Prominent human rights activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has strongly criticised the continued reverence accorded to former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), particularly the practice of referring to him as a “statesman.”
In a post shared via X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Farotimi condemned such accolades as a distortion of history and an attempt to whitewash the damage he says Babangida inflicted on Nigeria during his time in power.
“Not telling these ruinous cretins exactly what they are contributes towards the normalization of the evils that they have visited on the people,” Farotimi wrote.
“This mutual affirmation strategy is what has helped to sustain the evil. IBB is no statesman, and you can stop lying to yourself.”
Farotimi’s comments came in response to a birthday tribute by former African Development Bank President, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, who had lauded Babangida as one of Nigeria’s “foremost elder-statesmen.”
Adesina, in his congratulatory message, praised the former military ruler’s “patriotic fervour, devotion and commitment to Nigeria’s peace, unity and progress” as Babangida marked his 84th birthday.
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General Ibrahim Babangida ruled Nigeria from 1985 to 1993, a period marked by economic restructuring, political repression, and the annulment of the 1993 presidential election—widely believed to have been won by Moshood Abiola. That annulment remains one of the most controversial events in Nigeria’s democratic history.
Critics, including Farotimi, argue that Babangida’s regime entrenched corruption, weakened institutions, and undermined democratic governance—making efforts to celebrate him as a national elder deeply problematic.
Farotimi’s post underscores a growing debate in Nigeria over how the country remembers its past leaders—especially those with authoritarian legacies. His critique challenges what he sees as the sanitisation of history in favour of political convenience.
As tributes pour in for Babangida’s birthday, voices like Farotimi’s serve as a reminder of the unresolved tensions in Nigeria’s collective memory regarding its military past.
