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{{Short description|Military President of Nigeria from 1985 to 1993}}
{{For|the footballer|Ibrahim Babangida (footballer)}}
{{Use Nigerian English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix    = [[General (Nigeria)|General]]
| honorific_suffix    = [[Order of the Federal Republic|GCFR]]
| image               = Ibrahim Babangida (cropped).jpg
| image_size          = 200px
| alt                 = 
| caption             = 
| order               = 8th
| office              = President of Nigeria
| term_start          = 27 August 1985
| term_end            = 26 August 1993
| vicepresident       = {{plainlist|
*{{longitem|[[Ebitu Ukiwe]]<br>(1985–1986)}}
*{{longitem|[[Augustus Aikhomu]]<br>(1986–1993)}}
}}
| predecessor         = [[Muhammadu Buhari]]<br/>{{resize|(as [[Military Head of State of Nigeria|Military Head of State]])}}
| successor           = [[Ernest Shonekan]]<br/>{{resize|(as [[Interim National Government|Interim Head of State]])}}
| office2             = [[Chief of Army Staff (Nigeria)|Chief of Army Staff]]
| term_start2         = 1 January 1984
| term_end2           = 26 August 1985
| predecessor2        = [[Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi]]
| successor2          = [[Sani Abacha]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1941|8|17|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Minna]], Northern Region, British Nigeria<br/>(now in [[Niger State]], Nigeria)
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)|Peoples Democratic Party]]
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[Maryam Babangida]]|6 September 1969|2009|end=d}}
| children            = 4
| occupation          = {{hlist|Politician|military officer}}
| alma_mater          = Royal Armoured Centre
| allegiance          = Nigeria
| branch              = {{army|Nigeria|size=14px}}
| branch_label        = Branch
| serviceyears        = 1962–1993
| serviceyears_label  = Service&nbsp;years
| rank                = [[General (Nigeria)|General]]
| battles             = [[Nigerian Civil War]]
| battles_label       = Conflict
}}
'''Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida''' {{Post-nominals|country=NGA|GCFR}} {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|GCB}} (born 17 August 1941) is a Nigerian general and politician who ruled as military [[president of Nigeria]] from 1985 when he [[1985 Nigerian coup d'état|orchestrated a coup d'état]] against [[Muhammadu Buhari]], until his resignation in 1993<ref>{{cite news|date=27 August 1993|title=Nigerian Military Dictator Steps Down, Installs Interim Regime|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-27-mn-28537-story.html|access-date=4 July 2024|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> as a result of the [[Third Nigerian Republic|crisis of the Third Republic]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Ogundairo|first=Abiodun|date=24 June 2020|title=How IBB annulled the June 24, 1993 presidential election|url=https://tv.cdn.guardian.ng/how-ibb-annulled-the-june-24-1993-presidential-election/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806083340/https://tv.cdn.guardian.ng/how-ibb-annulled-the-june-24-1993-presidential-election/|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 August 2024|access-date=4 July 2024|agency=GuardianTV}}</ref>

He rose through the ranks of the [[Nigerian Army]] fighting in the [[Nigerian Civil War]] and at various times being involved in almost all the [[military coups in Nigeria]], before advancing to the rank of a [[General (Nigeria)|General]] and ultimately as [[Commander-in-chief|Commander-in-Chief]] of the [[Nigerian Armed Forces|Armed Forces]]; and as an unelected President and [[Caudillo|military dictator]] from 1985 to 1993, ruling for an uninterrupted period of eight years. His years in power, colloquially known as the ''Babangida Era'',<ref name="Salami 81"/> are considered one of the most controversial in Nigerian political and military history, being characterized by a burgeoning political culture of [[corruption in Nigeria]],<ref>Diamond, Larry; [[Kirk-Greene, Anthony]]; [[Oyeleye Oyediran]] (1997) ''Transition without End: Nigerian Politics and Civil Society Under Babangida'', Vantage Publishers, {{ISBN|978-2458-54-6}}.</ref> with Babangida and his regime estimated to have misappropriated at least 12 billion dollars (23.9 billion today).<ref name=":0">{{cite magazine|last=Nsehe|first=Mfonobong|title=Who Were Africa's Richest Dictators?|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2011/11/08/who-were-africas-richest-dictators/|date=8 November 2011|magazine=Forbes}}</ref>

The Babangida regime oversaw the establishment of a state security apparatus, survived two coup d'état attempts, and the subsequent execution of [[Mamman Jiya Vatsa|Mamman Vatsa]] (1985) and [[Gideon Orkar]] ([[1990 Nigerian coup attempt|1990]]) alongside the trial of hundreds of soldiers. The Babangida era also witnessed the assassination in [[Lagos]] of a prominent journalist named [[Dele Giwa]] (1986).<ref>{{cite news|date=19 October 2020|title=Remembering Dele Giwa, Nigeria's hero of journalism 34 years after|url=https://guardian.ng/news/remembering-dele-giwa-nigerias-hero-of-journalism-34-years-after/|access-date=13 March 2022|work=[[The Guardian (Nigeria)|The Guardian]]}}</ref> The regime also faced a series of ethnic and religious outbreaks related to the fallout of Babangida's decision to increase cooperation with the [[Muslim]] world and rise in extremist tendencies. On the continent, his rule projected the country as a regional power with diplomatic successes including the [[Abuja Treaty]] and the military engagement of Nigerian troops in [[First Liberian Civil War|Liberia]] and [[Sierra Leone Civil War|Sierra Leone]].

Abroad, Babangida's military regime cemented traditional relations with the English-speaking world of the [[United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]], and implemented [[economic liberalization]] and the privatization of state-owned enterprises alongside a national [[MAMSER|mass mobilization]]. The fall of Babangida and his regime was precipitated by the transition toward the [[Third Nigerian Republic]] and the subsequent militarization of politics in the [[1993 Nigerian presidential election|1993 presidential election]] which he annulled.

