Our two warring Generals, adept at quoting The Bible and The Quran to justify acts of mischief have now publicly admitted in their own words, who they truly are- deceitfully devious scheming political fraudsters. And since they know each other perfectly more than the rest of us, I think their characterisation of themselves as trickster at seventy or fraudster of indeterminate age was quite apt. Both of them started devious scheming as young military officers and today, they are still engaged in fraudulent game of deceit in and out of power. The only point of disagreement between the duo, it will appear, was who is more decent or honourable. And the answer to that will depend on the yardstick we use. After all, as they say, there is honour even among thieves.
Both have furtively strived to portray themselves as Nigerian patriots, heroes of war and peace, selfless leaders who fought a civil war to keep Nigeria one. Little did we realise it was more for their gains rather than their patriotism. As their trophy, they jointly held our nation to ransom for about twenty years of our fifty years of independence. Like the crafty men they claimed they are, they talk too much like tricksters and quick to anger like conmen. They both took calculated risks and were Machiavellian in their strategies for managing state affairs, often eliminating not just their enemies but also those who crown them. Banbangida is flustered that Obasanjo whom he moved from prison to palace paid him back in bad coin. It is as if we have forgotten the fate that befell General Mamman Vatsa and MKO Abiola.
General Babangida is far from being idiotic. All available evidence supports his charcaterisation as clever, cunning and crafty. A man who described himself as ‘an evil genius’ and has like his hero, Chaka the Zulu who killed for fun, demonstrated high degree of courage when faced with threat of survival even from bosom friends. He can at best be described as a slippery customer. A man described by, MKO Abiola as; “with Banbangida as a friend, one doesn’t need an enemy.’ Babangida is only a shade different from Obasanjo’s characterisation of him as a crafty snake. Idiots don’t plan successful coup except you are a drunken Dimka. But Babangida is a veteran of many coup d etats capping them with the annulment of the presidential mandate of MKO Abiola, his bosom friend and business partner. It is only a corn artist that can topple a regime on the basis of government bad policies only to use the same awful policies to govern for eight years.
On the economic front, Babangida has taken credit for reengineering Nigeria through his Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP). He introduced National Directorate of employment, NERFUND, Peoples Bank DIFFRI, Etc, ostensibly to ameliorate the pains of SAP. But it is on record that the efforts made many of his friends’ bank owners and many Generals, multi millionaires.
On the political front, Banbangida embarked on an ambitious N40 billion political transition programme with two ‘decreed’ political parties, building of political party head quarters across the nation and grooming and indoctrination of his ‘new breed’ politicians with the cliché of not having any link with the past. He successfully hoodwinked the political elite. He banned, unbanned and finally banned them from contesting election to leave the political space for his new breed politicians that have been pillaging our nation since 1999. He duped the intellectual elites of their only priced possession, their integrity. Many became “Aso Rock ‘professors, shamelessly among others authoring his autobiography ‘The Prince of the Niger.’
Of course, Babangida’s characterization of his former commander is equally fitting except for his reference to Obasanjo as ‘wittiness comedian’. Obasnajo like Babangida may be very deceitful, but he is not without wits. Indeed, he is a journalist and any cartoonist’s favourite on account of his special gift as a stand-up comedian. General Obasanjo voluntarily relinquished power in 1979. He was begged and cajoled by self proclaiming patriots like Babangda to come and clear the mess he and Abacha left behind, even while protesting he had not forgotten anything in Aso rock presidential lodge. But since he ended up rooting for a third term agenda after eight years in power, Obasanjo is closer to the picture of a crafty fraudster that Babangida painted.
But the more I search the less difference I see between Generals Obasanjo and Babangida. The only thing that separates them is their ambition of a life presidency. IBB calls himself the evil genius, those who know OBJ say he, like Babangida swims in alleged iniquity. Both leaders suffer from selective perception. Most of their actions stem from the blurred pictures in their heads. Both have never been humble or charitable enough to accept others also have some of the virtues they think they and they alone have in abundance. Both had their roots questioned by political adversaries. For instance, Obasanjo’s political enemies claim he is not Yoruba. Much as he insists, his political foes maintain he has his roots in Onitsha. As for the other, his political enemies also insist he had his roots in Ogbomosho. They insisted he was called Gbadamosi by NTA shortly after his palace coup in 1985.
They both claimed to know what is best for Nigeria without asking Nigerians. In this regard, one insisted there was no alternative to SAP, the other insisted there was no alternative to privatization. Both programmes merely transferred our national patrimony to a few of their cronies and family members
Both often display public piety. One insisted on listening to God’s voice instead of advisers before taking decisions despite God’s admonition that the ‘voice of man is the voice of God’. The other publicly displays the tesbhr (the Muslim rosary) for everyone to see how pious he is. On the night he was to defend the annulment of the most credible election in the nation’s history, conspicuously displayed in his hand was the rosary while every statement was laden with ‘Isha Allah’. What is also not lost on Nigerians, was the parallel between the self perpetuation motivated annulment and a failed third term agenda scheming which motivated the massive rigging of the 2007 presidential election that installed a terminally sick president who was magnanimous enough to admit his election was ‘defective’
Both relish the company of a cult of palace jesters massaging their ego .Military officers including Generals openly pledged loyalty to Babangida rather than to the nation. Some shamelessly told bemused Nigerians that they were ready to die for Babangida. Within Babangida’s ‘army of anything is possible’, there were Babangida Boys’. There were even his “new breed politicians’ that breed nothing but corruption. Obadsanjo had his own court jesters who daily proclaimed, without him, there will be no Nigeria.
Above all, both are favourites of the West .They are of the same hue of African leaders the West installed and sustained in power to guarantee a life of leisure for their people. It was in the interest of the West that Babangida adopted IMF policy that only impoverished Nigerians. It was in the interest of the West that Obasanjo literarily carried cash to settle our unverified indebtedness to the Paris Club, a novel strategy they are yet to try in Italy, Spain and even America, the world’s greatest debtor. It is in the interest of the West that we in the name of globalization embark on liberalization that has made importation of fish, meat and grains cheaper instead of subsidizing local production.
The two devious leaders instead of throwing brickbats, or engaging in odious public bludgeoning of each other, should apologise to Nigerians for the woes of our nation in the last forty years.
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