The family of the late General Mamman Vatsa has strongly criticized the autobiography of former Military President Ibrahim Babangida, which was recently made public. The family has described the book as “full of lies” and claimed it is more suited as reference material for criminals than for the younger generation.
The tensions between Babangida and the Vatsa family stem from the tragic events of 1986, when Babangida, as the then Head of State, executed General Vatsa on charges of plotting a coup against his government.
According to the family, Babangida’s autobiography, which claims that Vatsa’s execution was justified due to sufficient evidence of his involvement in the coup plot, is a distortion of facts. In his reaction to Babangida’s claims, Jonathan Vatsa, a spokesperson for the Vatsa family and former commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism in Niger State, expressed deep anger and dismay over the book.
Jonathan Vatsa, almost brought to tears during a media briefing in Minna, described Babangida as a man who has “lost out in the affairs of honour” due to the many lies in his autobiography. He refuted Babangida’s statements, arguing that the book was full of deceit and should not be regarded as a reference work by the younger generation. He stated that Babangida’s book was more fitting as “a good reference book for criminal-minded people” due to its falsehoods and distortion of historical facts.
The Vatsa family has long been affected by the execution of General Mamman Vatsa, who was one of Babangida’s close childhood friends and confidants. The late General’s execution, ordered by Babangida, had been a source of ongoing grief for the family. Jonathan Vatsa reiterated that despite his death, the late General Vatsa was “a more honorable man” than Babangida, stressing that Vatsa had “an identity” and a “root,” unlike Babangida, who, according to the family, changed his name to Babangida to align with a northern identity, moving away from his original name “Badamosi” that is associated with the Yoruba ethnic group.
Furthermore, Jonathan Vatsa criticized Babangida’s claims in the autobiography about the annulment of the June 12, 1993 elections. He called out Babangida for attempting to shift blame for the annulment onto General Sani Abacha and for portraying himself as a victim of Abacha’s political power. Vatsa noted that Babangida admitted in the book to being unable to retire Abacha due to fear of Abacha loyalists in the army, questioning Babangida’s supposed strength as a leader.
The family expressed disappointment that prominent figures attended the book launch, and Jonathan Vatsa criticized the gathering as a reflection of a country where those in power act without considering the greater impact of their actions. He suggested that the celebration of the book only further revealed the lack of accountability and respect for the sacrifices made by figures like M.K.O. Abiola, who fought for democracy and died in the process.
Jonathan Vatsa concluded his remarks by saying that Babangida’s autobiography is a testament to his lack of emotional stability, pointing out that the late General Vatsa had once remarked that if the Nigerian Army started insulting itself, others would follow suit. He argued that Babangida’s book insulted not just himself but the institution of the Nigerian Army as well.
