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lekanakins8@hotmail.com Toronto, Canada

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BABANGIDA AND THE RAGE OF THE NATION

gainst the backdrop of the coming election in Nigeria, I am being galvanized with a deep sense of history to write against the personalization and feudalization of political power which may rear its head again in 2007. But first, it is fundamental for us to understand the principle of considering things in their movement, their change, their coming into being and going out of being which is paramount in understanding of society. It is necessary to pay attention to what is new, to what is rising and going, not just to what exist at the moment, but what is coming into being.

It is no longer news that Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida who ruled and ruined Nigeria for eight and the half years is interested in contesting as a President come 2007. In his usual hypocritical and masquerading manner, he told Nigerians that he was going to become a statesman, and ensure that his past mistake of collective sadness does not repeat itself, but his charlatan hirelings were under his instruction to test the political terrain for his inordinate and self deluded ambition. He went further when asked if he was interested in the presidency, his response was that, thy Lord would guide him on the right track.

The question to ask is what does this man who is noted for political buffoonery, foulness, manipulation, and demagoguery, paranoid with power and couched in saccharine rhetoric want again? A man we are told surrounds himself with some of the best brains in Nigeria, but I consider them as lepers, self seeking popinjays, and political mandarins with millipede mentality. This was person that built personality cult around himself as if he was god but was disgraced out of power and in his foolhardiness calling it 'step aside'.

When he took over power in August 1985, he tried to buy legitimacy and took the country on a forlorn hope through the followings; commitment to revive the economy, commitment to hand over to civil administration and commitment to fundamental human rights. To achieve the first, the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) was imposed on the populace which main aims were to diversify the economy, reduce Nigeria's dependency on foreign goods, strengthen the naira and reduce inflation. Unfortunately it was the opposite that happened as capacity utilization was 29.8 %, almost the same level when he took power. There was this statement he made in April 1992 that the "Nigeria's economy has defied all logic and it is a miracle that it has not collapsed". When the Concord magazine did critical analyses on this, he sent his Gestapo boys to close it and the end result was Moshood Abiola (late) went apologizing which led to mass resignation by patriotic pen members.

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The devaluation of our naira started under his regime. According to him, it was meant to deal with mushroom banks. But he created the mushroom banks. Under him, the manufacturing sector which should be the back bone of the economy was crippled as it was hit by lack of foreign exchange, low capacity utilization, trade liberalization and high interest rates. All the military governors he appointed looted the treasury and one of them parading himself as Senator David Mark was alleged to own the best golf course in Ireland (stolen money). He also enacted a decree called National Housing Fund Decree No 3 of 1992, in which low income earners were made to contribute 21% of their basic monthly salary towards the funding of a house which remained to be built till date. The purpose of the money was to enable the low in come earners secure a loan which they did not get. After deducting the money from worker's salary, the Federal Mortgage Bank came out with a document saying that the housing loan were meant for the middle class and high income earners. The question to ask is what happened to the money deducted? It was during his time that people started stealing, being fraudulent, turning industries to churches, tokunboh syndrome etc.

It was in his era Nigerians became aware of closure, detention without trial and above all, the nation became a pariah state. He bribed and carpeted all democratic organizations except the great student movement; the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), a formidable Association that championed the anti SAP protest of 1989, in which the great university of Ibadan was the then arrow head. I want to use this opportunity to pay tribute to my patriotic colleagues who were so passionate about the development and progress of that country in which I was the students' union public relations of UI and chief mobilization officer of NANS. They are: Adewale Bashar, Luke Aghenenu, Opeyemi Bamidele, Bode Ojomu, Bioidun Ogunade Revo, Laitan Oyerinde, Gbenga Komolafe, Gbenga Olawepo, Sasere Olat, Rotimi Johnson, Dayo Aturashe, Segun Jegede, Yomi Gidado, Omolade Adunbi, Belo Aideloje, late Chima Ubani, Innocent Chukuma, Ogaga Ifowodo, Salisu Lukman, Chiason Basil, Ms. Ene Obi, Sylvester Odion-Akhaine, Kola Odetola, Chidi Onumah, Ayo Akinfe and those who continued the struggle after us like Tony Kola-Olusanya, Adeola Soetan, Bamidele Aturu, Yomi Ogundeji, Mahmud Abdul Aminu, Kura Nasir, Ebun Adegboruwa 'Big Sam', Agnes Shaba, Shina Oke, Ogbara Nurudeen Alowonle, Biodun Kolwawole 'Arole', Omoyele Sowore, Segun Mayiegun, Bunmi Olusona 'Beyond Jordan', Mike Igaga, Jiti Ogunye and other army of progress. I will not forget the courageous role of Professor Niyi Osundare, Dr. Agbon and late Dr. Reverend Murumba played for ASUU at Ibadan when others chickened out due to state terrorism and our late Guardian Angel in the person of late Dr. Ola Oni who sacrificed a lot in his Bodija residence at Ibadan for us to digest Marxist literatures. I do remember the horrendous and heart breaking experience of November 1992 when Demola Yahaya and I were detained for twelve days in Umuahia after being arrested at Aba and then charged for sedition and incitement. Many of my colleagues also suffered similar fate under the fascist regime of this gap-tooth man called evil genius.

If there was one mistake Nigerians committed, it was the fact that they failed to comprehend the logic of his coming into power and he played on the benevolence of the populace. It was unfortunate that we did not start revolting against him on time. But this time around, the Gangan drum must start early and there shall be no room for step aside or annulment. Nigerians must know that attention must be paid to it now or else this pied piper we lure away our children. "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance" and according to Karl Marx, "humanity makes its own history through material resources and social forces acquired from the past. From it, humankind applies its knowledge, consciousness, strength, courage, faith and commitment to human progress".

I am urging Nigerians this time around that they must be wise like the serpent and ensure that nobody is allowed again to come and experiment on the country. We must stop the syndrome of recycling past leaders who have played despicable roles in the political development of Nigeria and start in earnest, the process of nation building. This mentality of seeing public service as a way of solving personal problems at the expense of the larger society must be stopped, and we must have the fear of God in our heart. Today, it is on record that our country cannot guarantee its citizens good housing facilities; ours is a country that cannot guarantee the good necessities of life, not to talk of a good qualitative and quantitative education. What about water, light, sanitation, health and others? They have all become a mirage for the average citizen. We are afraid of the dangerous trend of the continuous existence of the country. The consumerist attitude of Nigeria leadership against this backdrop, calls for questioning in which bad policies have reduced our country to a nation of pauper. One thing to remember is that IBB played a key role in our current situation. For just coming out to tell Nigerians that he is interested in ruling Nigeria again is an insult on the psyche of Nigerians. The God he said he consulted is the God of the people and therefore NEVER AGAIN. If the Lord I call on is the one on the throne, then your ambition is a forlorn hope. I say to you that those who wield the dagger of Brutus at the capitol must be prepared to meet the ghost of Caesar at Phillipe. Nigerians must note that history is written by victors and we will win the future- Surefire.