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Obasanjo’s letter and Babangida’s Statement
The Good people of Nigeria, would recall that first, ex president Obasanjo it was that began the uncharted, uncharitable venture of always writing open letters to all Heads of state and presidents after him, a method he invented rather than follow proper channels of reaching out to, and advising sitting Heads of state and Presidents, whenever and wherever he chooses to display his usual lack of patience with the leaders who he sees as not conforming to his biddings…
Characteristically, Ex President Obasanjo and Ex Military President Babangida are known to Nigerians as enablers of corruption and retailers of profiteering.
Fortunately Nigerians have come see and trust President Muhammadu Buhari as someone who abhors Corruption and also rebuffs profiteering.
Nigerians will not also forget in a hurry, the way and manner General Babangida hurriedly shoved aside the administration of Major General Muhammadu Buhari in just about 20 months of massive anti-corruption shake-up between 1984 and 1985 when Buhari was a Military Head of State, in what was meant to affect Babangida himself, who as the Army Chief of Staff was accused of many corrupt practices..
That Babangida has therefore joined Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in this letter writing exercise designed to impugn upon President Buhari’s integrity is therefore understandable.
The President Obasanjo that was indicted in the Haliburton bribery scandal, who was indicted in the National Assembly probe into the Energy sector in which sums of money to the tune of $16 billion was largely unaccounted for, the same Obasanjo of the illegal unconstitutional 3rd term venture in which he became not only complicit by giving support to illegality, but actively colluding in offering bribes to National Assembly members, cannot therefore stand on any moral ground upon which to launch an attack on a very Forthright and Hardworking administration of President Buhari.
In the same way and manner, a very Involved, Conniving, Collaborating and Manipulating Babangida that annulled the June 12, 1993 Election — an election which to date is seen as the fairest and freest in the history of this nation, which by the very act of annulment of it, plunged this country into a serious political crises, cannot be said to possess a moral platform upon which he also can become a voice of the people, let alone be grounded in a moral podium upon which to become the people’s ombudsman.
We as a group, geared toward eradicating Terrorism and planting good governance in Nigeria, therefore frown at these attempts, coming from both Ex Military Generals, Heads of state and Presidents, wishing to have their personal grievances become national tribulation.
It is simply not going to happen.
The real reason why both of them are doing this:
As we have established these cogent facts regarding the unsuitability of both Obasanjo and Babangida to invest upon themselves the unfit, descrepit and inappropriate garb of the conscience of the nation, it also becomes pertinent to state why these past leaders are at this time launching their written attacks on the Presidency of Muhammadu Buhari.
One would have reasoned that both Obasanjo and Babangida would have written personal letters to President Buhari if indeed they meant good.
What stops them from seeking an audience with their former colleague in the Military?
But they chooses to do a publicity stunt to create an impression that they meant well for Nigeria… But do they!?
When we consider that President Buhari put an end to the nearly N3 trillion subsidy payments to the independent oil marketers that mostly were paper invoices without actual deliveries, we should expect corruption to fight back.
If we consider the very important fact that Buhari also put an end to the payment of several billions of naira that monthly went into the hands of ghost workers the Beneficiaries of corruption will reach out to their enablers and that is exactly what we are seeing already.
Also considering the giant strides President Buhari has taken in the areas of agriculture and growth in the agricultural sector where Nigeria no longer depends on imported rice, salt, sugar, flour, it is also to be expected that those involved in racketeering entrenched into the system throughout the period of these past rulers will naturally find a way to bring the government of President Buhari down, so that Nigeria can go back to the old ways that stifled growth, concentrating instead, the control and monopoly of trade in a few hands.
