The day was Tuesday, September 27, 2016. It was a second chance I had in six years to meet with the former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, again. The first chance, which I missed, was in April 2010. I had written a piece in my column at LEADERSHIP entitled “Hurray! IBB is coming back.” The piece was a reaction to the General’s decision to return to politics for the 2011 presidential race on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
My very good friend and former military administrator of Plateau and Niger states, Col. Habibu Shuaibu (rtd), had shown a copy of the paper to the General and the General sought to speak with me but my line was switched off. The phone hunt for me lasted for 30 minutes… it was almost midnight and I was in the habit of switching off my phone before going to bed. The next day, my friend called to inform me that the General wanted to appreciate my piece but I was nowhere to be found. It was an opportunity lost which I regained on September 27.
About five or so days before the Minna trip, Col. Shuaibu had hinted me about his planned visit to the General. He was coming from Kano and we both arranged that I should wait for him at the Dikko-Minna junction along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway. The trip to Minna was not a smooth ride. I knew that the road had been in a deplorable condition. But my colleague and incumbent Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Niger state, Jibrin Baba Ndace, had assured me that the federal road was back to an automobile-friendly state through the effort of the state government.
However, I was shocked by the potholes and trenches that have again defined the road. But that assurance was given about five months ago. Road destroyers like heavy duty trucks, upon learning that the road had been rehabilitated, resurfaced to pound the road, softened by the rains. The trip which would have lasted for a little over one hour stretched for close to two hours in the Toyota Hilux that we rode in, which is the best for the road.
We arrived at Minna at about 4 pm and headed for the famous Hilltop Residence of the General. I had read a lot about the architectural grandeur of the mansion and looked forward to feeding my curious eyes. The environment was breathtaking. My friend, who was the General’s former chief of staff, led the way and he had me in tow. We navigated our way through the expansive dining hall adjoining the General’s private sitting room. I dropped behind to allow my friend to announce my presence to the enigma called IBB.
While I waited, a chef asked me to help myself to the meal. I nodded in appreciation, assuring myself that the array of dishes could not be a setting for the Barmecide feast where dishes were served in due order but there were no victuals in them. As I made for the table to help myself, a message came that the General was ready to receive me. I abandoned the mission to the table. In the General’s company were some friends who had come visiting. Contrary to speculations, the People’s General was in good health.
My friend then asked me to take the floor. After exchanging pleasantries, I told the General we were meeting again after 31 years. He leaned back on his seat and asked: “How old were you then?” I responded with a laughter which infected him, and went down the memory lane. Our first encounter was at the Rukuba Army Cantonment, near Jos. He had visited the military formation as the chief of army staff and was hosted to a cocktail party to which I was invited as the editor of the Jos-based Sunday Standard newspaper in 1985. Our paths crossed and I engaged him in an impromptu interview that lasted for 30 minutes. He told me he was an avid reader of my paper and a disciple of my humour column: “The Man From PPC”. However, unknown to me, his aide-de-camp (ADC) was becoming uncomfortable with the unusually long conversation with his boss. As if the ADC was timing me, he emerged from the blue and drew an invisible line between us to end the conversation. Too late for him, for I had extracted an exclusive front page story from his boss! Surprisingly, the General remembered that encounter.
Then I told him how he rescued me and my crime reporter from being tried under the draconian Decree 4 for reporting that Indian hemp cultivation was thriving in some parts of Plateau state. Rather than being commended for that revelation, the state’s police chief took offence. My reporter was arrested and detained for 40 days and 40 nights. They eventually arraigned him at a Chief Magistrate’s Court. Strangely enough, the police wanted to use me as a prosecution witness in a case that I was supposed to be a co-accused as the editor that signed the paper.
I laughed off their request. That laughter later earned me the status of a co-accused. At our last appearance in court, we were told that our case would be referred to the Supreme Military Council for trial under the decree. The chief magistrate granted us bail on self recognition.
A couple of days later, Brigadier Joshua Dogonyaro surfaced to announce a CHANGE of government that ushered in the IBB regime, thus curing us of the Decree 4 fever. Curiously, Dogonyaro is a very popular anti-malaria herb.
The General and his guests listened to my narratives with rapt attention. The visit, I told him, provided me with an opportunity to say “a big thank you” for rescuing me from being tagged an ex-convict. I also seized the opportunity to present to him a book entitled: “Avoiding Common PITFALLS in English” written by my alter ego which received his commendation upon flipping through. I took leave of him and went for the late lunch. Expectedly, it was not a Barmecide arrangement!