==Early life==
Ibrahim Babangida was born on 17 August 1941 in [[Minna]] to Muhammad and Aisha Babangida.<ref name="Babangida Encyclopedia">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Ibrahim Babangida 1941– Nigerian president and military officer|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2870600010.html|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia.com}}</ref> He received early Islamic education before attending primary school from 1950 to 1956.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Agbese|first=Dan|title=Ibrahim Babangida: The Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria|year=2012|publisher=Adonis & Abbey Publishers Ltd.|isbn=9781906704964|pages=12}}</ref> From 1957 to 1962 Babangida attended [[Government College Bida]], together with classmates [[Abdulsalami Abubakar]], [[Mamman Vatsa]], [[Mohammed Magoro]], [[Sani Bello]], [[Garba Duba]], [[Gado Nasko]] and [[Mohammed Sani Sami]].<ref name="Agbese-1">{{cite book|last1=Agbese|first1=Dan|title=Ibrahim Babangida: The Military, Power and Politics|year=2012|publisher=Adonis & Abbey Publishers|isbn=9781906704964|pages=12–13}}</ref>
Babangida joined the Nigerian Army on 10 December 1962, where he attended the [[Nigerian Military Training College]] in [[Kaduna (city)|Kaduna]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://independent.ng/i-pray-nigeria-never-fight-another-civil-war-ibb/|access-date=23 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123071821/https://independent.ng/i-pray-nigeria-never-fight-another-civil-war-ibb/|archive-date=23 January 2024|url-status=live|publisher=[[Independent Nigeria]] |title=I Pray Nigeria Never Fight Another Civil War — IBB|first=Chinwendu |last=Nnadozie|date=23 December 2023|quote=Former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) has said that his initial plan in life was to become an civil engineer, but the decision by the then government of Northern Nigeria that youths of his time should be enlisted into the Nigerian army changed the course of his destiny.}}</ref> Babangida received his commission as a [[Second Lieutenant|second lieutenant]] as a regular combatant officer in the [[Nigeria Regiment|Royal Nigerian Army]] (a month before it became the Nigerian Army) with the personal army number N/438 from the [[Indian Military Academy]] on 26 September 1963.<ref name="Agbese">{{cite book|last1=Agbese|title=Ibrahim Babangida|date=2012|pages=48–49}}</ref> Babangida attended the [[Indian Military Academy]] from April to September 1963.

He was Commanding Officer of 1 Reconnaissance Squadron from 1964 to 1966. From January 1966 to April 1966, Babangida attended the Younger Officers Course at the [[Selection and Training in the British Army#Phase 1|Royal Armoured Centre]] in the United Kingdom – where he received instruction in [[Gunnery Officer|gunnery]] and the [[Saladin armored car]].<ref name="Agbese-2">{{cite book|last=Agbese|first=Dan|title=Ibrahim Babangida|year=2012|page=83}}</ref> Lieutenant Babangida was posted with the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron in [[Kaduna (city)|Kaduna]], and witnessed the events of the bloody [[1966 Nigerian coup d'état|coup d'état of 1966]], which resulted in the assassination of [[Ahmadu Bello|Sir Ahmadu Bello]]. Alongside several young officers from [[Northern Nigeria]], he took part in the [[1966 Nigerian counter-coup|July counter-coup]] led by [[Murtala Mohammed]] which ousted General [[Aguiyi Ironsi]] replacing him with General [[Yakubu Gowon]].<ref name="Siollun">{{cite book |last=Siollun |first=Max |title=Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (1966 – 1976) |publisher=Algora |year=2009 |isbn=9780875867090 |page=97}}</ref>

==Military career==
===Civil war===
{{Further|Nigerian Civil War}}Following the outbreak of the civil war, Babangida was recalled and posted to the [[1st Division (Nigeria)|1st Division]] under the command of General [[Mohammed Shuwa]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Agbese|first=Dan|title=Ibrahim Babangida: The Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria|year=2012|pages=94–98}}</ref> In 1968, he became commander of the 44 Infantry Battalion which was involved in heavy fighting within [[Biafra]]n territory. In 1969, during a reconnaissance operation from [[Enugu (city)|Enugu]] to [[Umuahia]], the battalion came under heavy enemy fire and Babangida was shot on the right side of his chest.<ref>{{cite book|last=Agbese|first=Dan|title=Ibrahim Babangida: The Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria|year=2012|pages=101}}</ref> He was then hospitalized in Lagos, and was given the option of removing the bullet shrapnel, which he refused and still carries with him.<ref>{{cite book|last=Agbese|first=Dan|title=Ibrahim Babangida: The Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria|pages=102}}</ref> Away and recovering from his wounds, Babangida married [[Maryam Babangida|Maryam King]] on 6 September 1969. He returned to the war front in December 1969, commanding a battalion.<ref>{{cite book|last=Agbese|first=Dan|title=Ibrahim Babangida: The Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria|year=2012|pages=103}}</ref> In January 1970, Babangida was informed by his sectional commander General [[Theophilus Danjuma]] of the capitulation of the [[Biafran Armed Forces|Biafran Army]] to the federal military government in [[Lagos]], signaling the end of the war.<ref>{{cite book|last=Agbese|first=Dan|title=Ibrahim Babangida: The Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria|year=2012|pages=103–104}}</ref>

===After the war===
In 1970, following the war Babangida was promoted twice and posted to the [[Nigerian Defence Academy]] as an instructor. From August 1972 to June 1973, he attended the Advanced Armoured Officers Course at the [[United States Army Armor School]]. In 1973, he was made commander of the 4 Reconnaissance Regiment. In 1975, he became the commander of the Nigerian Army Armoured Corps. Babangida attended several defence and strategy courses. Colonel Babangida as Commander of the Armoured Corps was a key participant in the [[1975 Nigerian coup d'état|coup d'état of 1975]].<ref name=mynigeria>{{cite web|url=https://www.mynigeria.com/person/Ibrahim-Babangida-2351|title=Ibrahim Babangida|website=www.mynigeria.com|access-date=19 February 2023}}</ref>

