Former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, has disclosed that he was not an ‘A’ class student in his secondary school years.

He said in Chapter 2 of his new book, “Journey of Service”, while recalling events at his secondary school days at Provincial School Bida, now Government College, Bida.

He said, “Looking back now, some 62 years after we left school, it is evident that we enjoyed ourselves at Bida. We studied hard but also enjoyed ourselves. I was far from being an ‘A’ student. At best, I was a good average student! Even at that time, I had no illusions about my capabilities. I knew what I thought my strengths and weaknesses were.

“But I also knew that collectively, the class of ’62 made the best of its years at Bida, partly because, as I said earlier, our teachers compelled us to soar even beyond heights that seemed hitherto unattainable.”

IBB said his classmates would remember him for different reasons.

They include, “The so-called ‘rebellion’ I led, I believe, in 1959 when we were in Form 3 (or was it Form 4). At that time, Bida was unbearably hot.

“Whenever that happened, senior students would camp their beds outdoors at night to escape the heat, abandoning us, junior students, in our steaming hot rooms.

So, one day, in defiance of the seemingly unfair established rule, I led the junior students to move their beds outside to enable them enjoy the cool air too. Suddenly, all hell broke loose.”

The former military president recalled  that the head boy, Garba Paiko (Dada), the son of his  primary school Arithmetic teacher, Yakubu Paiko, confronted him.

“The head boy had known me from Minna, and his father had put me under his care. But that

didn’t stop him from taking umbrage at me for ‘leading’ the protest and breaking an established school convention,” he said.

General Babangida said after they  deliberated on the matter, he gave in to his  point of view and allowed the  junior students to stay outside whenever it was unbearably hot, saying the incident probably earned him the respect of a handful of students.

 

 

The member representing Ideato North/South federal constituency of Imo State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, has said that Deputy Speaker of the House Benjamin Okezie Kalu, enjoyed maximum confidence of southern political class because of his leadership style and character.

Ugochinyere, who is the chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, noted that Kalu was building sustainable bridges for emerging leaders from the South-East region.

 

Ugochinyere lauded the deputy speaker’s role in establishment of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC), which is a recipe for the reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconciliation of the once war-torn region and other legislative praxis such as committee integration.

 

He also commended Kalu’s tireless efforts in bringing peace to the region through his initiative, Peace in South-East Project (PISE-P), a peace-building and development programme designed to address the complex socio-economic challenges and security issues facing the Southeast region of Nigeria.

 

According to him, the deputy speaker has also, more than any South-East leader, presently taken upon himself the duty of clamouring for the release of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, from detention as panacea for peace in the South-East.

 

“The Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, the Rt Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, enjoys maximum confidence of southern political class because of his leadership style and character. He is also building sustainable bridges for emerging leaders from the region.

 

“His role in the passage and assent to the bill which has established South-East Development Commission (SEDC). With this commission whose board has been constituted and confirmed by the National Assembly with over N340 billion allocated to it in the 2025 Appropriation Bill presently before the parliament to long walk to the reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconciliation of the once war-torn region is almost completed.

“A man of peace, Kalu has been at the forefront of the return of peace to our geopolitical zone. For instance, the Peace in South East Project (PISE-P), an initiative of the Deputy Speaker, is a peace-building and development program designed to address the complex socio-economic challenges and security issues facing the South East region of Nigeria.

 

“Developed in response to the growing impact of agitations, economic decline, and security threats, PISE-P seeks to restore peace and stimulate development through a multi-stakeholder approach. The impact of PISE-P is already being felt in the region just a year since coming into existence.

 

“Beyond PISE-P, the deputy has been taken upon himself the duty of clamoring for the release of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from detention as panacea for peace in the southeast. Few days ago, he appealed to President Bola Tinubu to temper justice with mercy and release the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from detention.

 

“Kalu had noted that when Kanu is released, insecurity in the region will be reduced and as well, spring up development that the SEDC is going to bring.”