Dr. Abejide B. Olusegun

I am sorry, General Maradona, but you can’t cause chaos that led to someone’s death, his wife’s death, the collapse of one of the biggest business empires in Africa, the deaths of thousands, the collapse of the western region, and the collapse of democracy, and now be rewarded with N17 billion and be celebrated by some of the people you tried to maim and kill. That’s Haram money in the highest order.

Some call him Maradona, perhaps because he dribbles like a cunning footballer, slipping past every attempt at justice and emerging unscathed from the worst of scandals. Others describe him as an evil genius, capable of manipulating reality like a skilled illusionist, creating fables, transforming the mundane into the profound, and evading the laws of retribution. But karma never forgets. It may take years, even decades, but it always comes calling. Abacha is gone, his crimes sealed in history, his body now mere dust. And for anyone foolish enough to be deceived by IBB’s latest charade, the betrayal is entirely their own.

The day God was distributing shame, IBB must have been absent. What other explanation could there be for the gall, the audacity, and the blatant shamelessness of a man who oversaw Nigeria’s most heinous betrayals and now stands proudly among his peers? You were the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the supreme leader of your country, yet you allowed Abacha to lead an “inside force” against you. You did nothing. You could not eliminate him or neutralize his influence. You simply watched, helpless and weak. What kind of cowardice is this? The Yoruba have a saying: “You are made the king of the eagles, yet you lack the power to snatch a chick.” What nonsense. What a disgrace.

You knew Abacha was plotting against you. Yet, instead of dealing with him decisively, you made him Chief of Defense Staff—the supreme coordinator of all military services. Were you insane? Were you under some hypnotic spell? Or were you just incredibly foolish? Despite knowing his ambition to rule, you left him in service, positioning him as the most senior military officer while handing power to a civilian interim government. Was this stupidity? Was this senility? Was this some grand illusion of yours that ended in utter failure?

Under your watch, while you held absolute power as the nation’s leader and military chief, an election—adjudged to be the fairest and freest in Nigeria’s history—was annulled. And now you want us to believe that the annulment was not your decision? That Abacha, your subordinate, carried it out without your approval? In what army, in what country, does a junior officer make such a monumental decision without the explicit directive of his superior? Are we children? Are we fools? If you blame Abacha for June 12, then you must credit him for whatever meager achievements you claim today. You are now painting yourself as a mere puppet while pinning all your shameful acts on a dead man who can no longer defend himself. What a disgrace.

If Abacha was so powerful, should we now assume that he was the one who ordered the execution of your childhood friend, Mamman Vatsa? You sentenced your friend to death over an alleged coup that never even materialized. A man who danced at your wedding, whose wife was a friend of your own, whose children played with yours—you had him killed. Was this also Abacha’s doing? Or was this just another example of your treachery?

Loyalty is a word missing from your dictionary. You were not loyal to your boss, Buhari, whom you betrayed and overthrew in a coup. You were not loyal to your friend, Vatsa, whom you condemned to death without mercy. You were not loyal to your other friend, Moshood Abiola, whose election victory you annulled. You were not loyal to Nigeria, the country you led into ruin, only to leave it in the hands of a tyrant far worse than yourself. You also bear responsibility for the blood of every innocent soul that Abacha later slaughtered. You also bear responsibility for the billions he looted, as you laid the foundation for his ascent to absolute power.

And now, in your old age, after years of silence, you are not even loyal to Abacha himself. You blame him for all your wrongdoings, making him the scapegoat for your numerous sins.

James Hadley Chase wrote the epic novel “The Dead Stay Dumb.” Today, IBB presents Nigerians with a stark reminder of this epic in his book on the June 12 election annulment.

Abiola is dead, Abacha is dead, Arthur Nzeribe is dead, Clement Akpamgbo is dead, Justice Bassey Ikpeme is dead, Justice Dahiru Saleh is dead, and Abimbola Davis (ABN Director of Operations) is dead. Prof. Omo Omoruyi is dead, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu is dead, and Vice Admiral Aikhomu (whose press secretary announced the annulment, purportedly without Babangida’s imprimatur) is dead. All these deceased individuals serve as witnesses to Babangida.

