Soyinka Tears Into Babangida’s Memoir: ‘You’re A General Without An Army’

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has described former military president Ibrahim Babangida’s memoir, ‘A Journey in Service,’ as incomplete, insisting that the retired general owes Nigerians the duty of finishing the 405-page book, which was published in February 2025 by Bookcraft Africa.

Soyinka made the remark on Saturday, June 14, during a fireside chat with journalists at Freedom Park, Lagos.

The conversation, themed “June 12: Romancing the Embers”, was held against the backdrop of the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election—a watershed moment in Nigeria’s history and now a national public holiday.

When Babangida’s book was released earlier in February, it stirred controversy, drawing criticism for distorting historical facts and containing what many described as blatant falsehoods.

One of the more contentious claims in the memoir is that former military head of state, General Sani Abacha (retd.), alongside other officers, was responsible for the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election.

However, Abacha’s family, through a statement signed by the late dictator’s son, Mohammed Abacha, dismissed Babangida’s narrative, accusing him of attempting to “shift blame” and distort the truth about the election’s cancellation.

Soyinka said Babangida must write a follow-up book, as his autobiography remains unfinished.

“I called him (Babangida) and I said that your memoir is not finished. And I said isn’t it about time that we name names in this matter? Babangida’s book should be read side by side with Professor Omo Omoruyi’s. Omoruyi was there,” Soyinka said, referring to Professor Omoruyi’s own account of the annulment, The Tale of June 12: The Betrayal of the Democratic Rights of Nigerians.

Prof. Soyinka speaking at a news conference in Lagos
“I told him, you haven’t finished your book. You have to write another one. That’s my position,” Soyinka asserted.

It will be recalled that Professor Omoruyi was Babangida’s close friend and confidant throughout his eight-year tenure as military president.

The Nobel Laureate also described Babangida as “a general without an army.”

“We know of a certain move which he made. We know those who visited him at the time, those who added their weight to the annulment, both within the military and the civil. We know the royal fathers who went to visit and said on no account will they accept the implementation of that election.

“We know all of that. It’s not me who should write it. It’s he. He owes it to the nation,” Soyinka maintained.

He also used the opportunity to comment on the national awards recently conferred by President Bola Tinubu on some heroes of the June 12 struggle. Soyinka said the honours are symbolic of the larger cause and the values the struggle represented.

Finally, the distinguished writer criticised Nigerians who falsely claim they participated in the June 12 movement.

He condemned those who, according to him, trivialise the sacrifices made for democracy by lying about their involvement in the struggle.

Source:PM News