Ibrahim Babangida: The Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria by Dan Agbese (review)

Dan Agbese’s book, on Ibrahim Babangida: The Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria, tells us a lot about African politics, with an emphasis on Nigerian political history. We learn, for example, that in much of the developing world, accession to power, as either a president or a prime minister, is a sure process for amassing power and wealth. We further learn that Nigeria’s political history is unique to the extent that it is a regional power, endowed with natural resources and human capital; even so, it is said to be cursed by the fact that it has been unable to produce sufficient political leaders with national legitimacy. Consequently, the society has had problematic civilian and military regimes. (Notably, due to the longevity of the military in power the term militocracy has been coined to explain this phenomenon in Nigerian politics). Militocracy is defined operationally “as the government of the military, by the military[,] and for the military[,] with the population as its subjects.”¹ It is against the backdrop of the preceding conjecture about Nigerian politics since attainment of home rule in 1960 that this volume rests.

Agbese is a seasoned journalist who writes with precision. His book has a prologue, an introduction, eighteen chapters, photos (pp. 63–69 and 247–261), an epilogue, and an index. The first nine chapters encapsulate the biography of Ibrahim Babangida and give a short history of the politico-historical development of Nigeria.² These chapters, which could have been abridged or consolidated into a single chapter, deal with Babangida’s upbringing in Wushishi and Minna, northern Nigeria. They recount his boyhood experiences in school and work (p. 9), his joining the Nigerian military, his training within the army, and his assignments and regiments (pp. 43–49).

These chapters detail Babangida’s participation in three major coups d’état in Nigeria. The first was with General Sani Abacha and other officers (pp. 84–85), which overthrew General Aguiyi-Ironsi’s administration following the initial 1966 military coup. The second, with ex-generals Yar’Adua, Muhammadu Buhari, and others, happened after the Nigerian civil war (1967–1970), which had toppled General Yakubu Gowon’s administration (pp. 115–117). Gowon was succeeded by General Murtala Muhammed, who was assassinated in an abortive coup attempt led by Major Buka S. Dimka, in the wake of which Muhammed was succeeded by General Olusegun Obasanjo.

Meanwhile, between 1979 and 1983, the Second Republic was established under the elected leadership of President Shehu Shagari, but on December 31, 1983, General Buhari led a coup to overthrow it (p. 177). Having participated in two previous coups, Babangida believed that the time was ripe to lead his own; however, there was rivalry between Buhari and Babangida for the top post as head of state, and Buhari won out, but not for long (pp. 188–189). Babangida’s third coup, which he would lead as head of state and president of Nigeria, occurred when he, with General Sani Abacha and other officers, overthrew the Buhari administration on August 27, 1985 (p. 194).

Nigeria has gone through tortuous military dictatorships. In all the coups, the military leaders promised that they would fix the nation’s political and economic woes and wipe out political corruption. Babaginda’s admirers gave him the sobriquet Maradona, the master political dribbler and charmer; but his detractors called him an evil genius, culturally adept, who played his political cards splendidly. Newswatch, a popular news magazine, caricatured his ascendency to power thus:

If Nigerians have not been noticeably exuberant in welcoming the Babangida government, it cannot be for lack of love; it can only be an expression of their disappointment with successive governments that Nigerians had been presented with a bouquet of flowers only to be given [or stung by] a scorpion in return.

Upon becoming Nigeria’s president, Babangida went on a charm offensive, personally and policy-wise. He listened to various publics, and he supported human...