The Maradonas By Bosun Awoniyi

Last Thursday’s launch of an autobiography of former military president Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Journeys in Service, almost 32 years after stepping down, made headlines worldwide.

Nigerians from all walks of life are angry, and there was an outpouring of grief, especially in the southwest part of Nigeria, among media practitioners and activists, as the book will be an endless debate among many citizens.

Babangida, IBB, Maradona, or Evil Genius, who is 83, is also a controversial figure. Hate him or like him, Nigerian elites worshiped him for his extraordinary “skills” while in office, his charisma, and his distribution of wealth.

Critics pointed to some incidents that his administration was notorious for, such as the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, the brutal murder of the celebrated Nigerian journalist, late Dele Giwa, the execution of Mamman Vasta, and the mysterious ‘disappearance’ of a $12 billion oil windfall.

The Guardian of the United Kingdom had, in a report in 2006, described ‘IBB’ as “a shrewd political player whose past political dribbling of opponents earned him the sobriquet ‘Maradona,’ bearing in mind the former and late Argentine professional football player.

Also, in an excerpted interview published many years ago, elder statesman and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) during Babangida’s tenure, Chief Olu Falae, revealed why the former head of state is called Maradona.

“I enjoyed working with him. He is perhaps one of the best listeners I have ever worked with; you could speak with him for 2 hours, and he would not interrupt,” Falae said.

“He understands issues very quickly. He’s so polite, and he would thank you for everything. He would remember your wife and children’s birthdays. The only problem I had with him was that he never liked to say no to anybody; he tended to say yes to everybody. That’s why he is called Maradona. “Apart from that, he’s one of the nicest persons to work for,” Falae added.

The famous Diego Maradona was known for being one of the greatest soccer players of all time. He played for Argentina and Napoli and is famous for his “Hand of God” goal in the 1986 World Cup, an extraordinary “skill.”.

Babangida is called Maradona for a reason. Trickish. His acts were found to be trickish and deceitful.

He knows he is a bad product for any marketer, but that at book launches, authors are invariably eulogized. So he wrote and loudly launched a book so that the last recorded words about him from all big Nigerians would be sweet.

He achieved it. The book clarified nothing, if you ask me.

Thirty-two years after he stepped down, Nigeria has manufactured many Maradonas, even worse than their mentor, most of whom attended the book launch.

Research has shown that Nigeria has produced 180 governors and 241 ministers since 1999 as of December 2020.

These facts, contained in a book, “Nigeria Democracy without Development,” also showed that about 545 senators and 1,800 House of Representatives were elected within the same period.

From the East to the South, and from the North to the West. Maradonas everywhere. Go to church; pastors will skillfully dribble you. Alfas are butchers and scammers.

Factors that bind the rich together include a shared understanding of wealth management, access to exclusive networks and social circles, similar values around investment and philanthropy, and often a common perspective on economic policy, creating a sense of community based on their shared financial privilege.

The IBB gathering also has an important social and political meaning because when he was at his best as the head of state, he was able to create a lifetime fortune for some selected individuals.

They were the Babangiga’s boys. Today, we have what a former minister and governor of Kaduna State, Nasir Elrufai, refers to as the Area Boys.

President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, and Founder of the BUA Group, Abdulsamad Rabiu, both from northern extractions, who led the private sector, recalled how Babangida’s policies facilitated the growth of Nigerian businesses, enabling them to thrive.

The new sets of Maradonas, some of whom have been milking our commonwealth, took turns eulogizing the Evil Genuis. We saw retired Maradonas, expired Maradonas, angry Maradonas, and reigning Maradonas.

Distinguished guests, including President Bola Tinubu, former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, and ex-Heads of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Abdulsalami Abubakar, graced the occasion.

Others are former vice presidents, state governors, former state governors, and serving lawmakers.

Another meaningful thing about Maradona, particularly for the selected few, was that they would never be poor in their lifetime.

Are you surprised that over N16 billion was realized at the launch of his autobiography and presidential library, with the chief launcher, Rabiu, donating N5 billion, while the co-chief launcher and Founder of the TY Danjuma Foundation, Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, donated N3 billion.

Africa’s richest man, Dangote, donated N8 billion to the IBB Presidential Library, to be paid at N2 billion annually over the four years scheduled for the project’s completion.

The rich are all alike, to revise Tolstoy’s famous words, but the poor are poor in their particular ways.

The truth is that the Maradonas are in charge in virtually all areas of our lives.

The failure of governance in Nigeria manifests in the declining capacity of political leaders to recognize systemic risks such as election fraud, terrorist attacks, herder-farmer conflict, armed banditry, and police brutality and put in place the necessary measures to navigate these challenges.

Since 1999, the democratic space has been dominated by political elites who consistently violate fundamental principles associated with a liberal democratic system, such as competitive elections, the rule of law, political freedom, and respect for human rights.

Political elites in Nigeria also exploit poverty and illiteracy to mobilize voters with food items such as rice, seasoning, and money.

Nigeria needs a new model of governance in which political leadership is based on the knowledge and competence of both political leaders and the electorate.

Nigeria is grossly on the wheel of decay, looking at tribalism, nepotism, corruption, discrimination, and signaling the level of unhappiness amongst the people.

May God save us from these Maradonas. The future for liars and deceivers is not pretty. Unless they change, of course.

Bosun Awoniyi writes from Lagos, Nigeria