Again to be expected will be opposition to Buhari’s strict enforcement of such policies that cut off corruption and exposes corrupt practices, the enforcement of BVN in the banking industry, which stopped the illicit fraud perpetrated by private and public officials….. Also, the enforcement of TSA where government ministries, agencies and parastatals operated unabashedly multiples of different accounts, without checks through which unauthorized funds without remittance to the Federation Account, we’re constantly being siphoned. Again this important achievements were overlooked by Obasanjo and Babangida, that one will be forced to ask if these leaders truly love Nigeria enough to push aside their personal grievances in order to help consolidate all of these gains under the current administration of Muhammadu Buhari that has shown tremendous courage and integrity in fighting corruption from it very roots.
To give Honor to whom Honor is Due.
In stating the facts above, it is only pertinent to give honor to whom honor is due. Buhari, more than any of his predecessors, and certainly not Babangida who constantly tampered with the Judiciary as a Military President and was rumored to have procured judgement a few times, especially during the days of the ABN, Association for Better Nigeria, the fraudulent organization he prodded, founded, funded to prolong his stay in office, was said to have procured the various judgements in favor of the annulled June 12 elections, likewise was Obasanjo not the president he was in his 8 years of office bold enough to tackle corruption in the Judiciary, which Buhari did, by exposing the corrupt practices in the Judiciary, which has led to a certain sanity in the 3rd tier of government and many corrupt judges flushed out of the system.
So, why will President Buhari, not be despised…?
We all can now see reasons why his detractors would prefer to spread false reports against him, ostensibly out of envy..!
Fortunately, Nigerians are now wiser — It is arguably the people who benefitted greatly from the corrupt practices of the past, who will support the habitual letter writers.
The right thinking good people of Nigeria are solidly behind the government of President Buhari.
At this juncture, Nigerians must answer; If by their letters and quest to pull Buhari down, what exactly are the implications;
We as a group, we are certain, if the duo of Obasanjo and Babangida succeed in pulling Buhari down, the following will follow:
1, Nigeria will be replacing a temporary hardship with permanent suffering…!
Certainly, a fertile ground for the old corrupt brigade to regroup will germinate.
Nigeria will simply regress… Much like giving up on the fight against corruption and simply rolling over playing dead to the war on corruption.
2, We as a group, we are very certain that if President Buhari is stopped from recontesting, Nigerians will be replacing a rare and honest man, full of integrity with a serial Liar and Deceiver.,
Nigerians will be replacing a man of impeccable character with a man of painful impunity.
3, if by any chance President Muhammadu Buhari is railroaded into not seeking a 2nd term, all the gains of economic recovery seen after just coming out of a bad recession, will be lost and a bigger more intense recession, will certainly follow.
Racketeering, roundtripping and other economic vices will be back and unashamedly too.
All the gains in improved revenue collections at the various ports will dwindle. The steady growth we have now will simply give way to a regression.
4, We as a group are again of the firm opinion that the country will suffer for it, if the coordinated plans and selfish machinations stand, to deprive Nigerians of the services of our most serious corruption fighter in Muhammadu Buhari…. And not only Nigeria, but the whole of Africa and the African Union, in their wisdom appointed President Muhammadu Buhari to head the African commission on the fight against corruption.
An incorruptible man, Buhari, is a symbol already as the face of Anti-corruption crusade in Africa, and our country will simply look bad in the sight of the AU and other nations, if our greatest anti-corruption President is himself, defeated, by corruption.
In conclusion:
It is our joint inference to conclude this statement by saying, individual liberty, freedom and justice will be the first casualty if Nigerians succumb and yield to the whims and caprices of these 2 old men in their very advanced age…
We are certainly better than being mere spectators and pawns in some intricate game in which, we the people are exactly the ball being played.
We therefore say, “No”, to the extent that, our Coalition is by this statement calling on all well meaning Nigerians to be steadfast in support of President Muhammadu Buhari, to continue with his enviable positive strides upon which a golden future is to be expected…. 
