IBB renews battle with OBJ

Posted by admin Latest Politics Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

THE verbal war between former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida and former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has continued to fester as Babangida said on Tuesday that he stood by his earlier statement on Obasanjo’s alleged squandering of national resources.

Babangida said this while debunking reports that he recanted on the allegation he made that Obasanjo wasted the sum of $16 billion on power sector as revealed by a National Assembly probe.

Babangida spoke through his media aide, Kassim Sule Afegbua, stating that he meant what he said on Obasanjo and never recanted at any time.

Babangida was recently quoted as accusing the media of quoting him out of context on Obasanjo on the interview he granted to newsmen on the eve of his 70th birthday in Minna, stating that he had lost many of his friends since the media war between him and Obasanjo broke out.

Afegbua, in his statement said Babangida “wishes to state clearly and without fear of contradiction that there is nothing like “recant” on his part. What General Babangida stated on the 30th August, 2011 was that the media misquoted him on his earlier interview granted prior to his birthday of 17th August, 2011.

“The contents of the newspapers’ reports were different from the screaming headlines that were carried. That perhaps informed Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s misplaced outburst to the effect of calling General Babangida a fool at 70.

“General Babangida still stands by the contents of that interview where he made allusion to the squander-mania that characterised Chief Obasanjo’s government with particular reference to the $16 billion reportedly wasted on a fruitless power project, as revealed by the National Assembly power probe panel.

“There was nothing extraordinary in what General IBB said to warrant Chief Obasanjo’s outburst and scathing remarks on the person of General Babangida.

“In the light of the above, he wishes to state arlier position.

unequivocally that the idea or notion or impression of a recant does not arise at all. His response to Chief Obasanjo’s outburst remains in force and valid, hence it will be wrong for anyone to report that “IBB recanted” on his earlier position.

“He will not allow history to record it for him that he kept mum when someone reportedly called him a fool. All the issues raised in his earlier response have not been contradicted by Chief Obasanjo save that he resorted to name-calling and abuse.

“He still holds the position very strongly that former President Obasanjo’s regime recorded the highest revenue in the history of Nigeria from independence in 1960 till 1999 when his government came into force. Over N16 trillion was shared among the three tiers of government during Obasanjo’s government, out of which about N7.4 trillion was spent by the Federal Government.

came into force. Over N16 trillion was shared among the three tiers of government during Obasanjo’s government, out of which about N7.4 trillion was spent by the Federal Government.

“This is aside from other non-oil income that accrued to his government within the same period. Needless to state that the government went on a spending spree, which culminated in several sharp practices and abuses, particularly in the privatisation exercise. The records are gradually becoming glaring for all to see, thanks to the National Assembly probe panel.

“IBB will be prepared to offer further clarification should the need arise but let it be recorded that there was nothing like recantation as previously reported.”

-Tribunewp_posts