Ibrahim Babangida
By Akeem Atoyebi
The family of the late General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, who was executed in what is widely believed to be phony coup in 1986 against General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s military administration, has responded to statements made by Babangida in his autobiography.
In the controversial and highly contentious memoirs, the former military president claimed that Vatsa’s execution was justified due to sufficient evidence implicating him in the coup.
During a press briefing in Minna on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the family and former Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism in Niger State, Hon. Jonathan Tsado Vatsa, tackled Babangida’s allegations.
He referred to Babangida as a man who has lost credibility, referencing numerous lies contained in his belated autobiography, which has ignited a firestorm of sparked negative comments across the country.
The former commissioner, who is a cousin of the late General Mamman Vatsa, said that he chose not to respond until he finished reading the book, which he described as filled with deceits and distorted facts.
He stressed that Babangida’s falls short of barometer of truth and not a reliable reference for young and upcoming generations, but rather for individuals with criminal intentions.
He stated that , “a collection of distorted facts called book written by a man without identity cannot serve as a reference book for younger generation but a good reference book for criminal minded people”.
The former Publicity Secretary of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Niger State, overwhelmed with emotion and on the verge of tears while addressing the media in Minna, stated that ordinarily, the family would not engage in a dispute with someone who changed his identity to belong to a particular ethnic group in the country.
However, since Babangida has refused to allow the late General Mamman Vatsa to rest in peace after his death, “we will let him know that even in death, late General Mamman Vatsa is a more honourable man because he has an identity, he came from a home”.
According to him, “Babangida admitted in his book that he changed the name Badamasi to Babangida so that people will know he is from the north, stressing that “where did he get the name Badamasi from in the first place because northerners don’t bear the name Badamasi. That name is synonymous to the South West people. A man who denied his tribe and identity is not fit to live”.
He noted that plethora of distorted information in the book disproves his being described as a genius by the Nigerian media.
He said the retired general is “a Lilly-livered” General for annulling the June 12 and failing to retired late General Abacha for fear of being killed by Abacha loyalists in the Army as claimed in his book.
“How can he lie that it was Abacha who annulled the June 12 1993 Presidential election, if he was in control as a Head of State.
