OBJ’s 8-year rule, a waste, visionless - IBB •Jonathan congratulates ex-military president on his 70th birthday

FORMER military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, has described the eight-year civilian administration of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, as lacking in focus and visionless, following the wastage  of about $16 billion of the nation's resources by the latter in the building of power plants, without much to show for it.
Babangida, who was fielding questions from journalists at his Hill Top Villa, Minna, Niger State capital on Tuesday, to mark his 70th birthday, which comes up today,  said if his own military regime had had access to a ‘mere’ $16 million, he would have built a nuclear plant for the country with a view to having a regular supply of electricity throughout the country.
The former military ruler noted that between August 27, 1985 and August 26, 1993 when he stepped aside, two months after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, presumably won by the late Chief MKO Abiola, the highest price of crude oil at the international market was $10 per barrel, unlike during the civilian administration of Obasanjo, from May 29, 1999 to May 28, 2007 when it lasted, when the price of crude oil at the international market stood at $100 per barrel.
He described the colossal amount of $16 billion, as revealed by the 6th House of Representatives, that the Obasanjo government was reported  to have spent in trying to revamp the ailing power sector in the country, stressing that such amount should have been enough to get something substantially done by a focused and visionary  government.
Babangida, however, conceded  that Obasanjo was his boss, who should be protected in the military tradition  of esprit de corps, saying that he could not openly criticise the former president, bearing in mind that the two of them were in the same league.
Babangida lamented that if his  government had the opportunity of getting $16 million, instead of the $16 billion dollars Chief Obasanjo got, Nigeria would have been the better for it.
“If my government had $16 billion like Obasanjo’s administration, I would have constructed a nuclear power station, not for war, but for the sole purpose of electricity generation, and that would have made a great difference.
“Let me tell you, there was a book we published, entitled: Obasanjo’s eight years versus Babangida’s eight years, where we compared and contrasted the two administrations. Since two years ago when the book was published, nobody had been able to controvert all the issues raised in the book.”
On the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Babangida, once again, admitted responsibility for all that transpired during the unfortunate incident, saying that as a leader, it behoved him to take responsibility for anything that happened during his tenure.