James Hadley Chase wasn’t finished. He wrote another epic to characterize this kind of Balablu Bulaba absurdity: “Believe this and you’ll believe anything.” I wish Nigeria and Nigerians well with their Asparagus.

Are you insane, Babangida? It sickens me to even call you a general. What should I call true generals—men of honor like Colin Powell? If you are a general, then what were they? And you, with no shame, now stand before the nation blaming your subordinate for your failures, knowing full well that he cannot respond. You are a coward, a worthless fraud. Stiff-necked fool as Bob Marley put it.

What pains me the most is seeing my beloved President Tinubu singing praises of Babangida—the same man who nearly had him killed, the same man responsible for the death of MKO Abiola, his kinsman. Babangida’s betrayal forced Tinubu into exile, fleeing for his life due to the chaos he unleashed upon the Nigerian opposition. This is the same Babangida who laid the foundation for the country’s economic ruination, the very crisis that Tinubu is now battling, an economy so damaged that only divine intervention seems capable of salvaging it. Yet, today, it is Tinubu who bears the blame for a disaster that was orchestrated by Babangida and the very same evil men who gathered to celebrate him at his book launch. How quickly Nigerians forget, rewriting history in favor of their oppressors while condemning those left to clean up their mess.

It is tragic that in this country, where institutions are weak and justice is a mere illusion, criminals of the state are not only celebrated but rewarded. The nameless and forgotten individuals who sacrificed their lives for democracy have had their sacrifices erased from history. Seven years of bloodshed and struggle followed your betrayal of June 12, and yet, no government has compensated their families; no government has even attempted to honor their legacy. The only legacy they see fit to build is yours—a man who stole the nation’s commonwealth and left it in ruins. No wonder, your kinsmen called you, “Ibrahim Barawo Banza.”

The problem with Nigeria is that it rewards evil and punishes virtue. Those in power deceive their way to the top and then manipulate history to portray themselves as heroes. Is this why they sponsor terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers? To create an environment where chaos thrives so that they may continue looting without resistance?

Now, after decades of silence, you are suddenly revealing the truth. What have you gained from this confession? Do you think it redeems you? Did you believe when you “stepped aside” that you would return one day as a ruler? Can Nigeria ever truly forgive you? The only way justice can be served is if you are made to pay for your crimes, for your betrayal of democracy, and for the irreversible damage you inflicted on this country. Instead, we are here to celebrate you, launch books in your honor, and transform your tyranny into a tale of wisdom and leadership.

I hope you will soon write a book about the young military officers whose deaths you orchestrated, those you sent to their graves in a plane crash in Ejigbo, Ogun State, for knowing too much. I hope you will dedicate a chapter to the role you played in turning Nigeria into a hub for dangerous drugs and criminal syndicates. One day, I hope you will pen a book about Gloria Okon, revealing the truth about the events that transpired. You must write a book on how you destroyed the educational system of the country through the catch-up system that you and that demon, Jubril Aminu, orchestrated.

In what other country does a book written exposing the failures of the criminal justice system land its author in jail, while a book written by a dictator and murderer earns him billions in donations? Only in Nigeria.

This country is incorruptible. A land where the worst of men are honored while the best are buried and forgotten. Nigeria is a crime scene masquerading as a nation, a land governed by religious hypocrites who waste billions visiting Mecca and Jerusalem only to return as agents of destruction. They bow in prayer, chanting God’s name, yet rise as architects of suffering, betrayers of their people.

IBB is evil, but those who followed him are even greater devils. By the way, why waste Nigerians’ hard-earned billions of naira, contributed by your stooge, on the launched book for your upcoming library in a society where “Boko is Haram?” This is just another way of squandering Nigeria’s money, much like the Obasanjo Library, which is as empty as a burial sepulcher with no readers to patronize it. Investing such funds in agriculture would have been far more beneficial, providing support to the struggling and impoverished millions of Nigerians.

May Nigeria one day wake up from this nightmare. But until then, let the fools continue their celebrations, let the criminals continue their deception, and let the blind continue to cheer for their oppressors. As for the rest of us, we will watch. And we will remember

Dr. Abejide B. Olusegun. (2025).

