•June 12: ‘I have told Nigerians that, look, I accept full responsibility.You should see the event beyond the narrow word ‘sorry’. Nigerians should be able also to put the issue in context, and ask what they would have done if they found themselves in my position during the annulment of the June 12 election and the crisis that ensued. It is bigger to accept responsibility’

Former military President, Gen (retd) Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, has revealed one of his most traumatic moments when he was in power.

According to him, the killing of his childhood friend and kinsman, Gen. Mamman Vatsa remains for him the saddest in his eight years of presiding over the affairs of Nigeria.

His words: “Well, the saddest incident was when I had to take a decision which went contrary to the normal relationship or friendship. I have always quoted the case of my friend, Vatsa.
Here I was, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with the case of a long-time friend, and I found I had to take a decision concerning him. It wasn’t easy, but somebody had to do it,” Babangida said.

The General also spoke on the controversial June 12 annulment, insisting vehemently that circumstances beyond his control necessitated the decision.

Asked if he would consider tendering apology to Nigerians for the hurt it inflicted on the nation, the ex-leader said: “ I have said I take full responsibility for what happened. You say sorry when you intentionally do something wrong.”
The ex-leader spoke in an exclusive interview with Mr Eric Osagie, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher of ThisNigeria newspaper.

Perhaps, one of the most revealing interviews he has granted, the interview was first published by The Sun when Mr Osagie was Editor Nation’s capital of the newspaper.
It was also excerpted in his book, “The Big Interviews: How to get the news subjects and angles that make the headlines.”

As he clocks 80 tomorrow (Tuesday, August 17), excerpts of the interview which x-rays critical decisions Babangida took while in office between 1985 and 1993, are presented below for your reading pleasure…

What went wrong with the Babangida presidency? You came to power on the crest of fame; popular, well-loved. When did things begin to go wrong? You transformed from being a well-loved general to an “evil genius.” How did the transformation come about?

I think it is a natural thing, in any situation one finds oneself, don’t forget from the outset, there will be people who are with you for various reasons. The thing most people don’t seem to understand about human beings is that they can cry with you, they can love you today and do anything for you, but they wouldn’t hesitate to see you through the gallows tomorrow. So, this is part of human nature.

Where did things begin to go wrong in your view? Never has a president been so loved when he came to power and then so much hated afterward?

Even when I left, I still had some admirers.

They had begun to dwindle…
I agree with you, but it is understandable. I didn’t depart from my set objectives, and I think this is the most important thing. The thing is: Every leader, not only the president, be it the chairman of a local government council, a governor, the MD of a company, or whatever, I think, has to go through some of these things.

You come, you are welcome, then later…
Yeah!

There is this thinking that, in the eight years you were in power, Maryam (your wife) was the force behind the throne; that she was virtually ruling Nigeria. Is that correct?
That is even most unfair to say, because having been in the military in the last 32 years of my life, the profession itself is such that nobody pushes a military man. I think we had a system and the system operated very well.

You allowed her to “glamourise” The Office of the First Lady. She is recorded as the most flamboyant, so far, of all the Nigerian First Ladies. Why did you allow that?
Well, you know you guys in the media have a way of describing things – “glamourising” “flamboyant” “institutionalising corruption” – but the important thing is you have a job to do and something is done. Unfortunately, in this country, in your profession, nobody talks about anything good that somebody has done. You pay more attention to what you perceived, wrongly or rightly; but I think one has to live with it. We are developing, and I reckon in the next 10 to 15 years, people will be talking about issues that concern Nigeria, people will start talking about how to move Nigeria forward, not how somebody is dressed or how he feeds, or how somebody institutionalised corruption or something. People just talk about these things in secret. Nobody can come out and say, “Okay, this is my concept about A, B, C, D.” So, we were in power, have to live with it. Somebody has to carry the can, and it happens that we are carrying it now. My prayer is that your generation and those who going to come after you, will not have to be subjected to this kind of misinformation and distortions.

What influence did she have on your presidency? Did she select ministers for you, prevail on you to drop some or add some?
We had a dividing line. She never, throughout my tenure (as head of state) called any of my ministers to tell them: this is what I want; this is what I don’t want. That was not her responsibility; it was my responsibility. So, she had no role when I was in office. My wife still went to the kitchen and cooked food, but as I said, people will always have a wrong perception. I think there is no man who will like to allow such a thing to happen.

Now, when you read some of these things in the papers, on television, everything imaginably evil or not so good, attributed, does it make you feel?
Yes, I am a human being and I may not feel too happy about it, but there are two ways that I look at these things. Number one, at my age, because of my experience and background, I will be able to absorb everything evil that people will say about me. My background and my religion allow that sort of thing. Then, the second human aspect is that I have children who were growing up.