He was later appointed as one of the youngest members of the [[Supreme Military Council of Nigeria (1966–1979)|Supreme Military Council]] from 1 August 1975 to October 1979. Colonel Babangida crushed almost single-handedly the [[1976 Nigerian coup d'état attempt|coup d'état of 1976]] that resulted in the assassination of General [[Murtala Muhammed|Murtala Mohammed]] by taking back control of the [[Radio Nigeria]] station from the main perpetrator, Lieutenant Colonel [[Buka Suka Dimka]]. From January 1977 to July 1977, he attended the Senior Officers Course at the [[Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji]]. From 1979 to 1980, he attended the Senior Executive Course at the [[National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies]].<ref name=mynigeria/>

===Army Staff Headquarters===
Babangida was the Director of Army Staff Duties and Plans from 1981 to 1983.<ref>{{cite web|date=22 November 2016|title=BABANGIDA, Gen Ibrahim Badamasi (rtd.)|url=https://blerf.org/index.php/biography/babangida-general-ibrahim-badamasi-rtd/|access-date=18 July 2020|website=Biographical Legacy and Research Foundation}}</ref> He was the main figure behind the [[1983 Nigerian coup d'état|coup d'ètat of 1983]] which led to the overthrow of the [[Second Nigerian Republic|Second Republic]], with financial backing from his close associate and businessman [[Moshood Abiola]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Opejobi|first=Seun|date=13 June 2021|title=June 12: MKO Abiola funded 1985 coup that removed Buhari – Fani-Kayode alleges|url=https://dailypost.ng/2021/06/13/june-12-mko-abiola-funded-1985-coup-that-removed-buhari-fani-kayode-alleges/|access-date=4 July 2024|work=[[Daily Post (Nigeria)|Daily Post]]}}</ref> Babangida alongside his other co-conspirators later appointed the most senior serving officer at the time General Muhammadu Buhari as military head of state from 1983 to 1985; and Babangida was promoted and appointed as [[Chief of Army Staff (Nigeria)|Chief of Army Staff]] and member of the [[Supreme Military Council of Nigeria (1983–1985)|Supreme Military Council]].<ref>{{cite news|title=1983: Power seized in armed coup|agency=[[BBC News]]|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-11405111/nigeria-s-military-coup-of-1983|access-date=4 July 2020}}</ref>

==Coup d'état of 1985==
{{Further|1985 Nigerian coup d'état}}

===Planning===
Following the coup d'état of 1983, General Babangida (then Chief of Army Staff) started scheming to overthrow military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari. The [[1985 Nigerian coup d'état|palace coup of 1985]] was orchestrated with a degree of military deftness hitherto not observed in prior military coups in the country. The whole affair carried out by Babangida as ringleader was planned at the highest levels of the army cultivating his strategic relationship with allies: [[Sani Abacha]], [[Aliyu Mohammed Gusau|Aliyu Gusau]], [[Halilu Akilu]], [[Mamman Vatsa]], [[Gado Nasko]], and younger officers from his days as an instructor in the military academy (graduates of the NDA's Regular Course 3), and gradually positioned his allies within the echelons of military hierarchy.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nigeria: Palace Coup of 1985 By Dr. Nowa Omoigui|url=http://www.waado.org/nigerdelta/Nigeria_Facts/MilitaryRule/Omoigui/PalaceCoup-1985.htm|access-date=4 July 2020|website=www.waado.org|archive-date=8 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608090914/http://www.waado.org/nigerdelta/nigeria_facts/militaryrule/omoigui/PalaceCoup-1985.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Execution===
The execution of the palace coup was initially delayed due to General [[Tunde Idiagbon]] the 6th [[Vice President of Nigeria|Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters]], and ruthless second-in-command to General Muhammadu Buhari. At midnight on 27 August 1985, the plot metamorphosed with four Majors: [[Sambo Dasuki]], [[Dangiwa Umar|Abubakar Dangiwa Umar]], [[Lawan Gwadabe]], and [[Abdulmumini Aminu]] detailed to arrest the head of state.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dawodu.com/omoigui16.htm|title=The Palace Coup of August 27, 1985 Part2|website=dawodu.com}}</ref> By daybreak, the conspirators had taken over the government and Babangida flew into Lagos from Minna where he was announced as the new commander-in-chief in a radio broadcast by General [[Sani Abacha]]. Babangida justified the coup in a speech describing General Muhammadu Buhari's military regime as "too rigid".<ref>{{cite web|title=Major-General Babaginda Address to the Nation – August 27, 1985|url=https://dawodu.com/ibb4.htm|access-date=24 January 2020|website=dawodu.com}}</ref>

===Promulgation===
Babangida [[Rule by decree|ruling by decree]] promulgated his official title as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and placed Muhammadu Buhari under house arrest in [[Benin]] until 1988. He established the [[Armed Forces Ruling Council (Nigeria)|Armed Forces Ruling Council]] (AFRC) as the highest law-making council serving as chairman; he also restructured the national security apparatus, tasking General [[Aliyu Mohammed Gusau|Aliyu Gusau]] as Co-ordinator of National Security directly reporting to him in the president's office he created the: [[State Security Service (Nigeria)|State Security Service]] (SSS), [[National Intelligence Agency (Nigeria)|National Intelligence Agency]] (NIA) and [[Defence Intelligence Agency (Nigeria)|Defence Intelligence Agency]] (DIA).<ref>{{cite web|title=The Palace Coup of August 27, 1985 (PART 3)|url=https://dawodu.com/omoigui17.htm|access-date=4 July 2020|website=dawodu.com}}</ref>

==Presidency==
Shortly after coming to power General Babangida established the Nigerian Political Bureau of 1986. The bureau was inaugurated to conduct a national debate on the political future of Nigeria, and was charged amongst other things to:{{blockquote|Review Nigeria’s political history and identify the basic problems which have led to our failure in the past and suggest ways of resolving and coping with these problems.}}The exercise was the broadest political consultation conducted in Nigerian history.