I am sorry, General Maradona, but you can’t cause chaos that led to someone’s death, his wife’s death, the collapse of one of the biggest business empires in Africa, the deaths of thousands, the collapse of the western region, and the collapse of democracy, and now be rewarded with N17 billion and be celebrated by some of the people you tried to maim and kill. That’s Haram money in the highest order.

Some call him Maradona, perhaps because he dribbles like a cunning footballer, slipping past every attempt at justice and emerging unscathed from the worst of scandals. Others describe him as an evil genius, capable of manipulating reality like a skilled illusionist, creating fables, transforming the mundane into the profound, and evading the laws of retribution. But karma never forgets. It may take years, even decades, but it always comes calling. Abacha is gone, his crimes sealed in history, his body now mere dust. And for anyone foolish enough to be deceived by IBB’s latest charade, the betrayal is entirely their own.

The day God was distributing shame, IBB must have been absent. What other explanation could there be for the gall, the audacity, and the blatant shamelessness of a man who oversaw Nigeria’s most heinous betrayals and now stands proudly among his peers? You were the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the supreme leader of your country, yet you allowed Abacha to lead an “inside force” against you. You did nothing. You could not eliminate him or neutralize his influence. You simply watched, helpless and weak. What kind of cowardice is this? The Yoruba have a saying: “You are made the king of the eagles, yet you lack the power to snatch a chick.” What nonsense. What a disgrace.

You knew Abacha was plotting against you. Yet, instead of dealing with him decisively, you made him Chief of Defense Staff—the supreme coordinator of all military services. Were you insane? Were you under some hypnotic spell? Or were you just incredibly foolish? Despite knowing his ambition to rule, you left him in service, positioning him as the most senior military officer while handing power to a civilian interim government. Was this stupidity? Was this senility? Was this some grand illusion of yours that ended in utter failure?

Under your watch, while you held absolute power as the nation’s leader and military chief, an election—adjudged to be the fairest and freest in Nigeria’s history—was annulled. And now you want us to believe that the annulment was not your decision? That Abacha, your subordinate, carried it out without your approval? In what army, in what country, does a junior officer make such a monumental decision without the explicit directive of his superior? Are we children? Are we fools? If you blame Abacha for June 12, then you must credit him for whatever meager achievements you claim today. You are now painting yourself as a mere puppet while pinning all your shameful acts on a dead man who can no longer defend himself. What a disgrace.

If Abacha was so powerful, should we now assume that he was the one who ordered the execution of your childhood friend, Mamman Vatsa? You sentenced your friend to death over an alleged coup that never even materialized. A man who danced at your wedding, whose wife was a friend of your own, whose children played with yours—you had him killed. Was this also Abacha’s doing? Or was this just another example of your treachery?

Loyalty is a word missing from your dictionary. You were not loyal to your boss, Buhari, whom you betrayed and overthrew in a coup. You were not loyal to your friend, Vatsa, whom you condemned to death without mercy. You were not loyal to your other friend, Moshood Abiola, whose election victory you annulled. You were not loyal to Nigeria, the country you led into ruin, only to leave it in the hands of a tyrant far worse than yourself. You also bear responsibility for the blood of every innocent soul that Abacha later slaughtered. You also bear responsibility for the billions he looted, as you laid the foundation for his ascent to absolute power.

And now, in your old age, after years of silence, you are not even loyal to Abacha himself. You blame him for all your wrongdoings, making him the scapegoat for your numerous sins.

James Hadley Chase wrote the epic novel “The Dead Stay Dumb.” Today, IBB presents Nigerians with a stark reminder of this epic in his book on the June 12 election annulment.

Abiola is dead, Abacha is dead, Arthur Nzeribe is dead, Clement Akpamgbo is dead, Justice Bassey Ikpeme is dead, Justice Dahiru Saleh is dead, and Abimbola Davis (ABN Director of Operations) is dead. Prof. Omo Omoruyi is dead, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu is dead, and Vice Admiral Aikhomu (whose press secretary announced the annulment, purportedly without Babangida’s imprimatur) is dead. All these deceased individuals serve as witnesses to Babangida.