Comrade Oladimeji Odeyemi, the Convener of the Coalition of Civil Society Groups against Terrorism in Nigeria sent this piece from Lagos
Why Babangida’s Hilltop Home Became Nigeria’s Political “Mecca”.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s birthday visit to Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) in Minna (where he hailed the octogenarian as a patriotic leader committed to national unity) was more than a courtesy call. It was a reminder of a peculiar constant in Nigerian politics: the steady pilgrimage of power-seekers, bridge-builders and crisis-managers to the Hilltop mansion. Jonathan’s own words captured it bluntly: IBB’s residence “is like a Mecca of sorts” because of the former military president’s enduring relevance and perceived nation-first posture.
Babangida turned 84 on 17 August 2025. That alone invites reflection on a career that has shaped Nigeria’s political architecture for four decades; admired by some for audacious statecraft, condemned by others for controversies that still shadow the republic. Born on 17 August 1941 in Minna, he ruled as military president from 1985 to 1993, presiding over transformative and turbulent chapters: the relocation of the national capital to Abuja in 1991; the creation of political institutions for a long, complex transition; economic liberalisation that cut both ways; and the fateful annulment of the 12 June 1993 election. Each of these choices helps explain why the Hilltop remains a magnet for Nigerians who need counsel, cover or calibration.
A house built on influence; why the visits never stop.
Let’s start with the obvious: access. Nigeria’s political class prizes proximity to the men and women who can open doors, soften opposition, broker peace and read the hidden currents. In that calculus, IBB’s network is unmatched. He cultivated a reputation for “political engineering,” the reason the press christened him “Maradona” (for deft dribbling through complexity) and “Evil Genius” (for the strategic cunning his critics decried). Whether one embraces or rejects those labels, they reflect a reality: Babangida is still the place where many politicians go to test ideas, seek endorsements or secure introductions. Even the mainstream press has described him as a consultant of sorts to desperate or ambitious politicians, an uncomfortable description that nevertheless underlines his gravitational pull.
Though it isn’t only political tact that draws visitors; it’s statecraft with lasting fingerprints. Moving the seat of government from Lagos to Abuja in December 1991 was not a cosmetic relocation, it re-centred the federation and signaled a symbolic neutrality in a country fractured by regional suspicion. Abuja’s founding logic (GEOGRAPHIC CENTRALITY and ETHNIC NEUTRALITY) continues to stabilise the national imagination. This is part of the reason many leaders, across party lines, still defer to IBB: he didn’t just rule; he rearranged the map of power.
Then there’s the regional dimension. Under his watch, Nigeria led the creation and deployment of ECOMOG in 1990 to staunch Liberia’s bloody civil war, a bold move that announced Abuja as a regional security anchor. The intervention was imperfect, contested and costly, but it helped define West Africa’s collective security posture and Nigeria’s leadership brand. When neighboring states now face crises, the memory of that precedent still echoes in diplomatic corridors and Babangida’s counsel retains currency among those who remember how decisions were made.
Jonathan’s praise and the unity argument.
Jonathan’s tribute (stressing Babangida’s non-sectional outlook and commitment to unity) goes to the heart of the Hilltop mystique. For a multi-ethnic federation straining under distrust, figures who can speak across divides are prized. Jonathan’s point wasn’t nostalgia; it was a live assessment of a man many still call when Nigeria’s seams fray. That’s why the parade to Minna continues: the anxious, the ambitious and the statesmanlike alike seek an elder who can convene rivals and cool temperatures.
The unresolved shadow: June 12 and the ethics of influence.
No honest appraisal can skip the hardest chapter: the annulment of the 12 June 1993 election (judged widely as free and fair) was a rupture that delegitimised the transition and scarred Nigeria’s democratic journey. Political scientist Larry Diamond has repeatedly identified June 12 as a prime example of how authoritarian reversals corrode democratic legitimacy and public trust. His larger warning (“few developments are more destructive to the legitimacy of new democracies than blatant and pervasive political corruption”) captures the moral crater that followed the annulment and the years of drift that ensued. Those wounds are part of the Babangida legacy too and they complicate the reverence that a steady stream of visitors displays.
