He said Babangida’s words were a direct attack on the Buhari government.
An associate professor of Political Sociology, University of Abuja, Dr Abubakar Umar Kari, has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s failures has given even terrible leaders like General Ibrahim Babangida the confidence to brag that his military government was much better.
Buhari who is known as ‘Mr Integrity’ and an anti-corruption crusader, had vowed to rid the country of corruption once voted to power in 2015.
However, since coming to power, the integrity government of Buhari has been label as the most corrupt in Nigeria’s history, so much that Babangida had to draw comparison in a recent interview on Arise TV.
The former military president in the interview, said there’s the negative perception that military government is synonymous with corruption, and that a democracy would be better, but from the current state of things in the country, his own government performed much better.
Speaking in an interview with Daily Trust, Kari however, said the reason Babangida is able to brag about his regime’s achievement, is because the Buhari administration has failed.
He said, “his (IBB’s) claim that corruption is worse under democratic leadership, smacks of an attempt to counter those who accuse him of institutionalising graft.
“The claim was a direct hit on President Buhari’s anti-corruption credentials, which have been badly dented, particularly in recent times.”
He said unlike other critics of the Buhari government, Babangida’s confidence is because of the respect attached to his position, and also his age.
“He was very much aware that his positions on all the issues raised are highly debatable and contestable, would definitely ruffle feathers and would not go down well in certain quarters.
“But then, the IBB of today is too old hence can afford to take a swipe at anyone.
“Some of the things he said are in keeping with his spirited efforts at any given opportunity to defend some actions he took or failed to take, which have come to define his much-vilified administration,” he said.
On Babangida’s statement on Atiku and Tinubu, he said there is nothing strange about it, adding that while in power, the retired General promoted the philosophy of “new-breedism.”
“He serially banned those he dismissed as old politicians from vying for elective positions under the two parties he founded and funded while in power.
“His position may also be in sync with his known populist posturing. He is aware that many Nigerians yearn for a generational change and a clean break from the old guard that Atiku and Tinubu represent,” he added.