James Hadley Chase wasn’t finished. He wrote another epic to characterize this kind of Balablu Bulaba absurdity: “Believe this and you’ll believe anything.” I wish Nigeria and Nigerians well with their Asparagus.

Are you insane, Babangida? It sickens me to even call you a general. What should I call true generals—men of honor like Colin Powell? If you are a general, then what were they? And you, with no shame, now stand before the nation blaming your subordinate for your failures, knowing full well that he cannot respond. You are a coward, a worthless fraud. Stiff-necked fool as Bob Marley put it.

What pains me the most is seeing my beloved President Tinubu singing praises of Babangida—the same man who nearly had him killed, the same man responsible for the death of MKO Abiola, his kinsman. Babangida’s betrayal forced Tinubu into exile, fleeing for his life due to the chaos he unleashed upon the Nigerian opposition. This is the same Babangida who laid the foundation for the country’s economic ruination, the very crisis that Tinubu is now battling, an economy so damaged that only divine intervention seems capable of salvaging it. Yet, today, it is Tinubu who bears the blame for a disaster that was orchestrated by Babangida and the very same evil men who gathered to celebrate him at his book launch. How quickly Nigerians forget, rewriting history in favor of their oppressors while condemning those left to clean up their mess.

It is tragic that in this country, where institutions are weak and justice is a mere illusion, criminals of the state are not only celebrated but rewarded. The nameless and forgotten individuals who sacrificed their lives for democracy have had their sacrifices erased from history. Seven years of bloodshed and struggle followed your betrayal of June 12, and yet, no government has compensated their families; no government has even attempted to honor their legacy. The only legacy they see fit to build is yours—a man who stole the nation’s commonwealth and left it in ruins. No wonder, your kinsmen called you, “Ibrahim Barawo Banza.”

The problem with Nigeria is that it rewards evil and punishes virtue. Those in power deceive their way to the top and then manipulate history to portray themselves as heroes. Is this why they sponsor terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers? To create an environment where chaos thrives so that they may continue looting without resistance?

Now, after decades of silence, you are suddenly revealing the truth. What have you gained from this confession? Do you think it redeems you? Did you believe when you “stepped aside” that you would return one day as a ruler? Can Nigeria ever truly forgive you? The only way justice can be served is if you are made to pay for your crimes, for your betrayal of democracy, and for the irreversible damage you inflicted on this country. Instead, we are here to celebrate you, launch books in your honor, and transform your tyranny into a tale of wisdom and leadership.

I hope you will soon write a book about the young military officers whose deaths you orchestrated, those you sent to their graves in a plane crash in Ejigbo, Ogun State, for knowing too much. I hope you will dedicate a chapter to the role you played in turning Nigeria into a hub for dangerous drugs and criminal syndicates. One day, I hope you will pen a book about Gloria Okon, revealing the truth about the events that transpired. You must write a book on how you destroyed the educational system of the country through the catch-up system that you and that demon, Jubril Aminu, orchestrated.

In what other country does a book written exposing the failures of the criminal justice system land its author in jail, while a book written by a dictator and murderer earns him billions in donations? Only in Nigeria.

This country is incorruptible. A land where the worst of men are honored while the best are buried and forgotten. Nigeria is a crime scene masquerading as a nation, a land governed by religious hypocrites who waste billions visiting Mecca and Jerusalem only to return as agents of destruction. They bow in prayer, chanting God’s name, yet rise as architects of suffering, betrayers of their people.

IBB is evil, but those who followed him are even greater devils. By the way, why waste Nigerians’ hard-earned billions of naira, contributed by your stooge, on the launched book for your upcoming library in a society where “Boko is Haram?” This is just another way of squandering Nigeria’s money, much like the Obasanjo Library, which is as empty as a burial sepulcher with no readers to patronize it. Investing such funds in agriculture would have been far more beneficial, providing support to the struggling and impoverished millions of Nigerians.

May Nigeria one day wake up from this nightmare. But until then, let the fools continue their celebrations, let the criminals continue their deception, and let the blind continue to cheer for their oppressors. As for the rest of us, we will watch. And we will remember

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