Former Military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd.), officially launched his much-anticipated memoir, A Journey in Service, in Abuja, drawing an audience of political and business heavyweights. The event, held at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton, served as both a book presentation and a fundraising ceremony for the IBB Presidential Library Foundation.
The launch was attended by former Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, former Nigerian Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, Yakubu Gowon, Abdulsalami Abubakar, and a representative of Muhammadu Buhari. Other notable figures included business moguls Aliko Dangote, Abdulsamad Rabiu, and Theophilus Danjuma, who collectively donated over ₦17 billion to support the library project. Dangote led the donations with ₦8 billion, followed by Rabiu’s ₦5 billion and Danjuma’s ₦3 billion.
During the event, Babangida revisited the controversial annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, describing it as the most difficult decision of his life. He admitted that the election was credible but insisted that his administration acted in what it believed was the “supreme national interest.”
“June 12 happened under my watch. Mistakes were made, but we did what we thought was best at the time. If I had to do it again, I would do things differently,” he said.
The annulment, which denied Moshood Abiola his victory, triggered nationwide protests and led to Babangida’s eventual resignation.
Beyond Babangida’s personal reflections, the memoir sheds light on key events in Nigeria’s political history, including the 1976 coup that led to Murtala Muhammed’s assassination and the 1986 letter bomb that killed journalist Dele Giwa. The book launch also sparked discussions on democracy in Africa, with Nana Akufo-Addo warning against the resurgence of military coups across the continent.