Between 1983 and 1985, the country suffered an economic crisis. In 1986, Babangida launched the [[Structural Adjustment Program]] (SAP), with support from the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) and the [[World Bank]], to restructure the Nigerian economy. In 1987, Babangida launched the [[MAMSER|Mass Mobilization for Self Reliance, Social Justice and Economic Recovery]] (MAMSER), following a recommendation from the Political Bureau, to increase self-reliance and economic recovery. The policies involved in the SAP and MAMSER were:
*[[deregulation]] of the [[Agriculture in Nigeria|agricultural sector]] to include the abolition of marketing boards and elimination of [[price controls]]
*[[privatisation]] of [[State-owned enterprise|public enterprises]]
*[[devaluation]] of the [[Nigerian naira]] to improve the competitiveness of the [[export]] sector
* relaxation of restraints on [[Foreign direct investment|foreign investment]] put in place by the [[Yakubu Gowon|Gowon]] and [[Olusegun Obasanjo|Obasanjo]] governments during the 1970s.<ref name="prebendalism2">{{cite journal|last1=Lewis|first1=Peter|date=March 1996|title=From Prebendalism to Predation: The Political Economy of Decline in Nigeria|journal=The Journal of Modern African Studies|volume=34|issue=1|pages=79–103|doi=10.1017/s0022278x0005521x|jstor=161739|s2cid=154925493}}</ref>
*re-orient Nigerians to shun waste and vanity, promoting economic recovery
*shed all pretences of affluence in their lifestyle, promoting self-reliance
*propagate the need to eschew all vices in public life, including corruption, dishonesty, electoral and census malpractices, ethnic and religious bigotry, promoting social justice
[[File:Nigerian Public Domain 145.jpg|thumb|Babangida in uniform]]
Between 1986 and 1988, these policies were executed as intended by the IMF, and the [[Economy of Nigeria|Nigerian economy]] actually did grow as had been hoped, with the export sector performing especially well. But falling real wages in the public sector and among the urban classes, along with a drastic reduction in expenditure on public services, set off [[1989 Anti-SAP riots|waves of rioting]] and other manifestations of discontent that made a sustained commitment to the SAP difficult to maintain.<ref name="prebendalism2" />

Babangida contributed to the development of national infrastructure. He finished the construction of the [[Third Mainland Bridge]], the largest bridge on the continent at the time. His administration also saw the completion of the dualising of the Kaduna-Kano highway. Babangida also completed the [[Shiroro Hydroelectric Power Station]]. He had the Toja Bridge in Kebbi constructed. He also created the Jibia Water Treatment Plant and the [[Challawa Gorge Dam|Challawa Cenga Dam]] in [[Kano (city)|Kano]]. Babangida also founded the [[Federal Road Safety Corps (Nigeria)|Federal Road Safety Corps]] in order to better manage the national roads. On 23 September 1987, Babangida created two states: [[Akwa Ibom State]] and [[Katsina State]]. On 27 August 1991, Babangida created nine more states: [[Abia State|Abia]], [[Enugu (city)|Enugu]], [[Delta State|Delta]], [[Jigawa]], [[Kebbi State|Kebbi]], [[Oshun|Osun]], [[Kogi State|Kogi]], [[Taraba State|Taraba]], and [[Yobe]].<ref>{{cite web|date=2 August 2018|title=How Nigeria got to 36 States (Timeline of State creation in Nigeria)|url=https://oldnaija.com/2015/07/26/how-nigeria-got-to-36-statestimeline-of-state-creation-in-nigeria/|access-date=23 September 2024}}</ref> Bringing the total number of [[States of Nigeria|states in Nigeria]] to thirty in 1991. Babangida also increased the share of oil royalties and rents to states of origin from 1.5 to 3 percent.<ref>{{cite web|title=Leadership, Policy Making, and Economic Growth in African Countries: The Case of Nigeria|url=https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/257751468288951249/pdf/577170NWP0Box353766B01PUBLIC10gcwp017web.pdf|last=Iyosha|first=Milton A.|year=2008|number=17|access-date=23 September 2024}}</ref> Babangida and his [[Federal Capital Territory Administration|Ministers of the Federal Capital Territory]] led by [[Mamman Jiya Vatsa|Mamman Vatsa]], [[Hamza Abdullahi]] and later General [[Gado Nasko]], led the regime's relocation of the seat of government from Lagos to [[Abuja]] on 12 December 1991.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://research.ncl.ac.uk/forum/v6i1/ikoku.pdf|title=Wayback Machine|website=research.ncl.ac.uk|access-date=15 June 2017|archive-date=8 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808020601/http://research.ncl.ac.uk/forum/v6i1/ikoku.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Babangida strengthened the [[foreign relations of Nigeria]]. He rejected apartheid in [[South Africa]], involved Nigerian troops in the [[First Liberian Civil War|Liberian Civil War]], hosted the [[Abuja Treaty]] which gave rise to the [[African Union]] and enhanced relations with the United States and the United Kingdom.<ref name="Salami 81">{{cite journal|last=Salami|first=B. Olawale|date=5 March 2014|title=The Prelude to Babangida Regime's Foreign Policy Initiatives|url=https://www.mcser.org/journal/index.php/mjss/article/view/2120|journal=Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences|volume=5|issue=3|pages=81|issn=2039-2117}}</ref> In 1986, Nigeria joined the [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]] an international organisation considered the "collective voice of the [[Muslim world]]". This move was welcomed in [[Northern Nigeria]], where there is a Muslim majority population. However, non-Muslims criticised the move likening it to an Islamisation agenda of Nigeria, a secular country. Babangida's then second-in-command Commodore [[Ebitu Ukiwe|Ebitu Okoh Ukiwe]], opposed the decision to join the Islamic organization and was removed as Chief of General Staff.<ref name="AllAfrica22">Iloegbunam, Chuks, [http://allafrica.com/stories/200412141046.html "Nigeria: Perspectives: Jubril Aminu And Ebitu Ukiwe: the Main Point"], ''Vanguard'', 14 December 2004.</ref> Close to the end of his tenure, he paid a state visit to the queen of the United Kingdom making him the second Nigerian leader after Yakubu Gowon to do so.