They went to school; they can read. Then, you see, they will begin to wonder, “What is happening?”, because, at home, they see a different person from what they are reading in the newspapers. So, at that time when they were growing up, I always told them that whatever they saw, whatever they read, they should ask me questions anytime.

So, if they saw or read anything, they would come and ask questions, and I sat down with them and tried to explain to them. God helped me and they became so used to it, that anything negative they read about me was no longer news to them – that was my luck. I thank God for that because all the time you will have to think about those members of your family, your relations, your very close friends, your admirers, and what effect the negative publicity had on them. Fortunately, with members of the family I communicate with, I told them to feel free with anything they see in newspapers, if they don’t feel satisfied they should ask questions, and I will explain to them. I told them the true position of things and they began to see it as a way of growing up.

In your eight-year presidency, so many things happened. Which of those incidents remain your saddest, when you look back?

Well, my saddest incident was when I had to take a decision that went contrary to the normal relationship or friendship. I have always quoted the case of my friend, Vatsa. Here I was, the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with the case of a long-term friend, and I found I had to take a decision concerning him. It wasn’t easy, but somebody had to do it.

It broke your heart?
Not broke my heart, no. But I felt sad.

You wept aloud? Did you cry?

No. The last time I cried was some fifty-something years ago.

Now, let me ask you this question. You have the reputation of being a nice guy. Are you play-acting or what?
Anybody, you know that I went to school with, if you ask them, they will always tell you that I always like to be in the presence of people, classmates, and so on, and this is how I have lived all my life up till today. I have friends; I remain loyal to my friends; I always love to see them around us and all that. So, it is a natural thing, I think.

So, there was nothing deliberate to it?

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No, no, no. In fact, what I know is that you can’t control it, I have said that before, then you don’t fight for it. You don’t lookout for it. If it then comes to you, fine; that is the way God wished it. But I have no right to control any other thing that is not my understanding of power. I see power as a responsibility given to you, entrusted to you by the people to do the best you can for the sake of the people.

In eight years in power, you empowered some Nigerians. You make friends and you have a fantastic network. Was it all geared towards the ultimate goal? Did you prepare for power? Was it a long, deliberate plan?
When I was growing up, I always lived in peace with my peers, I always liked to be seen with people, I wasn’t anti-people when I was growing up. It came naturally that people will flock towards me.

When people talk about Babangida’s presidency, they talk aboutJune 12, and what they say is that you have always said, “I accept responsibility; I was president; the buck stops on my table and all that kind of thing.’ Now, if people feel hurt, why is it difficult for you to say, “Sorry, Nigerians, I annulled June 12.” You have never used that word in any of your interviews.

I had always thought when I had these interviews that I was talking to people who understand; who understand when I say I take full responsibility for my action or inaction – that says it. So, if you told me, “Look, General, I take full responsibility for that; it’s my fault.” I would understand. I am not the one to keep dragging you over an issue until I kill you before I let you be.

Of course, June 12 is an emotional issue…
No, there is nothing emotional about it. People make it an emotional issue, but before then, there was nothing emotional about it. People don’t accept responsibility; I do.

Move a step further from accepting responsibility. If you tell Nigerians I am sorry, what would be wrong, what would you be losing?

I have also told Nigerians that, “Look, I accept full responsibility.” You should see the event beyond the narrow word ‘sorry’. Nigerians should be able also to put the issue in context, and ask what they would have done if they found themselves in my position during the annulment of the June 12 elections and the crisis that ensued. It is bigger to accept responsibility.

If Nigerians insist on your saying sorry, will you say that, because not all Nigerians are knowledgeable enough to understand your long explanation. All they know is that one man annulled June 12. You have tried to explain and explain, but won’t it be very simple to say, “Okay, I’m sorry”. I mean, what do you lose?

No, you should try to understand. If I shoot you by mistake, I say sorry, because I shot you, okay. So, the issue has gone beyond shooting one man; it has gone beyond that. There are a lot of forces at play; there are a lot of other things. Accepting full responsibility, to me, is stronger than the word “sorry”. I don’t want to bring it to a parochial level. It is an event that is bigger than you as an individual; it’s bigger than the journalist, it’s bigger than any other section of the country. So, we should give it a much more befitting status than just saying that I am sorry, it doesn’t mean anything.

And you agree that June 12 is an albatross you have to carry for a very long time to come?
That is what makes a man; a man must carry a responsibility.

It is your cross?
I wouldn’t call it a cross, but I accept full responsibility.

You know, why I call it a cross, an albatross is that…
(cuts in) No, we accept full responsibility, and, that done, you move on.

Okay, you don’t keep dwelling on it?
No, no, no. It is only you guys who keep on dwelling on it, and I know, in the next 50 years, we wouldn’t be talking about June 12 1993 elections annulment. Then I will be damn too old to even remember that such a thing had happened or we will say we are tired of hearing this story.

First published in Saturday Sun, July 10, 2004