Birthday special: Obasanjo eulogises IBB whom he once referred to as a liar

Birthday special: Obasanjo eulogises IBB whom he once referred to as a liar

Wednesday, August 17, 2016 3:38 pm


Babangida

Babangida

Olusegun Obasanjo

Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has eulogised General Ibrahim Babangida whom he once waved off as a pathological liar.

In a paid advertisement in the 17 August edition of ThisDay, Obasanjo wrote:

“I have personally followed your career in the military, spanning over three decades and I particularly felicitate with you on this auspicious occasion of your 75th birthday.” Today, 17 August, is IBB’s birthday.

OBJ added: “As most of us who joined the profession of arms just before and soon after independence, you have gone through the vicissitudes of life and that of the Nigerian history. It is noteworthy that from the thick of Nigerian civil war to the post-war re-organisation of the army and the polity in general, you distinguished yourself as a seasoned soldier. You have persisted in your faith in Nigeria through prayerful interventions at critical periods.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that as a result of the roles you have played in Nigerian history, you have enjoyed accolades of friends and suffered condemnations of adversaries and these have made you a great friend to your friends as much as a formidable adversary to your foes. Indeed, you have had your roles to play and no matter what individuals or groups may say, the rest should be left for posterity to judge. My prayer is that the remainming years of your life be spent in relative comfort and satisfaction.

Obasanjo’s position now is different from how he regarded IBB in the past. Obasanjo, at a point, criticised Babangida’s structural adjustment programme, describing it as lacking “human face.” The late Dimgba Igwe once wrote that as Babangida embarked on his endless transition programme designed to produce no successor, “he had Obasanjo’s tongue to contend with.” Babangida’s government, Obasanjo told TELL magazine, “was deficit in honour, deficit in sincerity, deficit in everything credible” It had come to a time, he added, that “if Babangida said good morning to anybody, you should first check to be sure it was not actually evening!” (http://www.nigerianbestforum.com/blog/vintage-obasanjo-the-patriot-and-opportunist/)


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