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    A JOURNEY IN SERVICE : An Autobiography
    (Book Craft, 2025-02) IBRAHIM B. BABANGIDA
    It is one thing to be lucky to have the opportunity to lead one’s country. It is a different thing to summon the courage to use the opportunity of leadership to change the landscape of society in many fundamental ways. Few leaders have the luck to do both and then live to tell the story first-hand for the benefit of posterity. Former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, has had the distinction of doing all these things with all of us as living witnesses. It is, therefore, my great pleasure and honour to be invited to add a few words as a foreword to this unique and much-awaited book. I am proud to have witnessed much of General Babangida’s ‘Journey in Service’ and his professional and political career. I have known Ibrahim since his days as a young officer. At some point, I was so impressed by his intellect and outstanding professionalism that he almost became my Aide-de-Camp (ADC). That story belongs elsewhere, and I will leave him to tell it for the benefit of others who did not have the privilege of proximity to our careers. I can assert with pride that General Babangida was arguably one of the most remarkable military officers this country is blessed with. Brilliant but unassuming, gifted but sociable, a natural leader but also a devoted follower, Ibrahim was destined for great things. It did not come as a surprise when it pleased God to elevate him to the summit of political leadership in our country’s days of military rule. In the post-civil war period, his tenure in office is easily the most remarkable in the lineup of military leaders that our nation has witnessed. I say this without equivocation for so many reasons. xii Unlike some of us, his seniors, he tried to be the best of two opposing worlds. He sought to be an officer and a gentleman in the finest tradition. At the same time, he had unusual political sophistication and savvy, which enabled him to freely navigate the complex world of politics without losing grip of his command and control of the military establishment. He was proud of his military background, just as the military institution remained proud of his achievements in the political management of the nation. General Babangida’s strongest appeal is his love for the nation. A man of impeccable patriotism and unfailing love for compatriots, General Babangida felt at home all over the country. He was an active combatant but came out of the war with no bitterness. Most importantly, his empathy is unmatched; hence, he tried to touch the economic, political, and social aspects of the nation’s life with far reaching reforms. Naturally, his courageous effort to transform the nation’s economy through self-reliance did not go down well with some vested interests. Even more contentious was his far-reaching political programme. He was not content with presiding over a military administration but cared deeply about the democratic political dispensation that would succeed his tenure. Therefore, he embarked on a far-reaching and very fundamental political transition programme. Based on my experience, politicians are hardly ever ready to allow that programme to proceed unhindered whenever the military is in power and undertakes to hand over power according to a transition programme. Professional politicians always have a way of writing themselves and their interests into every military and political transition programme. This is often the root of the crisis in every military-to-civilian transition programme. Therefore, I am confident that just like our transition programme, President Babangida encountered turbulence on his way to a very well thought-out transition, hence the crisis that occurred towards the end of his tenure. xiii Nonetheless, it remains remarkable that General Babangida has remained topical in the nation’s political discourse over three decades after he left office. His importance is not just that he came to power and presided over the nation’s affairs for the most extended period in peacetime Nigeria. He remains remarkable as easily the most innovative, courageous, and skilful military leader in the nation’s political history. He summoned the courage to dare even where we, his predecessors, feared to tread. His footprints on the nation’s infrastructure are still evident in the splendour of Abuja. His innovations and institutional reforms are all around us as we continue to benefit from institutions such as the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), the Technical Aid Corps (TAC), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), the National Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). This book is not just about his multiple contributions to national life. He is on record already as Nigeria’s most documented leader. This life story started privately and modestly and later became public and historically consequential. This book takes us through national history and General Babangida’s life of challenges, obstacles, and triumphs. This is the life of a modest orphan boy and the career of a devoted and outstanding soldier, patriot, and fine officer in the best traditions of our military. Above all, this book is the testimony of a statesman, an account of service rendered to the nation and people. It is remarkably readable and fluid. I know that A JOURNEY IN SERVICE is a response to a long standing demand of many Nigerians. Given the monumental and historical changes that General Babangida presided over, it is only natural that many Nigerians of different generations would be eager to learn first-hand the motivations, the actual events, and the reasons behind these far-reaching policies, decisions, and events, some of which shook the nation to its very foundations. xiv While congratulating General Babangida on this contribution to history, I gladly recommend this book to the generations of Nigerians to whom the period recounted has become a matter of abiding interest. To the youth of our land in particular, I recommend this book as an essential piece of history from 1985 to 1993. I can only hope that General Babangida has once again blazed a trail, challenging our leaders to find time and courage to record their experiences in office for the benefit of fellow Nigerians and posterity. This book is a worthy work of history and an invaluable patriotic service. Above all, it is a book whose time has finally come. GENERAL YAKUBU GOWON, GCFR Former Head of State & Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
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    VC ADDRESS AT THE 6TH INDUCTION AND OATH TAKING CEREMONY OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE GRADUANDS 2024
    (KWASU Press and Publishing, 2024) Prof. Shaykh-Luqman Jimoh ( Vice Chancellor KWASU)
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