The National Association of Ogun State Students on Monday criticized the autobiography of former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd), titled ‘A Journey in Service’, which was presented last Thursday in Abuja, describing it as a cover-up of June 12 annulment.
The students dismissed the book as a collection of falsehoods, accusing Babangida of failing to address the controversies and unresolved issues from his regime.
They condemned Babangida’s claim that his successor, the late General Sani Abacha, was responsible for the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election won by the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola.
The students described this as an act of irresponsibility, asserting that Babangida was attempting to shift blame rather than take responsibility.
Furthermore, the association labelled the former military leader a coward, for waiting over 31 years to attempt to justify his condemnable role in annulling what is regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest presidential election.
The President of the student group, Kehinde Thomas, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Monday.
The statement partly reads “As students who are indigenes of Ogun State under the umbrella of NAOSS, we want to express our disappointment and deep resentment to the accolades that greeted the launch of the memoir of the former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (retd).
“That IBB acknowledged that an illustrious son of our dear state, late Bashorun M.K.O Abiola, won the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election, does not absolve him of the wrong and injustice meted out to the winner and the entire southwest.
“One wonders what kept an acclaimed combatant soldier, military tank specialist and General, for over three decades before he came to take responsibility for what happened back then.
“Why did he just come out to blame the late General Sanni Abacha for standing stoutly against the declaration of Abiola as the winner of the poll? He had an ample opportunity to set the record straight while Abacha was still alive. His confession now reeks of nothing by cowardice.
“To us, that memoir did not shed light on any grey issues, rather, it confirmed what people have come to know over the years. Apart from the issue of June 12, 1993, why did IBB fail to tell us who murdered Dele Giwa, an investigative journalist who was killed with a letter bomb? What of other atrocities carried out by his foot soldiers.”
The student body also condemned the accolades being showered on Babangida by some Nigerians and the donation of N16b during the official presentation of his memoir.
“However, it is appalling and disheartening to see that the book launch grossed nothing less than N16b, while some prominent Nigerians eulogised and poured encomium on IBB at the event.
“Such actions, no doubt, betrayed the sacrifice and the supreme price paid by that great Nigerian and proud son of Ogun.
“We are very sure that the late M.K.O Abiola will be turning in his grave if he could see that IBB, who was a harbinger of the darkest era in the annal of Nigeria, is today being celebrated as a hero”, the statement added.
The students’ group added that taking responsibility for plunging Nigeria into a dark era and the shedding of blood of innocent Nigerians who protested the annulment, does not atone for the sins and injustice committed by the military junta of IBB.
Thomas stressed that Babangida as the head of government then should have towed the path of honour by standing against the injustice perpetrated against the person of late M.K.O Abiola and the entire people of southwest Nigeria, rather than pulling wools over the faces of Nigerians.
“The admittance of Babangida that an illustrious son of Ogun actually won the annulled presidential poll over three decades after is “not only an act of cowardice but confessing to the obvious”, Thomas concluded.
