Ex-Chief of Army Staff and one of the retired Nigerian military officers, Heads of State, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, popularly called IBB, has shared his thoughts on democracy as it is today in the country.
In a statement shared on his verified X account, formerly Twitter, IBB said that military times in Nigeria did far better than what obtains today in terms of governance and provision of basic services in comparison with the current democratic regime.
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IBB said the basic amenities Nigerians enjoyed during military rule are no more, much less available to them under democratic government.
According to him, “All of the good years that the Nigerians ever had, all came out from the Military system of Government; jobs, security, affordable cost of living, good roads & education.
Accessing the Democratic system of Govt over the years has taken us back to much worse dilapidated state.” IBB ruled the country between 1985 and 1993.
Babangida ruled as a military president during times of heaps of economic and political reforms. He was born in Minna, Niger State, on August 17, 1941, rising through the ranks of the Nigerian Army to become one of the strong men in the military government of the country.
In 1985, he seized power in a coup and was in power for eight years, a period within which he implemented the Structural Adjustment Program aimed at restructuring Nigeria’s economy but resulted in general economic hardship.
Controversial moments of his regime included the annulment of the 1993 presidential election, adjudged by many to be the freest and fairest ever conducted in Nigeria. The political situation caused such a huge crisis that he had to resign in August 1993, and handed over power to a transitional government.
Even after over three decades since he stepped down from power, IBB remains a feature of politics in Nigeria, contributing his quota to national discourse.
The most recent comments have been debating matters among Nigerians; some agree with the assessment by IBB about the present democratic system, while others accuse him of nostalgia for military rule.
This debate on how effective democratic governance is in Nigeria, compared with its military past, will probably go on for a while, especially with the intricate political and economic problems that have bedeviled the nation today.
I agreed with what former military president IBB said because I school during his reign and things are better off compare to what we have now under civilian regime.
Corruption is so rpant among d ruling class from presidency down to local govt.
If not for d annulment of June 12 most of infrastructural development wa recorded during their time like 3rd mainland brigde, development of new Federal capital territory and many other things
Well I give kudos to military era.