Former military dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), has said that he wants to be remembered for his service to Nigeria.
Babangida, who regretted his role in the Nigerian civil war, noted that one of his greatest achievements was making friends across the country.
“What I wish to be remembered for is that I served the country the best I could,” Babangida announced on a live radio programme anchored by the Federal University of Technology, Minna campus radio, Search FM.
“It may not be to your satisfaction but to the best that I could. I leave that to history to judge and I related fairly well with the people of the country. I had no problems with them and I got to know the country more as I was well travelled. I made friends all over the country and I thought that was one of the greatest achievements”.
Recall that IBB led the country as a Military President from 1985 to 1993. He, thereafter, “stepped aside” after the debacle of the 1993 presidential election.
On the experience and lessons of the Nigerian civil war, the former dictator said: “It’s not a very nice experience, I must say.
“First of all, you had people you went to school with, people you trained with, people who were your friends, suddenly, as a result of the war, you find yourselves facing each other on opposite sides.
“It is not very comfortable but then we had to do it. The purpose was to unite the country to keep it as one not to break it.
“So that’s the uniquely sad aspect of a civil war and I pray it never happens again,” Babangida said.
He noted that his initial plan in life was to become a civil engineer.
Babangida, however, said that the decision by the then government of Northern Nigeria that youths of his time should be enlisted into the Nigerian army changed the course of his destiny.
