By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – Former Nigerian Head of State, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, has said the military government under him was less corrupt than what is playing out in the current democratic dispensation.
In comparison, according to the retired General, the “mind bungling reports about corruption in this era make our government look like a saint.
“You can’t compare it with the facts on the ground now. You can say it. From what I read, from analysis, I think we are saints when compared to what is happening under a democratic dispensation.
“Today, those who have stolen billions and are in court are now parading themselves on the streets. Who else is better in fighting corruption?”
The former military leader, fondly refered to as IBB, who served as Head of State between 1985 and 1993, made this claim while speaking in a special interview on Arise TV on Friday, August 6, 2021, monitored by 365Daily, ahead of his 80th birthday.
General Babangida disclosed that during his time, he had cause to remove from office, a military administrator who misappropriated a sum slightly above N300,000.
Asked why he annulled the 1993 presidential election won by late Chief MKO Abiola, IBB claimed he did that to save the country from catastrophy as according to him, there was immense pressure from within and outside the military to bring the nation on its kneels.
On his opinion about the 2023 presidential election and qualities the right candidate must have to turn the fortunes of the nation around, the former President, referred to as ‘Maradona’ in the political circle, said: “If you get a good leadership that links with the people and tries to talk with the people; not talking on top of the people, then we would be okay.
“I have started visualising a good Nigerian leader. That is, a person, who travels across the country and has a friend virtually everywhere he travels to and he knows at least one person that he can communicate with.
“That is a person, who is very versed in economics and is also a good politician, who should be able to talk to Nigerians and so on. I have seen one, or two or three of such persons already in his sixties.
“Nigerians are very resilient, they are very resourceful so leaders should see how to use this to achieve a common objective.
“That is a person, who is very versed in economics and is also a good politician, who should be able to talk to Nigerians and so on. The leaders should understand Nigeria and Nigerians. Anyone who wants to be a leader must use his intellect to understand the people.”