IBB at 75; Giant Strides In Retrospect
Niger State born Nigeria's former head of state clocks 75. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida was born in Minna in the year 1941. IBB, as he is popular called, is one man whose name, keeps popping up as the making of the Nigerian state.
In his early school days, IBB attended the Provincial Secondary School, Bida, from 1957 to 1962 and later joined the Nigerian Army on 10 December, 1962, where he attended the Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC) in Kaduna and subsequently receiving his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant, as a regular combatant officer in the Royal Nigerian Army, a month before it became the Nigerian Army with the personal army number N/438 from the Indian Military Academy on September 26, 1963.
The young IBB went further to train in armoury from January 1966 until April 1966 by enrolling in Course 38 of the Young Officers’ Course (ARMED) in the United Kingdom where he received a four-month course in Saladin and gunnery.
He then took the Advanced Armoured Officers’ course at Armored school from August 1972 to June 1973.
He attended the senior officers’ course, Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, from January 1977 until July 1977 and the Senior International Defence Management Course, Naval Postgraduate School, U.S in 1980.
He played a major role in halting the Nigerian coup of 1976, where he freed a radio station from one of the coup plotters, Col. Buka Suka Dimka to prevent him from making further announcements over the airwaves.
Under him as a military administration, Babangida markedly understood the geo-politics of Nigeria, particularly the fears of ethnic domination and marginalisation, he tried to correct the perceived structural imbalances by the creation of more 11 states: Akwa Ibom, Katsina, Abia, Anambra, Delta, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Osun, Yobe and Taraba were created by the IBB government, with over 200 new council areas, owing their existence to this effort.
He also conceived the creation of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and the Federal Environment Protection Agency (FEPA). The Third Mainland Bridge, which helped to ease traffic situation in Lagos and the Federal Urban Mass Transit programme were introduced under this great Nigerian.
The Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DIFRRI), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) of which Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka was its first chairman. The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the National Housing Fund, the Petrol Chemical Plant in Kaduna, the National Revenue Mobilization Commission, Code of Conduct Bureau and Code of Conduct Tribunal and NAFDAC were all Babangida’s brilliant creation. He realized the vision of Abuja as a Federal Capital city by providing its most vital infrastructure and moving the seat of government from Lagos in 1991.
The privatisation of the broadcast industry, the licensing of private universities and airlines; the liberalisation of the banking industry, including the establishment of community Bank where all feats attributed to this Iconic former Head of state.
IBB, was the first to implement a gender sensitive agenda that created a National Commission for Women that later became the Ministry of Women Affairs. Many women were appointed to key positions in national institutions, among which was the first female vice-chancellor of a Nigerian university. The formation of the West African Peace Monitoring Force (ECOMOG) is a Babangida initiative, anchored by bold and heroic Nigerian troops, who brought peace to war-torn Liberia and Sierra Leone.
At 75 years, he remains relevant in the Nigerian space as his is seen to play a couple of mediatory roles in the peace broking and unity of the country. IBB garnered plethora of Accolades, from the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (GCFR), to the Defence Service Medal (DSM), to the National Service Medal (NSM). The Royal Service Medal (RSM) to the Forces Services Star (FSS), to General Service Medal (GSM). In May 1989, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain conferred on him with the Knight Grand Cross of the Bath (GCB).
