Word: babangida
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...years of military rule seemed too good to be true, and in the end it was. A government-appointed commission has set aside the results of national elections in the face of legal challenges over alleged voting irregularities. The challenges come mostly from close allies of General Ibrahim Babangida, the military despot who was supposed to yield power later in the summer...
...Mali, the Swiss Foreign Ministry has decided to reroute part of its country's aid to Mali to pay for Swiss lawyers -- clever rerouting -- to investigate whether Swiss aid money was wrongfully deposited in Swiss banks during the 23-year reign of deposed President Moussa Traore. Nigerian President Ibrahim Babangida has a bolder if unrealistic idea: he suggested last year that African states might demand reparations from the West for the damage done by the slave trade. The estimated cost: $130 trillion in loss of people and production potential over the centuries. The estimated chance of success: zero...
...President released more than 100 detainees and made a point of inviting critics of past Nigerian governments to serve in his administration. He took steps to defuse tribal conflicts by distributing important government jobs among representatives of Nigeria's major tribes, the Ibo, Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani. Babangida himself is a Muslim from the Nupe tribe in the northern part of the country. His striking wife Maryam is a Roman Catholic of Ibo background. The First Couple have become well known for their frequent soirees where guests can easily and openly engage in discussions of nearly every aspect of Nigerian...
...Babangida's pro-human rights stand did not endear him to some elements of the military. In December, 14 dissident officers planned to overthrow the government. Their plot was uncovered, but it underlined the fragility of Babangida's regime. As army Chief of Staff, his confident, wisecracking style won him the backing of the officers' corps. As President, however, he refused to exempt the army from wage cuts of up to 20% that he ordered for all workers. Said one Western diplomat: "Babangida is reaching outside the military, trying to create new political forces to sustain him. As long...
...Year's Day speech, Babangida pledged to sponsor a national debate on the transfer of power to a civilian government. Said he: "I wish to reaffirm that this administration does not intend to stay in power a day longer than is required to lay the necessary institutional framework to bring about a better and more stable Nigeria." The voluntary and orderly turnover of power to a civilian government would flout the norm in Africa, where coupmakers have all too often made similar pledges. Many observers, in fact, believe that Babangida's program will entrench military power for years to come...