A former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, has reacted to the common assertion that he enthroned corruption in Nigeria.
Challenging any individual or group with facts on corruption against him to release such, IBB insisted that the $12.4billion Gulf Oil War windfall of 1991 was not stolen.
Babangida made the clarifications in an exclusive interview with a team of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s press crew for the agency’s in-house magazine, “Zero tolerance.”
The EFCC released the transcript of the interview to journalists in Abuja on Monday.
IBB, who denied looting billions from the treasury, challenged anyone with proof of corruption against him to reveal it.
“Let me tell you something; I have been the most investigated President Nigeria has ever had. By now, somebody should have come forward to say here it is”, IBB said.
“Every government that came after me investigated me because of that perception because they wanted to retrieve the billions I stole.”
According to the former Head of State, he and those who served in his administration were saints and angels going by the level of corruption in the country.
“Well, we had different approaches. I think my government was able to identify corruption prone areas and checked them. If you remember in this country, there were things they call essential commodities. These are also sources of corruption.
“You go and buy Omo or food or whatever it is and we got government to take its hands off such activities. Let people use their own brains, hands and labour, nobody has to do it for them. So we did, but I am proud to say that it was much more effective.
“I don’t have the facts but if what I read in the papers is currently what is happening, then I think we were angels”.
On the allegation that his military regime institutionalized corruption in Nigeria, IBB said though he had been aware of such insinuation, the assumption was incorrect.
“Yeah, I know. Maybe I have to accept that but anybody with a sense of fairness has no option but to call us saints. I give you an example, in a year I was making less than $7billion in oil revenue.
“In the same period, there are governments that are making $200billion to $300billion.
“With $7billion, I did the little I could achieve. With $200billion, there is still a lot to be achieved”.
The ex-President said being branded as corrupt was a question of perception.
His words: “It is said that perception is not reality. Why the perception? I should ask you because it is the perception of the media. You believed quite wrongly that we are all crooks and I bear no grudge whatsoever against anybody.
“But I know time will come when they will say after all, they did something and this is what is happening. Now, even our fiercest critics give us credit for certain things we did.”
On the $12.4billion oil windfall from the 1991 Gulf War, Babangida insisted the money was not stolen.
“First of all, that war lasted three months, about 90 something days. It didn’t last up to a year. So get the facts straight.
“Secondly, the oil price at that time was below $18 per barrel. So, there is no way you could make $12.4billion in three months.
“We could not have made that amount of money but Pius Okigbo knew what he was doing. He had brains and he said between 1986 or 1988 to 1994, monies accrued to the Federal Government at that time was about that money you are calling windfall. He said so. It is there in his book.
“Then the other thing he said, the monies could have gone into generative investment. I am not an economist but I have an understanding of what this is”, IBB stated.
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