SDP Presidential Candidate Prince Adebayo Named Distinguished Guest At The 2022 Annual Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Legacy Dialogue

In celebration of the 81st birthday of former Head of State and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, the IBB 2022 Dialogue Series was convened by IBB’s daughter, Aisha Babangida.

Instituted by the Ibrahim and Mariam Babangida Presidential Library and Museum, the event held on Thursday, August 25, 2022 at the African Hall of the International Conference Centre Abuja and had the Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo in attendance as a distinguished guest.

The 2022 edition of the IBB legacy affair dialogue was dubbed ‘Issues In Africa’s Democratic Journey’ and was set against the backdrop of Nigeria’s 2023 elections.

The event echoed issues surrounding the triumphs and travails of democracy in Africa. It featured a panel discussion with some of the most inspiring Africans that left various social, political, or economic legacies in the regions they led prior. The honorable Minister of FCT, Alhaji Musa Bello, Former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E Namadi Sambo, Presidential Candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) Alhaji Hamza Al-Mustapha , and Former Minister of Youth and sports, Hon. Solomon Dalung were amongst the panel speakers that joined the distinguished guest, Prince Adebayo in the open deliberations.

Prince Adebayo started by acknowledging the governing class in Nigeria. He noted that both the problems and solutions of Nigeria are in this room. “IBB left a legacy. Legacy takes time because things takes time to mature, things takes time to make sense and things make sense to different generations in different ways. IBB was a youth when he took over power and these wonderful things he has done, was done when he was a youth. So it breaks the myth that, you have to be very old and tired before you can make sense in politics.” He remarked.

The SDP Presidential Candidate was selected as a distinguished guest at this year’s dialogue based on his personal merit and professional track record in contributing to the democratic development of the Nigerian polity.

Referring to the celebrant, Prince Adebayo disclosed that the General takes praises and criticism the same way. He further pointed out that whatever errors or achievements IBB made, is not an excuse for Nigeria to have a government today that is worse than the one he ran. Adebayo stated that when interrogating any regime in Nigeria, there should be no excuse. Nigerians must consolidate where their leaders got it right, and learn lessons from areas where they got it wrong; “This is one lesson I have learnt as a leader, and I will not make the same mistake made by earlier leaders to spoil anything that others have got right”.

Gen. IBB served as military president of Nigeria from 1985 until his resignation in 1993. He remains one of the most significant political figures in the country and is responsible for the creation of the Social Democratic Party of Nigeria (SDP). As part of a democracy project meant to form two detribalized political parties, IBB presented the SDP alongside the National Republican Convention as a moderate party attractive to young radical intellectuals and socialists.

“For our generation and the Social Democratic Party, we are not worried and we are not in despair. We have hope that these problems, when you give us the opportunity, would be solved” Prince Adebayo said while speaking about the upcoming general elections and the concerns of the masses.

The presidential candidate concluded that, whatever the crises in Nigeria today, there are no national issues of any dimension that one cannot resolve through Gen. IBB. He noted that almost everybody in any sphere of life in Nigeria, whether academics, military, political, or administrative, has a connection to Babangida.

He advised that, as a nation, Nigeria must raise leaders who will not be divisive, but unite the country and people whether young or old.