President Tinubu congratulates the former military President, who had served in many capacities in the Nigerian army with distinction and reached the peak of his career as Chief of Army Staff with indelible legacies for his gallant defense of our nationhood during the Nigerian Civil War.

The President affirms the contributions of Gen. Babangida to national development, which include the creation of many states to strengthen the federal structure, physical infrastructure, the liberalization of the media industry, and other initiatives across the health and defense sectors.

President Tinubu notes the influential position of the former Nigerian leader, who has, after 30 years outside of power, consistently remained a voice of wisdom and counsel for many political leaders, both within and outside of Nigeria.

The President prays for the continuous well-being of Gen. Babangida and his family.

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Clark, who made the call on Sunday, said Buhari should invite Yakubu Gowon, Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, and rub minds with them on the security challenges.

There has been a spike in violence across Nigeria, with various criminals and armed groups abducting and killing citizens.

The security agencies have also not been spared: not less than 10 police officers have been reportedly killed in attacks in various stations in the last two weeks.

Speaking during an interview with Channels TV, Clark said Buhari must seek external help — even if from the opposition, and that he must also address citizens over the security situation.

“The time has come for him (Buhari) to call all Nigerians together. Let us all come together, the country belongs to us,” he said.

“And if we are not solving problems like Boko Haram, banditry and so on, we will soon fight ourselves and when it happens, we have no other country

“Let the president call all of us, his opponents, everybody. APC cannot do it alone, PDP will not either. Call the leaders, there are all generals in this place — General Gown, General Babangida, and all of them. Abdusalam is there talking every time.

“Nigeria does not lack people. Let the president come out to see his people. Let him invite his people and discuss with them, what do we do with our country?”

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Kalu made the remark in Minna during a private visit to two former leaders of the country — Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar.

The former governor of Abia state said there was no zoning in the constitution of the All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that any person in the party can contest for the position of the president.

“I am still in the senate, and I will seek for re-election into the senate but if our people want me to serve as president I will not hesitate. Zoning is not a constitutional matter in APC. Any person can contest any post in APC.”

On the issue of insecurity in Nigeria, he alleged that the country’s security system is being sabotaged. “It seems that there is a lot of sabotage in our security system,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the national assembly would continue to collaborate with the executive in tackling the security challenges in the country. “We will address the issue of sabotage in the Nigeria security system,” he said.

Kalu was released from the Kuje Correctional Centre in June after spending five months in prison.

In December, the Lagos federal high court convicted the chief whip of money laundering to the tune of N7.1 billion.

He was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside Ude Jones Udeogu, a former director of finance and accounts in Abia.

However, on May 8, the supreme court nullified the conviction of Kalu and Udeogu on the grounds that Mohammed Idris, the trial judge, did not have jurisdiction to hear the matter since he had been elevated to the court of appeal.

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Babangida, who clocked 78 in August, ruled the country from August 27, 1985 to August 26, 1993.

A rumour about the demise of Babangida rippled on social media after an online news platform reported that he was dead.

In a statement on Sunday, Afegbua said the former head of state is alive and bubbling.

“It has become consistent fake news for quite some time now wishing our own IBB, the one we easily refer to as “the last don” of Nigeria politics, dead,” Afegbua said.

“The “fake news bill” would be a suitable response to this category of fake news carrier. IBB is very much alive and bubbling. He just started attending to friends and associates who came to see him today, Sunday, 15th December, 2019 right here at his Minna Hilltop mansion. He is full of life and in his characteristic bubbling mood.

“May Allah forgive those who wish IBB dead. God is the giver and taker of life, not humans. Death, as the irrevocable end of all creation, will surely come to everyone some day and at the appointed time and hour, but to deliberately spread fake news and wish someone dead, is to take humanity to another bizarre level. May Allah forgive them.

“IBB, by the special grace of Allah, the omniscient and omnipotent One, shall live to fulfill his journey and destiny in life, to the consternation of those who are always wishing him dead. This is about the third time this year.

“We wish to thank those who took time to reach out to us, home and abroad, to find out the truth. We thank you all for your love, care and concern. May Allah grant us all good health, sound mind and long life. Amin.”

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He said in a statement on Sunday in Minna that such contribution would ensure rapid socio-economic and political development of the country.

“We have entered another English calendar year with the renewed hope of achieving more than we have
achieved in the past years.

