Key Takeaways
- A new birthday tribute to former military president Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida argues that his institutional legacy is often overlooked.
- Supporters point to more than 300 decrees, including the NDIC, FRSC, NDLEA, SEC, NBC and OMPADEC.
- VAT, introduced by decree in 1993, generated N8.61 trillion shared across governments in 2025, according to the tribute.
- The article concedes June 12, 1993 was a serious mistake but challenges critics to weigh it against long-term reforms.
- An 18th Ancient Mariners celebration for the GCU class of 1972 is set for September 6, 2026 in Lagos.
A Tribute That Reopens Old Wounds
Annual tributes to former military president Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida have become a ritual, according to a new reflection on his years in power. The piece, which marks Babangida's birthday, pushes back against what it calls determined efforts by June 12 opportunists to reduce his record to one event: the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. It insists that the same critics conveniently ignore the earlier cancellation of party primaries that produced Adamu Ciroma and Shehu Yar’Adua as candidates, a move that paved the way for Moshood Abiola's eventual candidacy.
However, the tribute does not deny that a serious mistake was made in 1993. It argues instead that nobody can know how an Abiola presidency would have unfolded, and it raises concerns about concentrating vast personal wealth and political power in one person. Since then, Nigeria has experienced six heads of state. The piece compares Babangida's eight years with two eight-year elected presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, while urging readers to look at institutions rather than slogans.
Decrees, Bridges and Institutions
The reflection highlights the Lagos Third Mainland Bridge, started under Shehu Shagari, neglected under Buhari, and completed under Babangida. It notes that Babangida did not name the bridge after himself, unlike what it calls self-seeking leaders. The bridge remains a vital artery for Lagos, and the piece argues that closing it for six weeks would show the difference between statecraft and empty reforms.
It then lists more than two dozen key institutions established during Babangida's rule, including the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Road Safety Corps, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, National Directorate of Employment, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Nigeria LNG, Nigeria Export-Import Bank, National Broadcasting Commission, Consumer Protection Council, National Communications Commission and the Environmental Impact Assessment agency. In total, the article says, more than 300 decrees still underpin Nigerian governance today. It goes further: if all of them were repealed, the country would come to a halt.
VAT as the Crown Jewel
The tribute singles out the Value Added Tax, introduced by Decree 102 in 1993 and implemented from 1994, as Babangida's greatest fiscal achievement. Dr Kalu Idika Kalu, a former World Bank official and minister, is credited as the brain behind it. VAT revenue shared across federal, state and local governments reached N6.72 trillion in 2024 and N8.61 trillion in 2025. The article notes the irony that parties and groups that once strongly opposed VAT now benefit enormously from its revenue.
A Call to Ancient Mariners
Beyond national affairs, the article also promotes the 18th Ancient Mariners Say Celebration 2026, organised by the GCUOBA Lagos Branch. The event will include an induction ceremony for the class of 1972 and a lecture on ageism. It is scheduled for Sunday, September 6, 2026, at the GCUOBA Secretariat, 22 McNeil Street, Sabo, Yaba.
Why This Matters
This tribute matters because it frames Babangida's legacy as one of institution-building and fiscal innovation, challenging a public memory that is often dominated by June 12. Whether or not one accepts the argument, the list of agencies and laws that still shape Nigerian life makes the debate impossible to ignore.