It is rare to see a book launch gathering as large and colourful as the gathering at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton on Thursday for the public presentation of “A Journey In Service”- the autobiography of Nigeria’s enigmatic former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida......CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE>>>>>
Anyone who attended the ceremony would not believe IBB left power 32 years ago due to the calibre of personalities that came. And they came from all corners of the country.
It was also, perhaps, the largest gathering of former heads of state in Nigeria outside the National Council of State Meetings. All the leaving ex-heads of state and presidents were there. Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo was the chairman of the occasion while the guests of honour were Generals Yakubu Gowon, Abdulsalam Abubakar and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. Ex-president Mohammadu Buhari did not come in person but sent Muazu Jaji Sambo, a former minister of transport.
Also in attendance was the immediate past president of Ghana, Nana Akufo Addo and a former vice president of Siera Leone.
Guests came to the venue as early as 8am even though the ceremony was billed to kick off by 11am. Security men had a hard time controlling the crowd, until the guests lined up in a queue and entered one after the other with their invite in hand.
Ex-governors, ex-senators, ex-ministers, retired military generals, captains of industry, first class traditional rulers including the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar IIl were all there. Before the arrival of President Bola Tinubu who was the Special Guest of Honour, the hall was filled up and many VIPs had to stand on their feet as all the seats were taken.
There were several serving ministers, governors, lawmakers and prominent personalities from across the country. Pastor Tunde Bakare who gave the opening prayer along with the deputy Imam of National Mosque Abuja, said the assemblage of who-is-who in Nigeria at the occasion was ample evidence that Babangida is a leader who impacted lives.
This was echoed by almost everyone who spoke at the occasion, including President Tinubu who gave the final remark. Tinubu brushed his speech aside saying he had not come to read a speech but to honour the man who encouraged him to join politics. He was so impressed with the number of VIPs present that he said “It is rare to find these kinds of people in a hall together like this,” and commended Babangida for his immense influence on many people.
Tinubu was seated throughout the almost three-hour ceremony against the expectation of many who thought he won’t be staying more than an hour. He was seated on the right of the IBB, sharing banters, smiling, laughing or listening very attentively to what was being said, especially during the thought-provoking keynote address by Ghana’s ex-president, Nana Akufo Addo, on how Nigeria must lead Africa.
Even though IBB repeatedly expressed appreciation to the president for honouring him with his presence, Tinubu said the ex-military president deserved the honour for who he is and for what he had done for the country. The president promised to read the book and urged Nigerians to forget the past, especially the annulment of June 12, 2023 election, and let the explanation of events in the book settle everything.
The comperes including Bimbo Oloyede and Kadaria Ahmed did their best to make the event lively, but it was Obasanjo who first cracked ribs when given his opening remarks. The ex-president said he did not know he would be able to attend the event so he had prepared a written speech that someone would read on his behalf. But he came and still had to read the speech. So, he told the audience to listen to the speech and take it that he was not the one reading it!
Witty and funny as ever, he threw the audience into fits of laughter intermittently while reading his speech. He revealed he was one of those who urged IBB to write a memoir on the events during his leadership of Nigeria for posterity and for the sake of his children. He commended IBB for contributing to history and documenting history.
He urged him to take criticisms of the book in good faith and warned that some people will still attack him and the book the way he was also attacked when he wrote his own autobiography.
Interestingly, Professor Yemi Osinbajo who reviewed the book commended the author for writing “a story of stories, the story of our country.” Osinbajo read snippets from the book while delivery his insightful and masterful presentation. He teased the audience with excerpts from the book on major controversial events during the IBB era, making his listeners excited to know more.
All the former heads of state spoke about IBB in glowing terms. Gowon was the first of them to speak, and he commended IBB for what he achieved in the Army and for the country. Some of us heard for the first time that he was the one that inspired Generals IBB, Abubakar and 15 others to join the military- a statement later confirmed by Osinbajo when reading from the book.
Gen Abubakar also confirmed it. He said they were in secondary school in Bida when then Captain Gowon was invited to give a talk and they were all impressed by Gowon’s smart uniform and speech, including his then class prefect IBB. He described IBB as “my brother, my head boy, my class prefect and my commander-in-chief.”
He expressed pride at what they achieved in life because when they joined the army, they only wanted to become captains like Gowon. But the two of them became generals and heads of state. Abubakar also revealed that a soothsayer had predicted as far back as 1952 that IBB would become head of state.
Jonathan who stood up while giving his own remarks said he had to stand up because he was the most junior ex-president at the gathering, and joked that he could not wait for Tinubu to complete his term and queue behind him!
He commended IBB for writing his memoir, and said it was an inspiration for him to write his own too. Speaking on the value of an ex-president’s memoir and the proposed IBB Presidential Library to be sited in Minna, he said when researchers want to know about the history of the country and important events, they would find it there.
He urged President Tinubu to open an office to manage presidential libraries in Nigeria to preserve the history of the country as done in the United States of America.
The captains of industry were represented by Abdulsamad Rabiu, chairman of BUA Group and chief launcher along with Gen. TY Danjuma, Aliko Dangote, Arthur Eze and Mustafa Chike Obi of Fidelity bank who all made revealing comments on IBB and made handsome donations to the IBB Presidential Library project.
Rabiu described IBB as one of Nigeria’s “transformative leaders,” while Dangote credited him with creating the private sector in Nigeria through favourable policies of his administration. Eze revealed how IBB made him become what he is today by introducing him to his friends and subordinates in the military who became state military administrators. He said, “all of us here today you made us what we are.”
Chike Obi recalled how IBB gifted his late father, Professor Chike Obi his first car and how he has helped the family.
An elated IBB gave a long speech to appreciate everyone who came to honour him and recalled the names of all the late prominent Nigerians who assisted his regime in chatting the right path for the country.
They include Tam David-West and Ubitu Ukiwe, among others. Those still living among them include Olu Falae, Professor Tunji Olagunju, Col Dangiwa Umar among others.
IBB expressed his appreciation to President Tinubu for honouring him with his presence and gave him a ranka ya dede elbow salute.
Finally, he spoke on what everyone had waited for 32 years to hear. He apologised for the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. He finally admitted that MKO Abiola won the election. The admission and the tone of his apology moved some of his audience who felt he had now put a closure on the matter.
Congratulations to IBB on his memoirs and for the honour he received at his book launch.