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IBB is 84 today! The ‘Maradona’ who became president at 44 (PHOTOS)

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Born August 17, 1941 in Minna, Nigeria, Ibrahim Babangida became Nigeria’s military president at 44 in 1985 after removing Muhammadu Buhari from office.

He rose through the ranks and was known for his courage—he played a major role in suppressing an attempted cøup in 1976 when he walked into a rëbel-held radio station unarmed.

After Murtala Mohammed became the military head of state in 1975, Babangida joined his Supreme Military Council. He played a significant role in the cøup that replaced the civilian government of Shehu Shagari with the military regime led by Muhammad Buhari. However, deep dissatisfaction with Buhari’s restrictive governance led Babangida to oust Buhari in August 1985.

Upon taking over, Babangida reduced the governmental control of the press and released a number of detainees from the former civilian government. However, he faced the same economic problems that Buhari had struggled with and the same domestic dissatisfaction. He came to an agreement with the International Monetary Fund and received new loans from the World Bank, but the resultant devaluation of the naira, the local currency, led to social unrest, which he addressed by dissolving part of the Nigeria Labour Congress and temporarily closing the universities.

Babangida announced early in 1986 that a civilian government would be formed by 1990, later extending the date by two years to allow more time for preparation. He decreed that no politician from the civilian regimes or office-holding military officials could stand as candidates. He allowed no political parties during the transition period and approved only two political parties when campaigning began – the National Republican Convention and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

As a further move to show that he was firmly in control, Babangida dissolved the Armed Forces Ruling Council in favour of smaller bodies and dismissed many of his closest military colleagues. An attempted cøup in April 1990 led by Major Gideon Orkar was quickly contained. Babangida later announced that Nigeria had suspended its membership in the Islamic Conference Organization amid speculation among southern Nigerians that he was trying to make the country Islamic. The long-planned transfer of the federal capital from Lagos to Abuja, a location in central Nigeria, was completed under Babangida in 1991.

The fulfillment of Babangida’s pledge of a return to civilian government seemed imminent when a presidential election was finally held in 1993. Initial results indicated that businessman Moshood Abiola, the SDP candidate, was the apparent winner, but, before the official results were announced, Babangida annulled the election—a decision which proved to be controversial and unpopular. In the wake of the civil unrest that ensued, he handed control of the country over to an interim civilian panel headed by businessman Ernest Shonekan and stepped down from government. In 2025 Babangida expressed his regret over the annulment of the election.

On the regional stage, Babangida was instrumental in changing the orientation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Although it had been strictly an economic body, Babangida succeeded in having ECOWAS use ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) troops to restore stability in Liberia after civil war erupted in that country.

Credit: Babangida’s memoir, A Journey in Service: An Autobiography, was released in 2025.

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Genevieve Nnaji slams viral tweet urging Igbo men to marry non-Igbo women

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Nollywood icon Genevieve Nnaji has fired off a sharp response after a man on X (formerly Twitter) advised Igbo men to stop marrying Igbo women and instead seek wives from other African countries.

The controversy began after a photo of a Rwandan woman said to be engaged to an Anambra man went viral.

Resharing the image, the user wrote, “Dear Igbo men, instead of marrying an Igbo woman who’ll falsely accuse you of r4ping your daughter, better look outside for a wife.

“Go to East Africa, especially Rwanda, and pick a damsel. They’re all over social media, and you can link up with them.”

Genevieve, who rarely comments on online drama, responded, “In other words, instead of checking yourself and taking accountability, go for the unsuspecting and carry on with your evil. Got it.”

Another user attempted to challenge her, claiming the original tweet was aimed at “false rape accusers” and that Genevieve was avoiding the real issue.

“His tweet was clearly against false rape accusers, but instead of holding the evil women accountable and demanding change, you chose to tweet this?”

But the actress hit back with equal clarity: “The same way a woman can’t tell an abusive man apart from a good one is the same way you shouldn’t say avoid all Igbo women. ‘Not all women’.”

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Don’t handle your family feud like I did, Phyna advises Imisi

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Reality TV star Phyna has offered words of encouragement to fellow Big Brother Naija winner Imisi amid a family feud between the latter and her mother.

In an X post on Monday, Phyna wrote,”To Imisi, @imisiofficial and to anyone walking through the same fire… I’m praying for your strength.

“My own experience broke me, but I’m slowly rising.

“And I’m rooting for you with everything in me, don’t handle it like I did, build strong and focus on you baby girl.”

The post comes against the backdrop of a family dispute in which Imisi’s mother accused her daughter of hatred and revealed the poor condition of the home where she currently lives, despite Imisi winning N150 million after her Big Brother victory.

Imisi replied in Yoruba,”This is why Aunty Debola said you should not show your face to the world. I can’t be saying all that now, you are in the midst of people. Just overlook everything and leave social media.

“Don’t worry, I will send you money to rent a new house. I am tired of all this drama. I am still recovering from the stress of Big Brother.

“Should I be facing another stress now? Please forgive me, I am your daughter.”

Recall Imisi’s mother has publicly expressed frustration on social media, saying she does not need her daughter’s money after being sidelined following the win.

She also blamed Imisi for recounting her childhood experiences, which she claims involve untrue allegations of parental neglect and sexual assault.

In a video, she showed the old house she currently resides in, saying she is content with her situation, a revelation that sparked online controversy.

In 2023, after Phyna’s BBNaija win, her father, Felix Otabor, revealed in an interview that he was distressed by his daughter’s actions following her BBNaija win.

Otabor said Phyna had asked him to stop working as a hearse driver and requested that he sell his cars, promising to improve the family’s life.

He said he later struggled financially after selling the vehicles, losing his business momentum and community position, and has not seen his daughter since her victory.

He described feeling sidelined while she enjoyed her wealth.

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Ned Never Slept Outside Because I Held Him Well In The Other Room – Regina Daniels

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Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels, has opened up about her marriage to her estranged husband, Senator Ned Nwoko.

It was reports that the embattled wife revealed why their seven-year relationship remained faithful despite his polygamous lifestyle.

In a reply to a comment on her Instagram page, Daniels said that during their years together, Nwoko never slept with other women outside their home because she held him well in the other room.

She wrote: “Yes i think he loved me but a toxic one! Because tell me why a polygamous man forgot what it meant to be in polygamy, except for the media.

“Just because it boosted his ego of being seen with multiple women which is easy by me because anyone that sees a man as an odogwu sees the wife as what? He basically had to beg that he share days at ours and other days with his other wives because they begged for his attention.

“Y’all should pls forget this yeye social media comparison because my ex man never slept outside one day in our 7 years of marriage. You know why? Because as a delta babe, I hold am well for the other room ladies use your skills that’s all men want actually!”

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