Reality and appearance are distant cousins, although in Nigeria they may be identical twins. While Nigerian leaders are often blamed for the country’s misgivings. No one seems to recognise the comedians that surrounds them. A case of bad foundation affecting a badly constructed structure. What has always amazed me about Nigerian ex-generals is the passion they have for attempting to prove their reservoir of intellectualism, even when it is very obvious they do not have any of such characteristics. In fact, we the other halves are often amazed at the ex-general’s behaviour, which I think, should be appropriately termed, ‘’The Social Construction of Madness’’.

Babangida has always enjoyed a passion for appearing to be smarter than the rest of us. In fact when he came to power in August 1985, he made all of us nearly believed that Nigeria was returning to the familiar system of governance of military transitions. In his compromising tone he stated, ‘’A diverse polity like Nigeria required recognition and the appreciation of differences in both cultural and individual perceptions’’, and at the same time keeping criticisms at bay by his wide degree of consultation and open style of government. There are always some forces that tend to drive Babangida for self-promotion of a failed ideology. By the end of his eight years in power one would have taught he would have learnt his lesson.

Nigeria under the General was nothing short of ‘’organised confusion’’. While his government in its early years claimed to be laying the basis for a ‘stable liberal democracy’, and reforms intended to create the foundation for a more market-oriented economy. This eventually led to more systematic corruption. The Political Bureau appointed by the General shortly after he came to power had its report rejected after recommending the construction of a socialist republic- a goal the regime rejected while accepting the need for extensive social and ethical mobilization of the population and creation of a costly bureaucracy to fulfill that role. And still after promoting human rights values, it moved to harassing and imprisoning the country’s leading human rights lawyers and activists, detaining and killing journalist and banning publications.

By the end of the drama the longer Babangida stayed in office, the more it seemed he wanted to stay on in power. In fact the General was the first Nigerian military dictator to assume the title of a President, and at the same time engineered a political process no leader has ever done. The Maradona established two political parties tagged ‘a little to the left’ and ‘a little to the right’’ while forgetting about ‘more to the centre’’. The greatest tragedy was however the fact that he seemed to have excused himself from the cancellation of June 12 elections which eventually brought the 'genius' down. What has always and probably been the General’s greatest trump card and asset is manipulating the opportunistic intellectuals and power seeking objects that are always parading themselves in the corridors of power in Nigeria. Perhaps nobody understands these and the realities of the ‘intellectual paradox’’ more than Babangida. Since in his ideology remained the illusions of popularity of open courting of intellectuals.

In fact Babangida has created a court for never would be politicians that now believes he holds the keys to Aso-rock. Lets just imagine what will never happen in 2003. IBB the great, making a glorious come back, we the spectators have forgotten June 12, because the Maradona has dribbled all of us out of our senses. Oputa Panel has reconciled all of us except Gani Fawehinmi who insisted that Babangida must come and face reality for once in his lifetime. It surely sounds like a fairy tale story except that such tales may even be too complex for a complexity like Nigeria.

The great dream is over IBB, in the military you failed, in politics there is no hope no matter how much trip is made to Otta or Aso rock.

 Considering a man who described himself as the Evil Genius, Nigeria may be delivering herself from the evil deeds of past leaders. In reality it may be better to be an ex-general than to be an evil President.

The writer wrote in from London