Max Siollun, a leading historian of Nigeria’s military era, has observed (provocatively) that the military’s “greatest contribution” to democracy may have been to rule “long and badly enough” that Nigerians lost appetite for soldiers in power. It’s a stinging line, yet it helps explain the paradox of IBB’s status: the same system he personified taught Nigeria costly lessons that hardened its democratic reflexes. Today’s generation visits the Hilltop not to revive militarism but to harvest hard-won insights about managing a fragile federation.
What sustains the pilgrimage.
1) Institutional memory: Nigeria’s politics often suffers amnesia. Babangida offers a living archive of security crises navigated, regional diplomacy attempted, volatile markets tempered and power-sharing experiments designed. Whether one applauds or condemns specific choices, the muscle memory of governing a complex federation is rare and urgently sought.
2) Convening power: In a season of polarisation, the ability to sit warring factions in the same room is not small capital. Babangida’s imprimatur remains a safe invitation card few refuse it, fewer ignore it. That convening power explains why movements, parties and would-be presidents keep filing up the long driveway. Recent delegations have explicitly cast their courtesy calls in the language of unity, loyalty and patriotism ahead of pivotal elections.
3) Signals to the base: Visiting Minna telegraphs seriousness to party structures and funders. It says: “I have sought counsel where history meets experience.” In Nigeria’s coded political theatre, that signal still matters. Outlets have reported for years that many aspirants treat the Hilltop as an obligatory stop an unflattering reality, perhaps, but a revealing one.
4) The man and the myth: The mansion itself, with its opulence and aura, has become a set piece in Nigeria’s story of power, admired by some, resented by others, but always discussed. The myth feeds the pilgrimage; the pilgrimage feeds the myth.
The balance sheet at 84.
To treat Babangida solely as a sage is to forget the costs of his era; to treat him only as a villain is to ignore the architecture that still holds parts of Nigeria together. Abuja’s relocation stands as a stabilising bet that paid off. ECOMOG, for all its flaws, seeded a habit of regional responsibility. Conversely, June 12 remains a national cautionary tale about elite manipulation, civilian marginalisation and the brittleness of transitions managed from above. These are not contradictory truths; they are the double helix of Babangida’s place in Nigerian memory.
Jonathan’s homage tried to distill the better angel of IBB’s record: MENTORSHIP, BRIDGE-BUILDING and a POSTURE that (at least in his telling) RESISTS SECTIONAL ISM. “That is why today, his house is like a Mecca of sorts,” he said, praying that the GENERAL continues to “mentor the younger ones.” Whether one agrees with the full sentiment, it accurately describes the lived politics of Nigeria today: Minna remains a checkpoint on the road to relevance.
The scholar’s verdict and a citizen’s challenge.
If Diamond warns about legitimacy and Siollun warns about the perils of soldier-politics, what should Nigerians demand from the Hilltop effect? Three things.
First, use influence to open space, not close it. Counsel should tilt toward rules, institutions and credible elections not kingmaking for its own sake. The lesson of 1993 is that subverting a valid vote haunts a nation for decades.
Second, mentor for unity, but insist on accountability. Unity cannot be a euphemism for silence. A truly patriotic elder statesman sets a high bar for conduct and condemns the shortcuts that tempt new actors in old ways. Diamond’s admonition on corruption is not an abstraction; it’s a roadmap for rebuilding trust.
Third, convert nostalgia into institutional memory. If Babangida’s house is a classroom, then Nigeria should capture, publish and debate its lessons in the open: on peace operations (what worked, what failed), on capital relocation (how to plan at scale), and on transitions (how not to repeat 1993). Only then does the pilgrimage serve the republic rather than personalities.
