Abbas Yushau Yusuf
Following our series of Nigeria at 60, we have been bringing you what the nation has passed through thick and thin for it to attain a robust political re-awakening.
After the turmoil that trailed the cancellation of June 12 ,1993 elections by the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida,the Military President has no option than to handover power at the slated date of August 26 1993.
The formation of ING by General Ibrahim Babangida was adjudged as a trap to return Nigeria again to a full blown military government which democracy preachers have been singing to the Nation as an abomination.
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By the time General Ibrahim Babangida was stepping aside for the business Mogul Chief Ernest Shonekan,he retired top military officers from the rank of general and below.
The only senior officer that was left and who happens to be in the same rank with the outgoing military President was Kano Born General Sani Abacha, the then Chief of Defence Staff and Minister of Defence.
General Sani Abacha was known as prominent coup monger who also serves as the guardian angel to the 8 year administration of General Ibrahim Babangida, Nigerians became familiar with the voice of Late General Sani Abacha from the early hours of December 31st
1983 announcing the ouster of President Shehu Shagari.
Therefore by the time IBB was going he we nt with the top military officers who were Junior to Late General Sani Abacha, one of them was the Late Army Chief General Salihu Ibrahim.
From the beginning of Chief Ernest Shonekans’ administration, the June 12 Pro democracy activists gave him a serious problem by instituting court cases calling for the declaration of the ING as illegal, there was strike action embarked upon by petroleum workers and the hijacking of Nigeria’s plane ,the unpopularity of Chief Shonekan’s administration rises by the day.
On the Night of 17 November 1993, The Administrations secretary of Defence , General Sani Abacha,took armoured tanks accompanied by other Generals to the Presidential Villa in Abuja and briefed Chief Ernest Shonekan on the situation the country found itself, among were the declaration of ING as illegal,the fuel tanker crisis,the June 12 cancellation and the palaver that follows.
On listening this ,the military demanded from Chief Ernest Shonekan to resign, which he honourably did .
They demanded to take him back to his home town in Ogun State by plane , which Shonekan refused to ,but sought to be riden in a car and head straight to Ogun by Road on the night of the coup.
Following Chief Shonekan’s resignation, Abacha took over and addressed the nation the following morning as new Head of State and commander in Chief , there by dissolving the interim arrangement.
