His classmates at Government College Bida were General Abdusalam Abubakar, General Mohammed Mamman Magoro, Major-General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, Major-General Muhammed Gado Nasko, Major-General Garba Duba, Mr. Paul Babale, Aliyu Makama, Ibrahim Sanda, Abulmaliki Ndayako, Mohammed Bello Ndayako, Abdulrahim Dangana and Alhaji Alhassan Bisallat.
Till today historians are still debating his role in the project called Nigeria. One cannot be neutral when discussing General Babangida: you either like him passionately or dislike him passionately. At the time General Babangida took over power, one fifth, if not one-third, of Nigerians of today were not born. Maybe a chronology of what he did may help define the man to the present generation of Nigerians.
He made major decisions that he will carry to his grave. In July 1986, he introduced the Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP, and on September 29, 1986, the second-tier foreign exchange market took off. He moved the seat of government from Lagos to Abuja on December 12, 1991.
He completed and commissioned the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos on August 17, 1991 which was by then the longest bridge in Africa. On March 15, 1988, he launched the new population policy of one- woman four-children to check the problem of over population in the country.
On September 9, 1987, he created Akwa Ibom and Katsina states. On August 27, 1991, he created Abia, Anambra, Delta, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Osun, Yobe and Taraba states. He then created 47 new local governments on that day. On September 23 1991, he created additional 89 local governments.
On December 14, 1991, governorship elections were held: the National Republican Convention won 16, while SDP won 14. On January 2, 1992, the democratically-elected governors and their deputies were sworn-in.
They were Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and Clement Nwankwo (Abia), Alhaji Sale Michika and Mr. Lynn Nathan (Adamawa), Obong Akpan Isemin and Etim Okpoyo (Akwa Ibom), Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife and Dr. Chidi Nwike (Anambra), Alhaji Dahiru Mohammed and Alhaji Umaru Ahmed (Bauchi), Reverend Father Moses Adasu and Yakubu Agda (Benue), Alhaji Maiji Lawan and Alhaji Hassan(Borno), Clement Ebri and Cecilia Ekpeyong(Cross River), Felix Ibru and Samson Ebonka(Delta), John Odiegun and Reverend Peter Obadan(Edo), Okwesilieze Nwodo and Dr. Icha Ituma (Enugu), Evans Enwerem and Dr. Douglas Acholonu (Imo), Alhaji A.S. Birninkudi and Alhaji Shehu Kwafalo (Jigawa), Alhaji Muhammed Lere and James Mugaji (Kaduna), Alhaji Kabiru Gaya and Alhaji Ahmed Usman (Kano), Alhaji Saidu Barda and Alhaji Abdullahi Amidu (Katsina), Alhaji Shaaba Lafiaji and Prince Ojo Fadumila (Kwara), Alhaji Abubakar Musa and Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed (Kebbi), Alhaji Abubakar Audu and S. Ola Akande (Kogi), Chief Michael Otedola and Alhaji Sinatu Ojikutu (Lagos), Dr. Musa Inuwa and Alhaji Jibo Garba (Niger), Chief Olusegun Osoba and Alhaji Rafiu Ogunleye (Ogun), Chief Bamidele Olumilua and Dr Olusegun Agagu (Ondo), Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke and Clement Adesuyi Haastrup (Osun), Kolapo Ishola and Alhaji Ahmed Gbadamosi (Oyo), Fidelis Tapgun and Alhaji Bala Usman (Plateau), Rufus Ada-George and Dr. Peter Odili (Rivers), Alhaji Yahaya Abdulkarim and Alhaji Ahmed Gusau (Sokoto), Reverend Jolly Nyame and Alhaji S.D. Gani (Taraba) and Alhaji Abba Ibrahim and Alhaji Goni Bura (Yobe).
On July 4, 1992, elections were held into the two houses of the National Assembly. The NRC won 37 Senate seats and 275 seats in the House of Representatives, while the SDP won 52 senate seats and 314 seats in the House of Representatives.
On June 23, 1993, General Babangida annulled the presidential election held on June 12, 1993. It was the last act that turned out to be tragic both for General Babangida and the country. The annulment is a cross he still carries today.
He paid for that act by “stepping aside” on August 26,1993. Too many scholars, writers and commentators have implied that many of Nigeria’s problems were worsened by the annulment. The old hostile exaggeration still persists till today. Hostile exaggeration can make true perspective much difficult for the living.
But then, there are those who beseeched and supplicated and still plead till today that as a forgiving country we should forego that cardinal sin committed by General Babangida 28 years ago and let bygones be bygones and that afterall many polluted and contaminated waters have passed under the collapsing Nigeria bridge.