===Crisis of the Third Republic===
{{Further|Third Nigerian Republic}}
In 1989, Babangida started making plans for the transition to the [[Third Nigerian Republic]]. He legalized the formation of political parties and formed the two-party system with the [[Social Democratic Party (Nigeria)|Social Democratic Party]] (SDP) and [[National Republican Convention]] (NRC) ahead of the [[1992 Nigerian parliamentary election|1992 general elections]]. He urged all Nigerians to join either of the parties, which the late Chief [[Bola Ige]] famously referred to as "two leper hands." The two-party state had been a Political Bureau recommendation. In November 1991, after a census was conducted, the [[Independent National Electoral Commission (Nigeria)|National Electoral Commission]] (NEC) announced on 24 January 1992 that both [[1992 Nigerian parliamentary election|legislative elections]] to a bicameral [[National Assembly (Nigeria)|National Assembly]] and a presidential election would be held later that year. A process of voting was adopted, referred to as [[Option A4]]. This process advocated that any candidate needed to pass through adoption for all elective positions from the local government, state government, and federal government.

The [[1992 Nigerian parliamentary election|1992 parliamentary election]] went ahead as planned, with the [[Social Democratic Party (Nigeria)|Social Democratic Party]] (SDP) winning majorities in both houses of the [[National Assembly of Nigeria|National Assembly]], but on 7 August 1992, the NEC annulled the first round of 1992 presidential primaries. Babangida annulled the 7 August presidential primaries which [[Shehu Musa Yar'Adua|Shehu Yar'Adua]] emerged as the SDP presidential candidate and [[Adamu Ciroma]] as the NRC candidate order to get rid of the old guard in both parties. In January 1993, Babangida rejigged the ruling military junta – the [[Armed Forces Ruling Council (Nigeria)|AFRC]] – replacing it with the National Defence and Security Council, as the supreme decision-making organ of the regime. He also appointed [[Ernest Shonekan]] Head of the Transitional Council and de jure Head of Government. At the time, the transitional council was designed to be the final phase leading to a scheduled handover to an elected democratic leader in the slated [[1993 Nigerian presidential election|1993 presidential election]].

On 12 June 1993, the presidential election was finally held. The results though not officially declared by the [[Independent National Electoral Commission (Nigeria)|National Electoral Commission]] – showed the duo of [[Moshood Abiola]] and [[Baba Gana Kingibe|Babagana Kingibe]] of the [[Social Democratic Party (Nigeria)|Social Democratic Party]] (SDP) defeated [[Bashir Tofa]] and [[Sylvester Ugoh|Slyvester Ugoh]] of the [[National Republican Convention]] (NRC) by over 2.3 million votes in the [[1993 Nigerian presidential election|1993 presidential election]]. The elections were later annulled by military head of state General Babangida, citing electoral irregularities. The annulment led to widespread protests and political unrest in Abiola's stronghold of the [[South West (Nigeria)|South West]], as many felt Babangida had ulterior motives, and did not want to cede power to [[Moshood Abiola]], a [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] businessman. Babangida later admitted that the elections were annulled due to national security considerations,<ref>{{cite news|date=20 August 2021|title=IBB at 80: A birthday tribute and his good leadership prescription|url=https://guardian.ng/opinion/ibb-at-80-a-birthday-tribute-and-his-good-leadership-prescription/|last=Agbese|first=Dan|access-date=23 September 2024|work=[[The Guardian (Nigeria)|The Guardian]]}}</ref> which he didn't specify.<ref>{{cite news|date=8 June 2013|title=Why we annuled &#91;sic&#93; June 12 Presidential election — General Ibrahim Babangida|last=Ajani|first=Jide|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/why-we-annuled-june-12-presidential-election-general-ibrahim-babangida/|access-date=23 September 2024|work=[[Vanguard (Nigeria)|Vanguard]]}}</ref>

The lingering 12 June crisis led to the resignation of General Babangida in August 1993. Babangida signed a decree establishing the [[Cabinet of Ernest Shonekan|Interim National Government]] led by [[Ernest Shonekan]]. As interim president, Shonekan initially appointed Abiola as his [[Vice President of Nigeria|vice president]], who refused to recognize the interim government, the crisis lingered for months [[1993 Nigerian coup d'état|culminating in the seizure of power]] by General [[Sani Abacha]]. Babangida at the height of the crisis stated "If I am sleeping and I hear the Yorubas beating the drums of war, I would go back to sleep."

==Post presidency==
[[File:Ibb-fani-kayode.jpg|thumb|Babangida (right) with [[Femi Fani-Kayode]] (left) in [[Lagos]] (2010)]]
From his hilltop residence in Minna, Babangida has cultivated a [[patronage]] system which cuts across the entire country. In 1998, Babangida was instrumental in the transition to democracy. Babangida is one of the founders of the [[Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)|Peoples Democratic Party]] alongside other prominent military generals such as [[Aliyu Mohammed Gusau]]. They were said to have supported General [[Olusegun Obasanjo]] in the [[1999 Nigerian presidential election]] in order to springboard themselves back to power.

