Former Military President of Nigeria, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida has disclosed that, his ernest prayer is that civil war never happens in the country again.
He made the disclosure during a live interview on Search FM 92.3 Campus Radio, Federal University Of Technology (FUT) Minna and monitored by our Correspondent, saying “to keep Nigeria as one nation was a uniquely sad aspect of the civil war”.
While responding to the life threatening injury he had during the civil War, General Babangida said “it is not a very nice experience I must say.
“First of all, you had people you went to school with, people you trained with, people who were your friends, suddenly as a result of the war you find yourselves facing each other on opposite sides. It is not very comfortable but then we had to do it.
“The purpose was to unite the country to keep it as one not to break it, so that is the uniquely sad aspect of a civil war and I pray it never happens again”.
The elder statesman also spoke on his leadership style saying, “just like any other style, you are placed in a leadership position; your job is to lead people. You develop a situation where people look up to you to provide certain solutions to their problems or to their fear.
“Whatever it is and you stand out as the person who will be able to do that. So you have to study human beings, you have to read about [them] and you have to be very compassionate.
“Sometimes ruthlessness get things done; but there are a lot of ways you have to develop so that you will be able to achieve certain things. Others you plead with, some you coerce and so on and so forth”.
While speaking on his greatest achievements so far, General Babangida said “number one is that I served the country the best I could, it may not be to your satisfaction but to the best that I could; I leave that to history to judge.
“I related fairly well with the people of the country. I had no problem with them and I got to know the country more as I was well travelled I made friends all over the country and I thought that was one of the greatest achievements”.
Furthermore, he advised younger generation to try as much as possible to know and understand the country; adding that “the younger generation are going to lead this country in the future.
“They have the opportunity now to get to know the country, study the country, the people. And, if they are able to do that or to understand that, basically I think that will go a long way to prepare them for the eventual leadership of the country.”
Speaking on whether the biopic released about his life – Badamasi: The Portrait of a General, was an accurate representation of events, the former Military President said “well, as a military man, a man who practiced both in war and peace times, I would have corrected one or two places but I think what they [Nollywood] are trying to project is a food for thought that could give us the room for improvement”.
He however disclosed that, “if I had not joined the military, I would have been a civil engineer”.
