Babangida declares presidential ambition
Ibrahim Babangida officially affirmed his presidential ambitions on Saturday after declaring: “I’m back.”
The declaration is
the culmination of a busy fortnight which has seen the former military
ruler launch a campaign website and set up offices in 32 states of the
federation.
No manifesto
Speaking at his
house in Minna, the retired general dismissed all the recurrent
obstacles that have been put forward to dissuade his ambitions.
However, during a two hour press conference he repeatedly failed to put
forward any clearly defined policies. He conceded that policy making
was not his strongest point and that he will entrust such matters to a
“trusted team of experts.” He however defended some of his old policies
such as the controversial Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) which he
said foreshadowed many of today’s democratic policies.
“When you look at
SAP, it set out to achieve some things that are now being praised.
Deregulation, opening up the economy and stabilising the naira were all
things we set out to do with SAP and I am very proud of those things.”
He said that
although he presently had no clear manifesto, he will “unleash”
outlined policies to the public in “two or three weeks.”
Fighting the clock
At 69, the former president dismissed suggestions that he was too old for the job.
“I have a daughter
who makes sure I go to the gym every day so I have never been
healthier. If you look at other countries [Hosni] Mubarak is 82,
[Shimon] Peres is 87 and [Muammer] Ghadaffi is my age.
So I don’t think age matters much.”
Mr Babangida came
close to apologising for the annulment of the June 12 1992 elections
calling it an “ugly spot that one has to live with.”
He stopped short
however by saying that the decision was a collective one during his
regime. He fully expected Nigerians to forgive his regime’s decision
because he believed “we are a godly nation that embraces forgiveness.”
The former
president challenged anyone who could claim he has ever offered a bribe
to speak up. He said he had made a similar challenge when he was
president and, to date, no one has been able to bring up credible
evidence. If elected, he said that he would take the same “vigorous
stance” against corruption as he has always taken.
“I am getting tired of people who say I institutionalised corruption,” he said.
“People forget that
I disciplined a military administrator over N300, 000. Today people in
office are accused of N300 million, N15 billion and they are still
there.”
Okigbo report
Mr Babangida
absolved himself of any blame in the Okigbo report saying his critics
were using it in the most “blindly controversial and distorted manner.”
The panel was set up, he said, not to investigate his regime but to
“examine operations and make recommendations for activities of the
Central Bank of Nigeria.”
He added that he was never subpoenaed nor was he linked to any acts of financial impropriety in the entire report.
The former
president once again distanced his regime from any culpability in the
1986 killing of the Newswatch editor, Dele Giwa.
“I wish to state
for the umpteenth time, that I did not murder Dele Giwa,” he said. He
added that no agency under his regime was found guilty of the “heinous
act.” Last week, the Peoples Democratic Party, which Mr Babangida aims
to represent in the elections, failed to take a decisive stance on who
it would back for the presidential elections. He said although there
was still ambiguity he was happy that the race was thrown open this
year.
Reasons for
returning The former president said he had hoped that, seventeen years
after leaving office, Nigeria would be in better economic shape but
that had not happened.
“I left that house
seventeen years ago and I had wished that things would be different
now. I can assure you that Nigeria was far better off between 1985 and
1993 than from 1999 to present day.” He further argued that he achieved
greater economic stability and security with far less resources than
were available in the democratic years.
Money has seldom
been far from any discourse relating to Mr Babangida and he said his
campaign would be funded by both himself and “good friends who
benefitted from his policies.”
The former president paid tribute to his late wife saying that she
would be “difficult to replace.” He added, however, that he had not
entirely ruled out the possibility of remarrying.
WHY DO WE NIGERIANS KEEP THINKING AS IF WE’RE CURSED!SOMETIME 1999,GEN.OBASANJO,A RETIRED MILITARY PRESIDENT MANIPULATED ALOT OF THINGS AND GAINED EXCESS AS A CIVILLIAN RULER WHO PROMISED TO CORRECT HIS MISHARPS AS A MILITARY ADMINISTRATOR.fOR ALMOST A DECADE,THERE WERE NO MEANINGFUL STRUCTURAL,EDUCATIONAL,SOCIAL OR INFRUSTRUTURAL DEVELOPMENT WITHIN HIS TIME.
NOW AGAIN,WE NIGERIANS WANT TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT TO ERR IS HUMAN!!!IT SHOULD NOT BE A BUSINESS AS USUAL.GEN.BABANDIDA SHOULD SEE HIMSELF AS A VERY LUCKY MAN AND RETIRE FROM POLITICS FOR YOUNGER MEN OF TIMBER AND CALIBER TO HANDLE THE POLITICAL AFFAIRS OF THIS GREAT NATION,NIGERIA.HISTORY WILL NEVER FORGET HIM AS AN EVIL GENUS WHOSE POLICIES ARE NOT OF GOOD TO THIS NATION!!!MAY GOD HELP AND INSPIRE DR.GOODLOCK JONATHAN IN HIS POLITY OF BETTER TOMORROW FOR THE PEOPLE OF NIGERIA!!!GOD HELP US ALL…AMEN
It is quite unfortunate that General Ibrahim Babangida now feels it is time FOR HIM to correct the mistakes he had made while ruling Nigeria as Head of State. Can he ever bring back to life the Late Moshood Abiola,the presedent-elect whose election he had annulled? Can he also bring back to life those people who struggled to entrench demoracy in Nigeria but whose lives were terminated on account of the annulment of the election? Can he also bring back the purchasing power of the Naira that he had devalued? Can he also refund to the nation’s treasury the looted money he masterminded? It would be better for General Babangida to retire quietly to his hilltop mansion in Minna and enjoy the allowances he is not entitled to but given to him by crooks ruling this country. What does Babangida want from Nigerians again? Nigeria have many competent managers that are waiting in the wings. We do not want anyone to come back claiming to want to correct the deliberate mistakes he had made.He SHOULD BE TOLD IN PLAIN LANGUAGE THAT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
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IN LIFE WE ALL MAKE MISTAKE BUT LET SAY IT IS A MISTAKE TO MAKE A MISTAKE BUT IT IS NOT A MISTAKE TO REPEAT A MISTAKE, WHOEVER WE THINK HE MAKE A MISTAKE AND WANT TO CORRECT HIS MISTAKE BECAUSE HE DID NOT KNOW THEN AND REALISE HIS MISTAKE, WANT TO CORRECT THAT MISTAKE LET US GIVE HIM A CHANCE AND LET TRUTH SPEAK FOR ITSELF. LET US PRAY TO GOD TO GIVE US GOOD LEADER THAT WILL SURELY LEAD US TO THE PROMISE LAND, AS MOSES COULDN’T MAKE IT TO THE PROMISE LAND JOSHUA DID. SO WE NEED PRAYERS FOR GOD TO HAVE MERCY OVER US TO SEND US THE RIGHT ONE,AMEN.