In August 2006, Babangida announced that he would run in the [[2007 Nigerian presidential election]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Mahtani|first=Dino|date=15 August 2006|title=Former military ruler of Nigeria seeks presidency|newspaper=[[Financial Times]]|url=https://www.ft.com/cms/s/86219712-2caf-11db-9845-0000779e2340.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/cms/s/86219712-2caf-11db-9845-0000779e2340.html|archive-date=10 December 2022|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>[http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=qw1163401560343R131 "Nigeria's 'evil genius' enters election race"], ''IOL''.</ref> He said he was doing so "under the banner of the Nigerian people" and accused the country's political elite of fuelling Nigeria's current ethnic and religious violence.<ref>{{cite news|date=15 August 2006|title=Babangida to contest Nigeria poll|agency=[[BBC News]]|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4797395.stm}}</ref> On 8 November 2006, General Babangida picked up a nomination form from the Peoples Democratic Party headquarters in Abuja. This effectively put to rest any speculation about his ambitions to run for the Presidency. His form was personally issued to him by the [[People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)|PDP]] chairman, [[Ahmadu Ali]]. This action immediately drew extreme reactions of support or opposition from the southwest. In December, just before the presidential primaries, it was widely reported in Nigerian newspapers that Babangida had withdrawn his candidacy. In a letter excerpted in the media, IBB is quoted as citing the "moral dilemma" of running against [[Umaru Yar'Adua]], the younger brother of the late General [[Shehu Yar'Adua]], as well as against General [[Aliyu Mohammed Gusau]], given IBB's close relationship with the latter two. It is widely believed that his chances of winning were slim.<ref>Ologbondiyan, Kola, Sufuyan Ojeifo and Oke Epia, "IBB: I Withdraw for Gusau, Yar`Adua", ''This Day'', 12 December 2006, p. 1.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6169715.stm|title=Blow to Babangida's Nigeria bid|agency=BBC News|date=11 December 2006|access-date=23 September 2024}}</ref>

In September 2010, Babangida officially declared his intention to run for the presidency in the [[2011 Nigerian presidential election|2011 presidential election]] in [[Abuja]], Nigeria.<ref>{{cite web|date=15 September 2010|title=IBB Formally Declares to Contest for President|url=https://beegeagle.wordpress.com/2010/09/15/2011-polls-nigerias-former-military-rulergeneral-babangida-declares-his-interest/|access-date=23 September 2024|via=[[WordPress]]}}</ref> Babangida was later urged by his military inner circle to withdraw his candidacy after the [[October 2010 Abuja bombings|October 2010 Abuja bombing]]. President [[Goodluck Jonathan]] later emerged as the PDP presidential candidate and throughout his presidency sought counsel from Babangida and his military inner circle.<ref>{{cite web|last=Odunsi|first=Wale|date=27 December 2014|title=Jonathan visits IBB, says "I needed to see my father to know how he is feeling"|url=https://dailypost.ng/2014/12/27/jonathan-visits-ibb-says-needed-see-father-know-feeling/|access-date=19 June 2023|work=[[Daily Post (Nigeria)|Daily Post]]}}</ref>

In 2015, following the [[2015 Nigerian general election|election]] of his long-time rival General Muhammadu Buhari as president, Babangida maintained a low profile. In 2017, Babangida had corrective surgery.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.legit.ng/854334-death-rumours-babangida-finally-breaks-silence-health-condition.html|title=Death rumours: Babangida finally breaks silence on his health condition|last=Buari|first=Jasmine|date=8 June 2016|website=[[Legit.ng]]|access-date=24 January 2020}}</ref> He is considered a foremost elder statesman, and has called for a generational shift in leadership to allow for a new crop of leaders to replace the 1966 military class.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/ibb-urges-buhari-to-step-down-in-2019-for-digital-leadership/|title=IBB urges Buhari to step down in 2019 for digital leadership|date=4 February 2018|work=Vanguard|access-date=24 January 2020}}</ref>

Speaking during the release of his biography on February 20, 2025, Babangida finally expressed regret for cancelling the 1993 elections, declaring that the elections had been free and fair, and that MKO Abiola indeed won.<ref name=ewokor2025>{{cite web |last1=Ewokor |first1=Chris |title=Ibrahim Babangida: Nigeria's ex-military leader admits regret over cancelled poll |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8d4j3vrp8lo |website=BBC |date=21 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Egobiambu |first=Emmanuel |date=2025-02-20 |title=Nigeria's History Incomplete Without You, Jonathan Hails IBB On Memoir |url=https://www.channelstv.com/2025/02/20/nigerias-history-incomplete-without-ibbs-story-jonathan-hails-ex-leader-on-memoir/ |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=Channels Television |language=en}}</ref>

"Undoubtedly credible, free and fair elections were held on 12 June 1993....However, the tragic irony of history remains that the administration that devised a near-perfect electoral system and conducted those near-perfect elections could not complete the process. ...That accident of history is most regrettable. The nation is entitled to expect my expression of regret."<ref name=ewokor2025/>

==Personal life==
A biopic titled ''[[Badamasi|Badamasi: Portrait of a General]]'' which chronicled his early life, life during the [[Nigerian Civil War]] as well as his time as the military head of state was produced by [[Obi Emelonye]] and released in cinemas on 12 June 2020.<ref>{{cite news|title=Filmmaker tells IBB's story in biopic film 'Badamasi: Portrait of a General'|url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/nollywood/358269-filmmaker-tells-ibbs-story-in-biopic-film-badamosi-portrait-of-a-general.html|work=[[Premium Times]]}}</ref>