“I therefore use the auspicious occasion to congratulate all Nigerians for making it to the New Year.

”I have the hope that the nation, we so sacrificed to keep going and to this age, can only be better notwithstanding various security and economic challenges that have become a world order.

“As Nigerians, our unique strengths and characters to overcome our challenges collectively have never been in doubt.

”We must at this point, imbibe the core values of democracy by respecting each other’s rights and pursue individual goals in tandem with our national objectives for a better Nigeria, not better individuals that will not reflect on us all.

“A season like new year often offers us a new inspiration to give each other support; we should at this point truly believe that we are great in our diversity, in it lies our strength and uniqueness.

”Rather than allowing our diversity to divide us, we should gain courage by looking at the opportunities offered by our diversity and the good aspects of it that makes us special people as Nigerians.

“Believe me when I say from my experience as a military officer, who fought to keep Nigeria one, that we have had difficult times to be where we are today and we will not wish our children, grand children and great grand children to witness war again.

”This does not, however, mean that we will not be confronted with challenges; challenges are part of life, but if we are to be prepared for them, we must first shed our fear of them.

“I say to you compatriots today and truthfully, that I am unafraid to be optimistic that the future of Nigeria is bright.

“We are without doubt people with a great past but not without challenges and for the future we will be greater yet.”

Babangida urged Nigerians to take the inspiration offered by the New Year to build Nigeria of our dream, devoid of divisive tendencies and offer government at all levels support.

“As we enter the new year, we must learn to understand and forgive our honest mistakes, because there is no person who has not made mistakes and has the guarantee not to make any in his or her life”.

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A former military head of state in Nigeria, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida has declared that he did not steal $12. billion Gulf War oil windfall in 1991.

IBB was speaking in an exclusive interview with a team of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s press crew for the agency’s in-house magazine, “Zero tolerance.”

He also said that he was not corrupt and that his administration had been investigated by most of his successors without any incriminating evidence brought against him. IBB alleged that the current administration was more corrupt than his.

He denied looting billions from the treasury, challenged anyone with proof of corruption against him to reveal it.
He said: “Let me tell you something, maybe you have a hand in it. I have been the most investigated President Nigeria has ever had. By now, somebody should have come forward to say here it is.

“Every government that came after me investigated me because of that perception because they wanted to retrieve the billions I stole.”

He said he and those who served in his administration were saints and angels going by the level of corruption in the country.

“Well, we had different approaches. I think my government was able to identify corruption prone areas and checked them. If you remember in this country, there were things they call essential commodities. These are also sources of corruption. You go and buy Omo or food or whatever it is and we got government to take its hands off such activities. Let people use their own brains, hands and labour, nobody has to do it for them. So we did but I am proud to say that was much more effective.

“I don’t have the facts but if what I read in the papers is currently what is happening then I think we were angels

On the allegation that his military regime institutionalized corruption in Nigeria, Babangida said though he had been aware of such insinuation, the assumption is incorrect.

He added: “Yeah, I know. Maybe I have to accept that but anybody with a sense of fairness has no option but to call us saints. I give you an example, in a year I was making less than $7billion in oil revenue. In the same period, there are governments that are making $200billion to $300billion.

“With $7billion, I did the little I could achieve. With $200billion, there is still a lot to be achieved.”
The ex-President said being branded as corrupt was a question of perception.

He said: “It is said that perception is not reality. Why the perception? I should ask you because it is the perception of the media. You believed quite wrongly that we are all crooks and I bear no grudge whatsoever against anybody but I know time will come when they will say after all, they did something and this is what is happening.
“Now, even our fiercest critics give us credit for certain things we did.”

Concerning the $12.4billion oil windfall from the 1991 Gulf War, Babangida insisted the money was not stolen.
“First of all, that war lasted three months, about 90 something days. It didn’t last up to a year. So get the facts straight.

“Secondly, the oil price at that time was below $18 per barrel. So, there is no way you could make $12.4billion in three months.

“We could not have made that amount of money but Pius Okigbo knew what he was doing. He had brains and he said between 1986 or 1988 to 1994, monies accrued to the Federal Government at that time was about that money you are calling windfall. He said so. It is there in his book.

“Then the other thing he said, the monies could have gone into generative investment. I am not an economist but I have an understanding of what this is,” the former president stated.

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