Qualities next President must possess, by IBB
They say that when the giants fight, it is the grass that suffer. This is the battle of the titans> Obasanjo jad fought. During this fight, the Nigerians had said that that was the mother of all Nigerias wars. After that … Now a bigger war seem to be in the horizon.
Former Military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) has identified attributes of his ideal President in 2023
He said the next President must speak to the citizens, understand the nation’s economy and have friends in every region.
Babangida, disclosed this while speaking with Arise TV during an interview on Friday monitored by The Nation.
Babangida said he has seen Nigerians who have the qualities and they are in their sixties.
“If you get a good leadership that links with the people and tries to talk with the people; not talking on top of the people, then we would be okay
“I have started visualising a good Nigerian leader. That is, a person who travels across the country and has a friend virtually everywhere he travels to, and he knows at least one person that he can communicate with
: Why June 12 election was annulled, by IBB
“That is a person, who is very versed in economics and is also a good politician, who should be able to talk to Nigerians and so on. I have seen one, or two or three of such persons already in his sixties. I believe so if we can get him.”
He further said competence above ethnicity should be of utmost importance when choosing the next President.
“Either we want to practise democracy the way it should be practised or we define democracy on our own whims and caprices,” he said.
“If we are going to do it the way it is done all over the world, you allow the process to continue.
“It is through the process that you will come up with a candidate that will rule the country. His beliefs and qualifications should be considered before he throws his hat into the ring, regardless of where he comes from.”
Speaking on corruption in relation to how military leaders and civilian leaders tackled it, he said: “Well on that, you can’t compare it with the facts on the ground now. You can say it. From what I read, from analysis, I think we are saints when compared to what is happening under a democratic dispensation.
“I sacked a Governor for misappropriating less than N313,000.
“Today, those who have stolen billions and are in court are now parading themselves on the streets. Who else is better in fighting corruption?”
Babaginda also blamed politicians for disunity.
“Till today, unfortunately, the political class are not really into this seriously and say how do we build a nation,” he said.
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2023: Arewa youths back Babangida over Nigeria’s next president
The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, has reacted to remark by former Head of State, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, IBB, that he has visualized Nigeria’s next president.
AYCF described IBB’s remark as timely and commendable to have a youth as Nigeria’s president in 2023.
AYCF National President, Yerima Shettima, said Babangida has demonstrated his commitment to democracy in Nigeria.
In a statement he signed, Shettima urged other elder statesmen to toll IBB’s step regarding Nigeria’s next president.
According to Shettima: “Former President, IBB has proved that he is committed to genuine democracy and demonstrated patriotism, with this proposition of injecting fresh blood into the democratic space of today’s Nigeria. We call in all elderstatesmen to cue behind IBB for the good of this nation”.
Shettima noted that Babangida spoken the minds of millions of Nigerians who have been quietly disturbed by, “the political culture of recycling old, tired citizens as presidents of the nation”.
He noted that recycling old citizens as president was partly responsible for the current stagnation afflicting the country.
“We’re all aware that in terms of leadership/governance globally, the trend is having young, healthy and intellectually vibrant young people at the helm of affairs.
“We’re calling in all political parties in the country to shun the culture of recycling old and incompetent candidates for the nation’s presidency, because the youth will no longer support that dangerous trend anymore”, he said.
He explained that the era of having old people holding the reigns in Nigeria should belong to the past and, “anyone who thinks this stagnation should continue, should perish that negative thought”.
Babangida, in his interview with Arise TV, had highlighted youthfulness as one of the qualities Nigeria’s next president should possess.
IBB had stated this while disclosing six other qualities the next Nigerian president should have.
June 12: I annulled MKO’s election to avert coup, says IBB
Ex-military dictator Ibrahim Babangida claims he annulled the June 12, 1993, presidential election with MKO Abiola in the clear lead to avert a violent coup. •
Ibrahim Babangida and Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola
After several decades of infamously truncating a democratic transition he kicked off, ex-military dictator Ibrahim Babangida claims he annulled the June 12, 1993, presidential election with MKO Abiola in the clear lead to avert a violent coup.
Mr Babangida claimed in an ARISE TV interview aired on Friday that some elements in the military would have staged a violent coup if he did not annul the election.
“If it materialised, there would’ve been a coup d’état which could have been violent. That’s all I can confirm,” the ex-dictator explained.
“It didn’t happen thanks to the engineering and the ‘Maradonic’ way we handled you guys in the society,” Mr Babangida added with a tinge of disdain. But that could’ve given room for more instability in the country.”
Many Nigerians and the international community have treated Mr Babangida as an ignominious pariah after illegally annulling the presidential election considered the “freest and fairest” election in the country’s history.
The presidential election had pitted two Muslim candidates, Bashir Tofa (National Republican Convention) from the North and Mr Abiola (of the Social Democratic Party) from the South. Nigerians had trooped out in their thousands to cast their votes only to wake up to an announcement by Mr Babangida’s regime that it had cancelled the election.
Mr Abiola was widely believed to have won the election.
Widespread condemnations and protests followed the annulment forcing Mr Babangida to “step aside,” handing over power to Ernest Shonekan on August 27, 1993, as the head of the so-called Interim National Government.
Within a few weeks of being in power, a military coup that Mr Babangida claimed to have prevented occurred as Gen. Sani Abacha ousted Mr Shonekan.
Mr Abacha is seen as the most notorious military dictator to ever ruled Africa’s most populous nation.