===Family===
[[File:Maryam Babangida, First Lady of Nigeria.png|thumb|General Babangida's wife Maryam ]]
Babangida was married to [[Maryam Babangida]] from 1969 until her death in 2009. They had four children together; Aisha, Muhammad, Aminu, and Halima. On 27 December 2009, Maryam Babangida died from complications of ovarian cancer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/12/the-life-and-times-of-maryam-babangida/|title=The life and times of Maryam Babangida|date=29 December 2009|work=Vanguard|last1=Ndiribe|first1=Okey|last2=Akoni|first2=Olasunkanmi|last3=Olowoopejo|first3=Monsur|access-date=23 September 2024}}</ref>

=== Public image ===
Babaginda once described himself as an "evil genius",<ref>{{Cite web |title=Return of ‘evil genius’ Babangida to presidency |url=https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/opinion-analysis/columnists/return-of-evil-genius-babangida-to-presidency-1960318 |access-date=2025-08-25 |website=Business Daily Africa}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mbeke-Ekanem |first=Tom |url=http://archive.org/details/beyondexecutionu0000tomm |title=Beyond the Execution: Understanding the Ethnic and Military Politics in Nigeria |date=2000 |publisher=Writer's Showcase Press |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-595-09280-2 |publication-date=}}</ref> a nickname that stuck.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/perspectivesonme0000unse_w8d7 |title=Perspectives on media discourse |date=2007 |publisher=München : Lincom |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-3-89586-475-9 |editor-last=Taiwo |editor-first=Rotimi |pages=232 |editor-last2=Odebunmi |editor-first2=Akin |editor-last3=Adetunji |editor-first3=Akin}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Daly |first=Samuel Fury Childs |url=http://archive.org/details/soldiersparadise00daly |title=Soldier's paradise : militarism in Africa after empire |date=2024 |publisher=Duke University Press |others=Duke University Press |isbn=978-1-4780-3083-6 |pages=69}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Egya |first=Sule E. |date=2012 |title=Historicity, Power, Dissidence: The Third-Generation Poetry and Military Oppression in Nigeria |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41494510 |journal=African Affairs |volume=111 |issue=444 |pages=424–441 |issn=0001-9909}}</ref> Historian [[Toyin Falola]] described him as "affable and cunning, he was a master of [[Doublespeak|double-speak]], deceit, and ambiguity."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Falola |first=Toyin |url=http://archive.org/details/historyofnigeria00falo |title=The history of Nigeria |date=1999 |publisher=Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-313-30682-2 |pages=183}}</ref> He was also nicknamed "Maradona"<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Obadare |first=Ebenezer |date=1999 |title=Democratic Transition and Political Violence in Nigeria |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24484543 |journal=Africa Development |volume=24 |issue=1/2 |pages=199–219 |issn=0850-3907}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Elaigwu |first=Jonas Isawa |date=1991 |title=Federalism and National Leadership in Nigeria |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3330316 |journal=Publius |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=125–144 |issn=0048-5950}}</ref> for his "ability to outwit potential opponents and dictate the terms of the political game"<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sil |first=Narasingha P. |date=1993 |title=Ideology, Intellectuals, and Development in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40761183 |journal=Africa: Rivista trimestrale di studi e documentazione dell?Istituto italiano per l?Africa e l?Oriente |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=47–69 |issn=0001-9747}}</ref> and because "his political deviousness was reminiscent of the legendary [[Diego Maradona|Argentine soccer star]]'s skilful dribbling."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Haynes |first=Jonathan |date=2003 |title=Mobilising Yoruba Popular Culture: Babangida Must Go |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3556874 |journal=Africa: Journal of the International African Institute |volume=73 |issue=1 |pages=77–87 |doi=10.2307/3556874 |issn=0001-9720}}</ref>

===Personal wealth===
Babangida is rumoured to be worth over US$5 billion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nigerianfinder.com/richest-politicians-in-nigeria-the-top-10/|title=Richest Politicians in Nigeria: The Top 10|language=en-US|access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref> He is believed to secretly possess a multi-billion dollar fortune via successive ownership of stakes in a number of Nigerian companies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://saharareporters.com/2006/08/26/trail-babangida%E2%80%99s-billions|title=On The Trail Of Babangida's Billions|date=26 August 2006|website=Sahara Reporters|access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref>

Magazine [[Forbes]] assumed in 2011 that shortly before the [[Gulf War|First Gulf War]] Babangida channelled US$12 billion of unplanned profits ("oil windfall") into his own pocket (the [[price of oil|oil price]] jumped from US$15/barrel to US$41.15/barrel within weeks in 1990 and then crashed almost as quickly to the old value).<ref name=":0"/> Investigations into this did not lead to any concrete results.<ref>{{cite news|date=22 August 2016|title=IBB must face probe over $12.4bn oil windfall, says SERAP|url=https://punchng.com/ibb-must-face-probe-12-4bn-oil-windfall-says-serap/|access-date=23 September 2024|last=Oladimeji|first=Ramon|work=[[The Punch]]}}</ref> A critical remark is that the additional profit of US$12 billion calculated by Forbes could only have been realised if Nigeria had sold the entire annual production volume of 630 million barrels exactly on 27 September 1990 at the annual peak price of US$41/barrel − instead of the officially stated US$22/barrel average during the whole year.<ref>{{cite book |title=Petroleum Statistics: Crude Oil Production (Volume and Value) and Oil Refining |publisher=[[National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria|National Bureau of Statistics]] |year=2016 |location=Abuja |pages=8}}</ref> This is unlikely in view of the long-term supply contracts in the oil business and the sluggishness of the state-owned oil company [[NNPC Limited|NNPC]]. Babangida commented in 2022 on the above allegations that he and his staff had been "saints".<ref>{{cite news |date=5 January 2015 |url=https://thenationonlineng.net/gulf-oil-windfall-not-stolen-ibb/ |access-date=25 January 2020 |title=Gulf oil windfall not stolen – IBB |work=[[The Nation (Nigeria) |The Nation]]}}</ref> 

==Honours==

===Military ranks===
During his military career, Babangida attained the following ranks:

