A reflection on Babangida’s ‘A Journey In Service’|Rasheed ojikutu
The book, in explicit details chronicled the life and times of one of the most accomplished but controversial leaders of the Nigerian nation. The greatest attraction of the author’s life is that it provides to the readers, the advantages of viewing from one google glass, the history that spans the pre and post independence and war periods in Nigeria which in turn, gives the opportunity of a wholistic information on the events of that time,
The book further teaches a life lesson to all those who intend to learn from the experiences of others,, particularly, those whose vision is not beclouded by narrow-mindedness, hatred and crass ignorance. Those who are interested in the message rather than looking for the fault of the messenger. Of course, there are those who are bitter because they lost the loved ones in the games of chess that were played in the palaces, particularly, the Dodan Barrack, with very dangerous skirmishes that characterised the first three republics in Nigeria. However, the fact that such families lost the payoff does not obliterate the fact that the book presented the experiences of the author in a fair and unbiased narration. Despite everything, the book is worth every dime spent on it for several reasons and because the lessons learnable from its content are legion.
The criticism of the book, particularly in terms of its accuracy further reinforced the awful nature of the Nigerian populace who usually cry “ more than the bereaved,” An autobiography is an account of someone’s life written by that person and gauged by empirical evidences as seen by him . It is usually premised on the author’s reflection of his life experiences. Therefore, nobody can appreciate the fact of the content more than the author, Of course, it is very likely, as it is conventional, that some of the actors mentioned in the book are alive to corroborate the facts or dispute the content and accuracies of situation and events but this does not obliterate the fact that the author’s account is the best that one could get in the circumstances.
As mentioned earlier, the book is decorated in fine, straightforward and untainted language. The author’s life experiences as epitomized by the story of his early life and the subsequent rise to the leadership of the nation are byproducts of societal tolerance and encouragement of its youths. The first part shows how it is easy in our nation for individuals to rise from humble beginning to fame with the support and assistance of the traditional s and arrangement while the second shows that hard work and patriotism can snowball into the steady ascension to the peak of ones career. His narration of his experiences as a young man in Minna despite the loss of his parents is an indication of the boundless opportunities available in Nigeria contrary to the belief of the likes of Mrs Kemi Badenoch who thinks that the country kills the dreams of her youths. In fact, the emergence of General Yakubu Gowon on the scene shows how the effectiveness of the Mentor-Men tee relationship in our society can alter the life and destinies of its teeming youths, irrespective of social status.
The author left no one in doubt that he loves Minna with a passion and that he was fortunate to have moved with the right members of his cohort some of whose parents provided the ladder for his ascension to the top.
The book graphically painted an interesting but chequered military career with shades of adventures and political struggles that led to several unplanned payoffs.
The story of the events that led to the war and the consequences of the indiscretion of the “boys” like Ifeajuna and Nzeogwu who led the coup d’etat of 1966, supported by others like Banjo and Ademulegun were factual because some of us who had the advantage of being around at that time and had the opportunity of reading the media reports can corroborate the content of the book. However, the author’s unique war experience is graphic to the extent that all “bloody civilians” can infer from the book that afterall “ Generals are also human beings”. This is because, the continuous display of emotion depicted by the author with respect to deaths of friends and acquaintances during failed coups and the internal war further buttress the point that, given the opportunity, soldiers not only avoid but also run away from death.
The author used the opportunity offered by the book to outline in greater details his immense contributions to Nigerian national growth and development. His eulogy to his late wife Mariam was certainly not an exaggeration because those who had the unique advantage of witnessing the tenure of his regime can confirm that the woman was a spinal cord of a sort in the administration of the country at that time. The woman whose ebony black dashing slim structure, with delicate carriage and mien gave her an everlasting beauty and youthfulness cannot go unnoticed in any meaningful gathering of men and women. May the soul rest in the bossom of the Lord.
His escape from the coup planned by his childhood “friendly-enemy’. Mamman Vatsa and the role played by Sanni Abacha in twat-ting the evil plan was well documented. Although, members of the Vatsa clan believe that their patriarch was unjustifiable murdered , yet, one would want to know what they expected the author to do in the face of damning evidences that the general was one of the financiers of the coup. In any setting , coup plotting is treason and carries with it a journey to the gallows.
The details of what led to the annulment of the election won by Moshood Kashimawo Olanbiwoninu Abiola (aka MKO) on June 12 and the involvement of the author and his comrade in arm Sanni Abacha seems to be the most controversial of the author’s narration. While agreeing that MKO won the election, the author fails to justify adequately the reason for not nipping the insurrection of Abacha and his cohort in the bud. While it looked almost obvious that he was scared of confronting the dark goggled general, he gave the impression that there is a covenant between the duo to pass the baton.
Credit:The Guardian