Former military president and elder statesman Ibrahim Babaginda has expressed confidence in the skills, intelligence, and ability of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rescue the country from the myriad of problems confronting it.
His advice televised on Monday on Arise Television comes as Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at Eagles Square, Central Business District, is sworn in as the 5th president since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
IBB, as he is fondly called, during his time as the only military president of Nigeria, ruled the country from 1985 until his inglorious exit in 1993, offered several advices to the country’s new president. His advice for the incoming president centred on the military, public service, and mending the already battered unity of the country.
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“My advice to him as president and commander-in-chief of the arm forces is that he needs to have a good look at the arm forces, to re-orientate them, re-train them, and re-organise them. He has to do that because the arm forces have gone through a lot of training, and he needs to utilise them to make them efficient,” he said.
He also advised President Tinubu to reorganise the public service. He admitted that the task before him isn’t entirely difficult, but with his intelligence and experience, “he will need all his political skill to bring to bear on these areas I have touched.”
Earlier in the interview, the former military president admitted that Tinubu is indeed a very intelligent politician and leader whose leadership qualities should be utilised to the full benefit of the country, especially when it comes to addressing the already fractured relationship of a polarised nation.
He also admitted that the abundance of economic experts and other resource persons should be used to accelerate the country’s recovery from its terrible economic state and ensure effective management.
“Well, they are all Nigerians, and whatever anybody does for the good of Nigeria, I think they should be accepted,” he said when asked about how President Tinubu and his supporters should react to those opposed to his swearing-in and inauguration today.
