Nigeria Struggle For Truth: Babangida's book got him N17.5bn, Dele Farotimi's book got him detention — Eric Patrick

Eric Patrick

In Nigeria, the literary landscape is as volatile as the political one. Two books, released within months of each other, highlighted this stark reality.  One, a meticulously crafted memoir by former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, titled "A Journey In Service," raked in a staggering 17.5 billion Naira.

The other, a fiery expose of political corruption titled "Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System" by a Nigerian activist and lawyer Dele Farotimi, landed him in detention.

Babangida's book, a carefully curated narrative of his time in power, was a master class in image rehabilitation.

The former Military President, Babangida, on Thursday, made a confession that shocked the entire nation. He admitted to annulling MKO Abiola’s victory in 1993.

In the concluding section of the 12th chapter of his autobiography launched Thursday in Abuja, titled, ‘A Journey In Service,’ the former leader described the annulment of the election as an “accident of history.”

The June 12, 1993, election, won by the businessman and politician, Abiola, was considered Nigeria’s freest and fairest.

However, Babangida annulled the results, citing concerns over national security.

The annulment sparked nationwide protests and political unrest, forcing Babangida to resign and leading to a prolonged struggle for democracy before the return to civilian rule in 1999.

Nigeria has not only faced election annulment, but the country has suffered a brutal blow at the hands of hungry, tasty, and corrupt leaders.

Without fear and maybe with little regret, he admitted to the evil he had committed by accepting full responsibility for all decisions made under his watch. Can he change things? No, because it is too late, the damage has already been done. 

It won't be surprising to Nigerians to hear that Babangida admitted to his 1993 decision to gain donations for his new book. 

Imagine a place like Nigeria, where some politicians bend the rules, leave office, and then return to confess their wrongdoings—only to receive national honors from the very system they corrupted.

Dele Farotimi, on the other hand, took a different approach.  His book, a scathing indictment of systemic corruption and the entrenched power structures that perpetuate it, pulled no punches.  It named names, detailed shady dealings, and exposed the hypocrisy at the heart of Nigeria's political establishment and the Judicial System.

It was a work of investigative journalism, meticulously researched and powerfully written.  It was, in short, everything Babangida’s book was not.

Farotimi's unwavering commitment to truth, however, came at a steep price.  His book, deemed subversive and a threat to the status quo, became the target of a swift and brutal crackdown.

He was arrested on trumped-up charges, and his book was confiscated and banned. The irony was palpable: one man profited immensely from rewriting history, while the other faced imprisonment for attempting to reveal it.

The contrast between the two authors' fates was a stark reminder of the precarious position of truth-tellers in a society where power and money often dictate the narrative.

Babangida's book represented the triumph of carefully constructed narratives designed to secure and enhance wealth, while Farotimi's represented a defiant commitment to exposing the uncomfortable realities of power.

On December 3, 2024, Operatives of the Nigerian Police Force arrested the human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi.

Before his arrest, Farotimi had, in a press statement, accused some police operatives suspected to be from Ekiti of planning to arrest him over an issue regarding the content of a book he published.

He also alleged that the police deployed several antics that suggested an attempt to abduct him rather than invite him for questioning on any matter.

According to a corrupt Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, Mr Adeniran Akinwale, who said that Farotimi was arrested for various alleged offences such as “defamation of character, cyberstalking, and other things. But those two are fully established.

The incident became a potent symbol of the struggle between truth and power, highlighting the inherent challenges faced by those who dare to challenge the dominant narrative in a deeply unequal society.

The tale of Babangida's book and Farotimi's detention serves as a cautionary tale, a stark illustration of the price of truth in a nation grappling with its past and yearning for a more just future.

It leaves a lingering question:  in a society where the narrative is often dictated by wealth and power, how can the truth hope to prevail?