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
!Year
!Insignia
!Rank
|-
|1963
|[[File:Nigeria-Army-OF-1a.svg|22px]]
|[[Second Lieutenant]]
|-
|1966
|[[File:Nigeria-Army-OF-1b.svg|22px]]
|[[Lieutenant]]
|-
|1968
|[[File:Nigeria-Army-OF-2.svg|22px]]
|[[Captain]]
|-
|1970
|[[File:Nigeria-Army-OF-3.svg|22px]]
|[[Major (rank)|Major]]
|-
|1970
|[[File:Nigeria-Army-OF-4.svg|22px]]
|[[Lieutenant Colonel]]
|-
|1973
|[[File:Nigeria-Army-OF-5.svg|22px]]
|[[Colonel]]
|-
|1979
|[[File:Nigeria-Army-OF-6.svg|22px]]
|[[Brigadier General]]
|-
|1983
|[[File:Nigeria-Army-OF-7.svg|22px]]
|[[Major General]]
|-
|1987
|[[File:Nigeria-Army-OF-9.svg|22px]]
|[[General]]
|}

===National honours===
{| class=wikitable
!Year
!Country
!Decoration
!Presenter
!Notes
|-
|1983
|[[Nigeria]]
|[[Order of the Federal Republic|Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic]] (CFR); [[File:Order_of_the_Federal_Republic_(military)_-_Nigeria_-_ribbon_bar.gif|40x40px]]
|[[Shehu Shagari]]
|Third highest national honour in Nigeria
|-
|
|Nigeria
|Defence Service Medal (DSM); [[File:Defence_Service_Medal_(Nigeria_1967-1970)_-_ribbon_bar.png|40x40px|Defence Service Medal (Nigeria)]]
|[[Nigerian Army]]
|Military award
|-
|
|Nigeria
|Forces Services Star (FSS); [[File:Forces_Service_Star_(Nigeria)_-_ribbon_bar.png|40x40px|Forces Service Star (Nigeria)]]
|Nigerian Army
|Military award
|-
|
|Nigeria
|General Service Medal (GSM); [[File:General_Service_Medal_(Nigeria)_-_ribbon_bar.png|40x40px|General Service Medal (Nigeria)]]
|Nigerian Army
|Military award
|-
|
|Nigeria
|National Service Medal (NSM); [[File:National_Service_Medal_(Nigeria_1966-1970)_-_ribbon_bar.png|40x40px|National Service Medal (Nigeria)]]
|Nigerian Army
|Military award
|-
|1985
|Nigeria
|[[Order of the Federal Republic|Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic]] (GCFR); [[File:Order_of_the_Federal_Republic_(military)_-_Nigeria_-_ribbon_bar.gif|40x40px]]
|Himself
|Highest national honour in Nigeria
|}

===Foreign honours===
{| class=wikitable
!Year
!Country
!Decoration
!Presenter
!Notes
|-
|1988
|[[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]
|[[Order of the Yugoslav Great Star]] [[File:Order of the Yugoslavian Great Star Rib.png|40x40px|National Service Medal (Nigeria)]]
|[[Raif Dizdarević]]
|Highest decoration of Yugoslavia<ref>{{cite journal|date=1 August 1988|title=Svi uslovi za bolju saradnju |url=http://istorijskenovine.unilib.rs/view/index.html#panel:pp&#124;issue:UB_00064_19880801&#124;page:6&#124;query:orden%20velike%20jugoslovenske%20zvezde|journal=Borba|volume=67|issue=214|pages=6}}</ref>
|-
|1989
|[[United Kingdom]]
|Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Bath]] (GCB) ''Military division''; [[File:Order_of_the_Bath_(ribbon).svg|40x40px|Order of the Bath ribbon bar]]
|[[Elizabeth II]]
|Fourth-most senior of the [[British honours system#Current orders of chivalry|British Orders of Chivalry]]
|-
|1989
|[[Zimbabwe]]
|[[Orders, decorations, and medals of Zimbabwe|Freedom of the City of Harare]]
|[[Robert Mugabe]]
|Prestigious national honour in Zimbabwe
|-
|1990
|[[Equatorial Guinea]]
|Grand Collar of the Order of the Independence
|[[Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo]]
|Highest national honour in Equatorial Guinea
|}

==See also==
*{{Portal inline|Nigeria}}
*{{Portal inline|Biography}}
*{{Portal inline|Politics}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Ibrahim Babangida}}
*[http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/73.htm US Library of Congress – Country Studies – The Babangida Government]

{{S-start}}
{{S-mil}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Nigerian Army|Chief of the Army Staff]]|years=1984–1985}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Sani Abacha]]}}
{{Succession box|title=[[List of heads of state of Nigeria|President of the Armed Forces Ruling Council of Nigeria]]|before=[[Muhammadu Buhari]]|after=[[Ernest Shonekan]]|years= 17 August 1985 – 26 August 1993}}
{{S-end}}
{{Nigerian Heads of State}}
{{Chiefs of Army Staff (COAS) Nigeria}}
{{African Union chairpersons}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Babangida, Ibrahim}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Minna]]
[[Category:Nigerian Muslims]]
[[Category:Heads of state of Nigeria]]
[[Category:Nigerian generals]]
[[Category:Participants in the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup]]
[[Category:Participants in the 1976 Nigerian military coup]]
[[Category:Participants in the 1975 Nigerian military coup]]
[[Category:Participants in the 1983 Nigerian military coup]]
[[Category:Participants in the August 1985 Nigerian military coup]]
[[Category:Participants of coups in Nigeria]]
[[Category:Members of the Nigerian National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies]]
[[Category:Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Indian Military Academy alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Nigerian politicians]]
[[Category:Chiefs of Army Staff (Nigeria)]]
[[Category:Military personnel of the Nigerian Civil War]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the Federal Republic]]
[[Category:Grand Commanders of the Order of the Federal Republic]]