President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has credited former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babagida (rtd) for his entry into politics, stating that without Babagida’s influence, he would not be in public service.
Tinubu made this revelation during the launch of IBB’s autobiography “A Journey In Service” on Thursday in Abuja.
President Tinubu acknowledged Babangida’s roles in fostering the emergence of young political leaders, which significantly shaped his own political journey.
“Without your influence people like me would not be in politics. One thing I cannot forget – you were in office, you recalled that we were elected, yet you kept postponing the inauguration. You summoned us to Abuja, and we became rancorous. I did not expect to speak, I only planned to listen, convinced in my radical manner that this man would delay the inauguration again. But before we returned to the hotel, the doors were locked, no keys. Then, when I was summoned by Dele Cole to make a remark, I confronted you.
“I told you, that day, and you failed to do it. Why not inaugurate us? Why were you calling us back and postponing the inauguration again? I thought I would end up in jail. But at the end of the remark, you shook my hand. I will never forget that. You said, “You’re courageous”. “That was an inspiration that had a profound impact on my life”, Tinubu said.
President Tinubu also praised Babangida’s economic reforms, particularly the licensing of new-generation banks, which transformed Nigeria’s financial landscape.
Reflecting on Babangida’s decision to delay the inauguration of federal lawmakers 33 years ago, President Tinubu described it as a bold decisions that characterized his leadership.
-9News Nigeria.
