Olusegun Osoba, a former governor of Ogun State, has revealed that Ibrahim Babangida (IBB), a former head of state, confided in him about being controlled by those who assisted him in overthrowing his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, in the 1985 coup.
Prominent figures such as the late Sani Abacha, Aliyu Gusau, and Gado Nasko reportedly played significant roles in the coup that ousted Buhari.
In an interview with THISDAY, Osoba recounted how, as a journalist, he and his colleagues confronted Babangida about the issues plaguing his regime. Babangida admitted to them that he was constrained by the demands of his fellow coup plotters.
“You see, even under the military, we managed to produce papers that remained sellable despite the dictatorship,” Osoba said. “You operate under a civilian government, but you don’t understand what it was like. The military knew that we spoke the truth to them.”
Osoba recalled a particular meeting with Babangida, where he and journalists Felix Peter and others bluntly criticized the military president and his government. Babangida responded candidly, saying, “Let me tell you boys, I am hostage to those who staged the coup and those who put me here. If I didn’t listen to what they wanted, they would remove me in seconds. There are no absolute powers.”
Babangida, appreciating their honesty, assured them he would present their concerns to his “mentors and promoters.”
“So, you see, behind closed doors, we told them the home truth,” Osoba added. “When we wrote stories, they already knew we had told them the truth, and they tolerated us.”
The Cable