Inside Nigeria
Only Stupid Soldiers Will Plan Coup in Nigeria, Africa Again, Says Babangida
This sounds as the gospel truth from the former Military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, announcing that military intervention in politics has become a no go area, describing it as an aberration.
“Military intervention is an aberration and I don’t think we should encourage the military at all,” Babangida said in an interview with the Channels on Friday.
.The former Head of State declared, matter-of-fact that any soldier that plots coup at this moment “is stupid ,” insisting that there are many factors against the military rule style, especially because it is no longer accepted globally.
“From about 1989 till now, things have changed,” he said. “The whole world has embraced democracy, economic reform, open market and so on and so forth.
“There’s no place for the military in those things that are being accepted now. It is best done by politicians and the civilians so the world is becoming closer together.
“Only a stupid soldier will attempt a coup now because the moment you take over a government you find…if you are in West Africa subregion, ECOWAS will come after you, African Union will come after you, European Union will come after you, the superpowers will come after you and everything you have to do in terms of development politically and otherwise will not be accepted until you belong to the comity of nations because you are not going to work alone.
“So if the whole and the United Nations say no ‘you have to run a democratic government’ anybody who tries to change will be sanctioned whether on UN level, AU level or ECOWAS level just like the situation in Mali.”