Book Launch: Vatsa family lambast IBB

..Vatsa was killed out of envy, malice and hatred by IBB

As Nigerians react to the recently launched book by former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (Rtd.), the family of late General Mamman Jiya Vatsa has declared that their Patriarch was killed out of envy, malice and hatred, adding that “the Book is only a good reference for criminally minded people”.

It should be noted that Gen. Vatsa was executed on an allegation of coup against his supposedly Childhood friend, General Babangida in 1986.

While speaking to selected Journalists on Tuesday in Minna, Hon. Jonathan Vatsa who is the spokesperson of the family reacted to Babangida’s allegation as contained in his book saying, General babangida as a man has lost in the affairs of honour over the many lies contained in his “belated autobiography”.

Vatsa said the submission by Babangida that the killing of late Vatsa was justified because there were enough evidence implicating him in the coup remains a ruse.

The former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Niger state, said he decided not to react until after reading the book which he said is full of deceits and distorted facts.

According to him “Babangida’s book cannot serve as a reference material to young and upcoming generations but for criminally minded people. It is a collection of distorted facts called a book and written by a man without identity. It cannot serve as a good reference book for younger generation but a perfect reference book for criminally minded people”.

Vatsa who is a cousin to the late General Vatsa while in tears disclosed that, “ordinarily, our family wouldn’t have joined issues with a man who changed his true identity just to belong to a certain ethnic group in the country.

“Well, since Babangida has refused to allow the late General Vatsa rest in peace after killing him, we will let him know that even in death, late General Vatsa is a more honourable man because he has an identity, he had a family and came from particular village with a tribe”.

The former Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger state, pointed that, Babangida admitted in his book that he changed the name Badamosi to Babangida so that people will know he is from the north. “Where did he get the name Badamosi from in the first place, because northerners don’t bear the name Badamosi. That name is synonymous to the South West people of Nigeria. A man who denied his tribe and identity is not fit to live”, he stressed.

Vatsa stated further that the many lies in Babangida’s book is a clear evidence that he is not a genius some section of the Nigerian media created for him, rather “a Lilly-livered General” for annulling the June 12 and failing to retire late General Sani Abacha for fear of being killed by Abacha’s loyalists in the Army as claimed in his book.

“How can he lie that it was Abacha who annulled the June 12 election if he was truly in control as a Head of State? He equally admitted that the Military was heavily politicized and because of that he couldn’t retire Abacha for fear of being killed.

“Unfortunately, the man he accused of annulling the June 12 and all the actors in the June 12 controversy are no more today to tell their own sides of the story and that is why no serious minded individual should take the book seriously.

“This is the man that had earlier said he will not write any book because according to him, there are people he cannot resist abusing and that he wouldn’t want to hurt their children and grandchildren but what has he done now, this is lack of emotional stability.

“Even in death, Babangida has refused to allow late General Vatsa and his family to have peace, he is still troubling the dead man and his entire family. Well people have seen the end of our brother, but Babangida doesn’t know how he will end.”

Vatsa further stated that the reactions of Nigerians after the book presentation shows that the killing of late General Vatsa was done out of envy, malice and hatred. “It was a case of a man with a root and identity versus someone who has no root and a second name”.

The APC Chieftain in Niger state while expressing regret over cream of personalities that gathered for the book lunch, pointed that the country called Nigeria is a huge joke, a country where people who call themselves leaders act before they think.

Accordingly , he said “no reasonable Nigerian who is benefiting from the current democratic system which Abiola’s struggle and his eventual death brought to Nigeria should have donated towards this revelation of evil done to Nigeria and Nigerians called autobiography.

“This has further confirmed why some Nigerians in their opinions believed that this country is worth not dying for if not, how can we as a people gather to celebrate evil done to a nation by an individual”.

Vatsa stated further that the late General vatsa told the then Military tribunal that tried him that the day the Nigerian Army started insulting itself, others will join, so by this book Babangida has insulted himself and others will join”, he submitted.

Furthermore, Vatsa believed that those who advised Babangida to write the “bunch of lies and blackmails” called autobiography have further dented his already battered image, adding that “it would have been better for him to keep quiet than ditching out chunk of lies and deceit far from the truth about yourself as a human being.