Former military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) is set to launch his long-awaited autobiography.<\/p>\n
The memoir titled: \u2018A Journey In Service\u2019, will be released on February 20, 2025, at the event billed for the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.<\/p>\n
The development is coming 32 years after IBB left office.<\/p>\n
The regime of the former Head of State was dogged by the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) policy which sparked a nationwide riot among others economic regulations.<\/p>\n
There was also the unresolved murder of late veteran journalist, Dele Giwa and the June 12 annulment among other controversial issues.<\/p>\n
While in office, he was popular with the Monika \u201cevil genius\u201d and \u201cMaradona\u201d.<\/p>\n
Explaining the nicknames, IBB said they were manufactured by the media because of his \u201cdeft political moves\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the very good thing about the Nigerian media and Nigerian people, you have to anticipate them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you anticipate them then you live well with them. They call me \u2018evil genius\u2019, I marvel at that. The contradiction, you can\u2019t be evil and then a genius\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe definition of Maradona I got from the media is because of deft political moves. That\u2019s the way the media described it.\u201d, he had said.<\/p>\n
He succumbed to pressure in August 1993 when he \u201cstepped aside\u201d for the late Ernest Shonekan as the chairman of the Interim Government.<\/p>\n
Late General Sanni Abacha would, however, topple the government before he died in office in 1998.<\/p>\n
Although IBB granted interviews to local and international media since leaving office, he has somehow found a way around some of these contentious issues that happened during his rule.<\/p>\n
About seven years ago, he had expressed doubts about writing an autobiography, saying he was uncertain if Nigerians would \u201cwant to read about a dictator\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added that the public had a wrong impression of him, citing his role in the June 12 crisis, and some of the policies he unfurled between 1985 to 1993 as head of a junta.<\/p>\n
However, he made a U-Turn and authored the book.<\/p>\n
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will lead former Nigerian leaders and their counterparts in other parts of Africa to grace the much awaited autobiography.<\/p>\n
According to an invite dispatched to dignitaries this week, the board of trustees of the IBB Presidential Library Foundation said the book launch will take place alongside fundraising for a presidential library.<\/p>\n
The organisers said the event would be chaired by a former president; Olusegun Obasanjo, with President Bola Tinubu as the special guest of honour.<\/p>\n
The keynote address would be delivered by the former president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo while former vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo would review the autobiography.<\/p>\n
Other guests billed to attend include ex-presidents Muhammadu Buhari, Yakubu Gowon, Abdulsalami Abubakar, and Goodluck Jonathan.<\/p>\n
A former Minister of Defence; Theophilus Danjuma and Chairman of BUA Group; Abdul Samad Rabiu, were named as Chief Launchers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) is set to launch his long-awaited autobiography. The memoir titled: \u2018A Journey In Service\u2019, will be released on February 20, 2025, at the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":116093,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n