Nigerian leaders suffer from selective amnesia, which means that they decide what to remember and what to conveniently forget!

Last week witnessed a book launch which made it clear in no uncertain terms that our political elite have decided to forget the past and remain united in lack of consideration towards those Nigerians who fought and continue to fight for true democracy.  General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), who ruled Nigeria from 1985 to 1993 and has been blamed for institutionalising corruption and deepening the nation’s economic and political problems, recently launched his memoirs.

In the book titled “A Journey in Service” IBB tries to present himself as a humble person who doesn’t deserve the criticism he receives. However, despite his best efforts, his acknowledged legacy is one of economic downturn, human rights abuses, political assassinations and a cycle of instability. The relevance and timing of his book are questionable as his memories really have nothing to offer in the current discourse about Nigeria. The damage he did cannot be undone after more than three decades and his book is simply a self-serving attempt at rewriting history.

As for the launching itself, the occasion was an assembly of those who have benefitted either financially or politically from the mess IBB created by annulling the 1993 presidential election won by Chief MKO Abiola. Ironically, democratically elected leaders celebrated the country’s most undemocratic leader and “annuller-in-chief” with fanfare, laughter and merriment which were totally inappropriate!

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) quite correctly condemned the fanfare calling it “a disgraceful celebration of impunity” in which a dictator responsible for the demise of democracy in Nigeria was hero-worshipped by the beneficiaries of the failed system. Past leaders often fail in their attempts to rewrite history in order to absolve themselves from blame or responsibility but the saddest aspect of IBB’s case was that our so-called “elites” shamelessly applauded him when he said “I regret June 12th”. His regret while not accepting responsibility brings to mind the assertion by Socrates that “Injustice isn’t an accident it’s an act of deliberate evil”. The Nigerian elite have normalised fraud and deceit thereby confusing our children in terms of what they should copy or what values to uphold.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mike Ozekhome inexplicably urged Nigerians to forgive IBB. His plea is an insult to late MKO Abiola and his wife Kudirat who both lost their lives in the struggle to claim his mandate.  It’s an insult to the memory of those who were killed protesting for the restoration of democracy, and an insult to the families of those National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) members who fought to restore the democracy that IBB so carelessly discarded. Patriotic well–meaning Nigerian democrats suffered in police detention and prison, after which they were hounded and eventually forced into exile in fear for their lives. The likes of Ozekhome need reminding, as Albert Einstein famously said, that “the world is in greater peril from those who tolerate or encourage evil than from those who actually commit it”!

Under normal circumstances people are supposed to read books before commenting on them.  In IBB’s case, this isn’t necessary because those who have reviewed the book claim that there is nothing new or worthwhile in it. Indeed, there is no benefit in reading anything IBB has to say about his sordid past. His explanations of his failures are of so little relevance these days as the nation battles with the dire consequences of his misguided governance. Even as IBB tries to shift blame for the annulment of the transparent, fair and credible 1993 presidential election, the truth is that he was not a victim of circumstance, his intrigue and betrayal made him the architect of Nigeria’s crisis of democracy.

It’s difficult not to agree with the Retired Archbishop of Enugu Province (Anglican Communion), Most Reverend Emmanuel Chukwuma, who said IBB’s claim of annulling the 1993 presidential election for the good of the nation is patently false. Nigerian activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, also criticised IBB for his habit of distorting the truth for personal gain. He said, “In a place inhabited by the conscious, IBB would not dare show his face in public”!

In Farotimi’s opinion, the memoirs have not revealed anything previously unknown. His memoirs are offensive to Nigerians who suffered to restore democracy. The book glosses over his mismanagement of national affairs, the staggering corruption of his administration, and the devastation of the economy caused by his structural adjustment programme (SAP) which triggered massive inflation, unemployment and poverty. It’s important to ensure historical accuracy and transparency in discussions about Nigeria’s past, and IBB’s memoirs are more of an attempt to reshape the historical narratives than to offer genuine sober reflection.

All those who praised IBB at his book launch simply made it clear to patriotic Nigerians that suffering for the good of the nation, and fighting for democracy is a thankless task! Holding political office by whatever means necessary is the path to permanent wealth in Nigeria. Truthfully Nigerians have become complicit in the continuation of evil. The former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission Prof Chidi Odinkalu has pointed out that Babangida waited until all members of the 1993 Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) were dead before publishing his memoirs which nobody can contravene. However, history will remember the June 12 annulment more than any of the selective recollections of his memoirs.