Who Wants To Crucify IBB Over His Call For Young Leaders? -Isaac Asabor

When Anita Faye Hill, an American lawyer and academic, years back quotably said, “I resent the idea that people would blame the messenger for the message, rather than looking at the content of the message itself”, one may conjecture that she might had foresaw a situation that looked like what former Nigerian military leader, Ibrahim Babangida, today finds himself.

It would be recalled that no sooner had the former military president finished speaking during an exclusive interview aired on Arise TV, and subsequently on DSTV 416, GOTv 44, and Sky 519 did backlashes that were replete with denigrating contents began to trail him for somewhat bitter truth he disclosed during the interview.

For instance, human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore lambasted him through an opinion article, and in the same vein described him as a hypocrite who caused the death of young people. Sowore said it is hypocritical for the former military dictator to now be calling for youths to lead in Nigeria.

The activist referred to Babangida, also known as IBB, as a “hater of democracy”, “a murderer” and a”thief” who should be in prison.

He wrote, “Conman, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) killed students, killed Dele Giwa, killed Mamman Vasta, killed Gideon Orkar, killed a generation of young army officers in a plane crash so they won’t reach their prime, now he is blabbing about the quest for a younger generation to lead.

He added, “A hater of democracy, a murderer, a thief and dissembler, who should be in prison but here we are with one of these blockheads just running his mouth and getting undue airtime! #RevolutionNow.”

Sowore’s reaction was sequel to the suggestion proffered by the former military leader that individuals in their 60s should be the focus of Nigerians as potential presidential candidates in 2023.

IBB said one of the reasons Nigeria has refused to progress and achieve the dreams of the founding fathers was because Nigerians no longer believed in the future of their own country.

Although the former leader called did not in any way mention their names as ineligible for the nation’s number one seat, he however suggested that individuals in their 60s should be the focus of Nigerians as potential presidential candidates in 2023.

However, it can in this context be said that by the next general election in 2023, Atiku, who is 75 this year would be 77, while Tinubu, who marked an official 68th birthday in March, would have turned 70 years.

Babangida, who himself will be 80 on August 17 this year, was confident that the nation is endowed with both human and natural resources, hinted at a few individuals, whom he said were in their 60s, had the capacity to become president and could effectively run the country.

The former leader, who accused the Nigerian people of creating and at the same time, destroying their own country, identified bad leadership as yet a major reason for the socio-economic challenges facing Nigeria.

Talking about the presidential hopefuls he had in mind, IBB said they were persons in their 6os with contacts across the nation and who had been traversing the geo-political zones marketing their acceptability and capacity.

Sowore’s view, published on August 6, 2021 edition of Sahara Reporters, and titled “Conman Babangida Killed Younger Generation As Dictator, Should Be In Prison, Not Blabbing About Youthsm Omoyele Sowore” is not alone within the context of such opinion as not few Nigerians also expressed same with measurable dose of acerbities.

The emotional reactions that trailed the interview granted to Arise TV by the former leader were not unexpected by many Nigerians, including this writer as he still unarguably bears the burden of the annulment of the 1993 presidential election, popularly called June 12, among other atrocities allegedly committed by him coupled with anti-democratic activities he exhibited when he was in power as a military president.

As captured in an article titled, “IBB and the burden of history”, published on Premium Times edition of August 10, 2021, and written by Reuben Abati, the former leader is unarguably battling with the challenge of clearing himself from the quagmire of June 12.

The views of the prolific writer partly reads, “…She added that no other Nigerian President has been more abused by Nigerians, and if curses could kill, IBB should have been long dead and forgotten. In the wake of the annulment of the 1993 presidential election by the Babangida junta, activists in the South-West rained curses on IBB.

Old women stripped themselves naked, based on the general cultural belief that if an old woman curses anyone with her exposed chest, such a person is doomed for life. Hurriedly-made wooden coffins were paraded on the streets of Lagos, and mock funerals were conducted. IBB’s offence was his annulment of the 1993 presidential election. The lady remarked that her only take-away from the Babangida interview is how God has a way of preserving the wicked. That is the kind of man IBB is. He evokes extreme passions of opposite varieties, with near-equal intensity. For me, the very idea of the interview alone was useful.

Getting IBB to talk at all was an achievement for Arise TV, and a special career moment for Ngozi Alaegbu, the anchor”.

At this juncture, it is expedient to say that inasmuch as not few Nigerians are today speaking well of IBB even as a messenger in this context, the fact remains that his message is salient enough as it could not have come at a better time than now.

According to Kofi Annan years back, “Any society that does not succeed in tapping into the energy and creativity of its youth will be left behind.”

Seen from the foregoing light, the message delivered by the former military leader during the interview should in all its ramifications be considered to be salient by everyone without misunderstanding seeing it through the eyes of who IBB is or was.

It is also expedient to say that the view or rather suggestion as offered by IBB is not new to Nigerians. For instance, President Muhammadu Buhari early in January last year told the Nigerian youths in Abuja to warm up for huge leadership responsibilities, as he said with all certainty that someday, the mantle of leadership of the country will rest on their shoulders.

In the same vein, it can also be recalled that Most Reverend Asefila Abidoye, the spiritual father of the C&S movement, in 2018 suggested in his view that the youths need to take over Nigeria’s leadership because the elders have failed the country. At the time, the clergy urged them not to disappoint the nation and their constituents when they eventually get elected into political office.

At this point in time, there is no denying the fact that the young will make better leaders than the aged as young people by virtues of their dynamism, their energy and their inherent understanding of our interconnected world.

Without any scintilla of hyperbole, they have much to offer as they are imbued with increased educational attainment in a milieu that is speedily advancing in technology and spreading information with the speed of light. The beauty of all is that the few of them that are in positions of leadership are evidently been bringing their education, connection and internet-speed intelligence to bear. In fact, giving young people the opportunity to lead will pave the way for them to hold older generations accountable for the mess they have created, as Greta Thunberg rightly quoted.

It is unarguably against the backdrop of the leadership qualities which the youths possess that IBB expressed his view. If I may ask, “Who Wants To Crucify IBB Over His Call For Young Leaders?