At 84, Ibrahim Babangida remains a paradox that Nigeria cannot ignore: a man whose legacy straddles NATION-BUILDING and NATION-BRUISING, whose doors remain open to those seeking power and those seeking peace. Jonathan’s visit (and his striking “Mecca” metaphor) reveals a simple, stubborn fact: in a country still searching for steady hands, the Hilltop’s shadow is long. The task before Nigeria is to ensure that the shadow points toward a brighter constitutional daybreak, where influence is finally subordinated to institutions and where mentorship hardens into norms that no single mansion can monopolise. That is the only pilgrimage worth making.
Ajadi Celebrates Juju Legend Femolancaster’s 50th Birthday in the UK
Nigerian Juju music legend, Otunba Femi Fadipe, popularly known as FemoLancaster, is being celebrated today in London as he clocks 50 years of age.
Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, a frontline politician and businessman, led tributes to the Ilesa-born maestro, describing him as a timeless cultural icon whose artistry has enriched both Nigeria and the world.
“FemoLancaster is not just a musician, he is a legend,” Ambassador Ajadi said in his birthday message. “For decades, his classical Juju sound has remained a reminder of the beauty of Yoruba heritage. Today, as he turns 50, I celebrate a cultural ambassador whose music bridges generations and continents.”
While FemoLancaster is highly dominant in Oyo State and across the South-West, his craft has also taken him beyond Nigeria’s borders.
FemoLancaster’s illustrious career has seen him thrill audiences across Nigeria and beyond, with performances in the United Kingdom, Canada, United States of America, and other parts of the world. His dedication to Juju music has projected Yoruba traditional sounds to international stages, keeping alive the legacy of icons like King Sunny Ade and Chief Ebenezer Obey while infusing fresh energy for younger audiences
He further stressed the significance of honoring artistes who have remained faithful to indigenous music while taking it global. “In an era where modern sounds often overshadow tradition, FemoLancaster stands as a beacon of continuity and resilience. He has carried Yoruba Juju music into the global space with dignity, passion, and excellence,” he added.
The golden jubilee celebration in London has drawn fans, friends, and colleagues, who all describe FemoLancaster as a gifted artist whose contributions over decades have earned him a revered place in the pantheon of Nigerian music legends.
“As FemoLancaster marks this milestone,” Ajadi concluded, “I wish him many more years of good health, wisdom, and global recognition. May his music continue to echo across generations and continents.”
celebrity radar - gossips
Gospel Songstress Esther Igbekele Marks Birthday with Gratitude and Celebration
Gospel Songstress Esther Igbekele Marks Birthday with Gratitude and Celebration
By Aderounmu Kazeem Lagos
Lagos, Nigeria — The gospel music scene is aglow today as the “Duchess of Gospel Music,” Esther Igbekele, marks another milestone in her life, celebrating her birthday on Saturday, August 16, 2025.
Known for her powerful voice, inspirational lyrics, and unwavering dedication to spreading the gospel through music, Esther Igbekele has become one of Nigeria’s most respected and beloved gospel artistes. Over the years, she has graced countless stages, released hit albums, and inspired audiences across the world with her uplifting songs.
Today’s celebration is expected to be a joyful blend of music, prayers, and heartfelt tributes from family, friends, fans, and fellow artistes. Sources close to the singer revealed that plans are in place for a special praise gathering in Lagos, where she will be joined by notable figures in the gospel industry, church leaders, and admirers from home and abroad.
Speaking ahead of the day, Igbekele expressed deep gratitude to God for His mercy and the opportunity to use her gift to touch lives. “Every birthday is a reminder of God’s faithfulness in my journey. I am thankful for life, for my fans, and for the privilege to keep ministering through music,” she said.
From her early beginnings in the Yoruba gospel music scene to her rise as a celebrated recording artiste with a unique fusion of contemporary and traditional sounds, Esther Igbekele’s career has been marked by consistency, excellence, and a strong message of hope.
As she adds another year today, her fans have flooded social media with messages of love, appreciation, and prayers — a testament to the profound impact she continues to make in the gospel music ministry.
For many, this birthday is not just a celebration of Esther Igbekele’s life, but also of the divine inspiration she brings to the Nigerian gospel music landscape.
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