aso Rock Villa Abuja unarguably Nigerians equivalent of the likes of Buckingham Palace of the British or the Capitol of the United States of America.
Was IBB there on our mandate, the answer is No and was he there as a misfit, the answer also is No. while IBB was there things were happening politically per second per second ranging from the good, the bad, the ugly. Let us leave the good for now and come back to it later. Now the bad and the ugly. Yes remember it was in his days that parcel bomb was used to kill journalism which failed and only a journalist died for the rest of us. Remember the calculated annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election which effect is still plaguing the country till date. The preparation for that election, the planning and the execution were superb. The annulment which could have been much earlier came at the time it did and broke many Nigerian’s hearts and homes.
I am one of those who appreciated the annulment but sincerely believe that it ought to have come earlier so that MKO Abiola would never have been the presidential candidate for SDP and adjustments made so that that ingenious electoral process would have ran full course to take Nigeria to the promised political el dora do.
Recall that at that time a country Argentina produced a world class footballer, the best in the world at that time who single handedly ensured that his country won the FIFA International world cup football competition in grand style. His deft touches simply mesmerized defenders and sent even the best of goal keepers diving to the wrong direction. Maradona was simply a wonder. So those who referred to our own dear IBB as the Maradona of Nigeria politics were damn right because his deft political decisions placed Nigeria on the world class political map. It was a novelty.
IBB it was who saw that both regionalism and religion had ever combined to deny Nigeria of a political forward match because of the tripod nature of geopolitical divisions handed to her by her colonial masters invented just two political parties which was a death blow to both regionalism and religion because the north was mainly Moslems and the east mainly Christians while the west was a hybrid of the trio.
It was obvious then that neither the east nor the west trusted each other and that no matter how it is worked out the Moslem population of the large north will not be able to give her political majority without votes from the south made up of east and west. Even if the south combined together no matter how it is perfected would still be unable to win political majority in Nigeria. So the hybridization of the regions and their religions was the only solution to the political woe of Nigeria and that was what Nigerians lacked the will power to embark upon. Then came the Maradona IBB and before you could say Jack Robins he has dribbled all Nigerian politicians into a two party system giving rise to the then Social Democratic Party or SDP for short and the National Republican Convention, the NRC for short. The arrangement looked two beautiful to succeed but succeeded all the same even though Nigerian remained skeptical being a people of status quo.
When one recalls that it is the existence of only two major political parties that has kept heterogonous United States of America politically stable for all their lives, it then becomes very obvious that IBB had struck the right cord for political stability and survival for Nigeria.
He did not stop at the creation of the two parties he went on to invent MAMSER, an organ charged for mass mobilization and social reengineering of the Nigerian society apparently for full compliance to the new order. To crown it all he banned a class of politicians who had not only become crooked with time but also wicked to the country Nigeria whose virility would mean their political death. These classes of people had for ages held Nigeria in constant contemptuous polarization in multiple dimensions.
IBB invented the phenomenon of new breed politician which was to usher in younger and detribalized Nigerian into her politics so that the country could breathe fresh air of life and be able to move forward in the right direction. It was simply wonderful.
These new breed politicians were not tutored by aristocratic Britain but were mates in Nigerian Unity Secondary Schools and Universities, and who have already been used to doing things together.
Unfortunately the ban of the old breed was not fully successfully implemented giving rose to the rise of the likes of MKO Abiola and Kingibe who brought in the distortions into the legacy that was to be bequeathed to Nigeria.
The new breeds had ideas of how to fashion out a modern Nigeria but had no money and so money was not to play a role in the polities of the day. It could never have been better.
Unfortunately again multi-millionaire MKO found his way into the system and thus the use of money polluted the system and so, quintessential IBB had to halt the political train while on speed. Of course it resulted in an accident and the debris of that accident still litter the political landscape of Nigeria. That halting which was tagged annulment was both good and bad. I leave readers here with a choice of stance.
As for me it was very good because even as it were today, only a two party structure can serve Nigeria and move her forward. Now the old breed is back in the terrain in the likes of Bisi Akande, Atiku and Bamanga Turkur including Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Anenih Kawu Baraje is not left out.
See what mess they are doing with politics. Nigerians were yet to make fully and adjust to the reality of the structure of PDP verses APC which would invariably have given Nigeria two major political parties, when Atiku surfaced with PDM. Rather than stay to pilot if he has maintained an ominous presence in the PDP and is busy recruiting the likes of Babangida Aliyu and Chibuike Amechi as his political journeymen all working for the destruction of stability in politics which Nigeria badly needs. It should be obvious to all that the destabilization of the PDP would not automatically translate to either an Atiku or APC triumph. It would tantamount to another derailment to the two party structure which Nigeria badly needs to nail down both tribalism and religious politics fatally.
Olusegun Obasanjo may be doing something but he is not together blameless in the outcome in the scheme of things in the policy. No wise old man waits until there is a conflagration before rebuking the child who struck the match strike instead of stopping him.
Obasanjo has solicited the help of some elders and we are patiently waiting for the outcome of an exercise riddled with suspicion. Among those in Obansanjo team is the same IBB who would, while making his contribution for a solution to the nations political woes be telling himself in his mind, I SAW IT COMING AND TRIED TO STOP IT.
If IBB had done what he did in a much better way, perhaps later day politician I mean the new breads would have improved upon it and possibly perfected it to the extent that Nigeria would today be singing the anthems of DEMOCRACY FOR EVER. Lets keep reflecting.
