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IBB accepts responsibility for regime
BISIRIYU OLAOYE,
Deputy News Editor
FORMER
Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) yesterday said that he
should be held responsible for all what happened during his regime whether good
or bad.
He stated this just as he said the unco-operative
attitude of the public to provide necessary information to the police and other
security agents was responsible for the inability of the police to track down
the culprits in the murder of the former Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch
magazine, Mr. Dele Giwa, since 1986.
Featuring in an African Independent
Television (AIT) weekly personality programme The Sunday Interview (TSI),
IBB also said contrary to claims, his relationship with the family of the late
M.K.O Abiola is cordial notwithstanding the annulment of June 12, 1993
presidential elections believed to have been won by the latter.
He described the annulment as "one of the
mistakes in the history of this country.
"I take responsibility of whatever
happened during my regime whether good or bad. You are talking about the bad
things now, the good ones are there. I accept responsibility of the happenings
in my regime," he further stated.
Saying that a book chronicling the June
12 saga would soon be out, IBB did not say whether or not he would apologise
for the annulment of the election: "I’m not pleading my position to be
accepted."
However, Gen. Babangida said the annulment
of the June 12 election should be regarded as one of the mistakes the country
has made.
"June 12 is one of the mistakes in the
history of this country. Mistakes are on-going thing. That is why I say that I
take responsibility for what happened in my regime".
On why the mystery surrounding the death
of Mr. Giwa through a parcel bomb has not been unraveled since 1986, IBB said
that people have not been co-operating with the police to get necessary
information to track down the culprits.
He, however, stated that in the next two
months, a book on the issue would soon be out, adding that the book is written
by "a participant" who he did not name.
Explaining why Chief Earnest Shonekan
succeeded him he said Shonekan was chosen because he was politically neutral and
a technocrat.
"The Interim Government was designed to
last six months. We wanted somebody who was neutral. He (Shonekan) was appointed
because of his political leaning and he is a technocrat that fits into the
arrangement. He had always provided input to the national budget," IBB said.
He said despite the June 12 annulment, he
had been in contact with the family of the late Abiola.
"The relationship is cordial. MKO means
much to me than what you people thought." IBB stated.
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