Any student of history who has encountered the legendary South African figure known as Shaka Zulu knows that you either hate him or love him.
In a life filled with brutality and deception, Shaka killed his half-brother to become king. In the fullness of time, he was similarly killed by his half-brothers, bringing an end to the bloodiest era in his people’s history.
As both king and warrior, Shaka was so ruthless that he killed more of his own people than his enemies did. A man who seemed to love the smell of blood, he slaughtered men, women, and children, sometimes in the most casual and cruel of ways.
For instance, he killed men who were short because he believed they would be a liability in battle. Declaring a year-long mourning period after his mother’s passing, he ordered the execution of any woman found to be pregnant, and, for good measure, her husband. He even had cows that gave birth executed so their calves could experience the pain of being without a mother.
In 1985, soon after General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida became Nigeria’s leader, I was part of a newspaper delegation that interviewed him in Lagos. At the end of what had been a fairly routine visit, someone asked him who his military hero was.
The General replied: “Shaka Zulu!”
That was 31 years ago, yet I still remember how quickly my blood froze. I thought to myself that the interview had been a lie, reflecting on how different it could have been had that final question come much earlier.
Nonetheless, you do not write off a man simply because he admires someone you loathe. I rationalised that the Nigerian leader could accomplish some of the things Shaka did, using methods that were humane and elevating.
Babangida was in power for eight years, during which he positioned and advertised himself as a historic figure. He turned out to be one, but not in the way he wanted the world to believe. Today, he is remembered for two things.
The first is that in 1993, after years of rhetoric that promised a democratically elected president in what was Nigeria’s best election up to that point, he summarily nullified the process. With that action, he sent Nigeria down a path from which it has yet to recover, remorselessly placing himself first. Shaka.
IBB was no stranger to betraying his own friends. During his reign, for instance, he sent General Mamman Vatsa to the firing squad, while the election he annulled was won by Moshood Abiola. These were two men he had dined and drank with, one was shot in the front, the other in the back. Shaka.
The second thing IBB is best remembered for is presiding over the most corrupt government in Nigeria’s history. He became the gold standard, if such a thing exists, of corruption in governance. Under his rule, the culture of “settlement” was firmly established.
Through IBB’s so-called National Economic and Reconstruction Fund, round-tripping became the order of the day: individuals obtained huge “loans” to buy foreign exchange at the cheap official rate, only to resell it for immense profit on the black market. [They could then repay the loan, if they wished, the same day!]
IBB himself was widely believed to have amassed vast wealth. In 2005, the New York Daily News included him on a shortlist of former world leaders who had stolen billions of dollars but had yet to be brought to justice.
Despite all of that, and reflecting the emptiness of our national values, Babangida was rewarded with the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic award, his second, by the government of Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005.
The irony is that in 1994, just a year after Babangida scampered out of office, Obasanjo had seen him clearly for what he was. During a conference, he described him in these words, among others:
“…After successfully undoing his military colleagues with the acquiescence of the non-military, General Babangida came out in his true colours, demonstrating again and again that he is a master of intrigues, mismanagement, corruption, manipulation, deceit, settlement, cover-up and self-promotion at the expense of almost everybody else and everything else…Babangida is the main architect of the state in which (Nigeria) finds itself today…”
Nonetheless, as Obasanjo’s tenure wound down, and with no remorse for the grand sabotage of his military rule, IBB declared his intention to run for president again in 2007. His Vision 2007 National Secretary, Abdullai Michael, quoted IBB as telling him:
“Go [to] work. We shall occupy Aso Rock in 2007. All my past mistakes I have slept over them and will correct them in 2007.”
Mercifully, IBB soon realised he did not stand a chance and abandoned the goose chase. Since then, he has maintained a lower profile, his wife passing away in the United States a few years ago.
Now, here we are in 2016, and last week, amid widespread rumours of his death, IBB, now in poor health, gathered a group of reporters at his so-called Hilltop Mansion to dispel the speculation.
He told them:
“It doesn’t shock me, neither does it bother me, because I know I must go and meet God, my Creator, one day…”
Knowing he would be quoted, he couldn’t resist the temptation for one more of the dribbles that earned him the nickname “Maradona” after the Argentine football star.
“I strongly believe in this country, which is further demonstrated by the people of this great nation because they are very industrious people, hardworking. This gives me hope for Nigeria.”
It is these kinds of empty platitudes that have made Nigeria the laughing stock she is today. IBB’s optimism is 30 years too late; he should have invested it in the country when he had the power to do so. If a Nigerian leader truly believes his people are industrious and hardworking, that should be his cue to respect them and provide the fertiliser they need to flourish.
Instead, we have leaders who thrive on betrayal. That is why Nigeria lacks statesmen.
Go to any country, and you will find Nigerians scrambling for the crumbs of opportunities their homeland has denied them. Travel across Nigeria, and you will meet people of great capacity who have been diminished by compromised leadership.
That includes you, IBB. perhaps especially you. But if you are now reconciling your account with God, then perhaps you finally understand how ephemeral power and wealth are when selfishly acquired and dubiously deployed.
Yet, all is not lost. If you truly believe in Nigeria, do something unprecedented, set an example for other former leaders. Give back half your wealth.
Return what is not yours and encourage those who amassed fortunes under you to do the same. Build schools across the North to enhance education. Establish a first-class hospital for women in every state in honour of your wife. Endow a chair in every public university for the best-graduating students.
Every culture, every religion, and every era celebrates penance.
When you do go, General, leave Nigerians with the memory of a truly contrite leader.
Not Shaka Zulu.
