Nigeria was ruled by Major General Ibrahim Babangida in 1985 following the successful overthrow of General Muhammadu Buhari. Nigeria was on the verge of a new era in the turbulent year 1985. As Major General Ibrahim Babangida got ready to address the country and the world, the echoes of a military coup that had toppled General Muhammadu Buhari continued to reverberate. Babangida realized that the eyes of the country and the whole community were on him now that he carried the responsibility of leadership.
A new 28-member ruling council, which would take the place of the defunct Military Council of the overthrown Buhari, was sworn in by Babangida in a solemn ceremony. Numerous faces in the room were recognizable; these were former members of the previous administration, now entrusted with leading Nigeria through these uncertain times.
To maintain stability in the military structure, senior leaders such as Defense Minister Domkat Bali, Air Force Chief Ibrahim Alfa, Navy Commander Augustus Aikhomu, and Police Chief Etim Inyang were reappointed. Major-General Sani Abacha, a pivotal player in the coup that had overthrown the civilian government only two years before, was one of them. Now, Abacha took over the influential post of Chief of Army Staff, which Babangida had previously occupied.
Additionally, the prominent post of Chief of Staff at Supreme Headquarters had been eliminated by the incoming leader in earlier administrations. During the coup, Major-General Tunde Idiagbon, the person who had held the position, was stuck in Saudi Arabia while on a religious pilgrimage, signifying the profound reforms Babangida was implementing to the nation’s government. Babangida took quick action to bring things back to normal despite the uncertainty. The curfew that had made Lagos and other state capital’ streets gloomy was lifted. Airports and seaports that had been quiet during the shutdown began to humm. The country’s land borders, which had been blocked for more than a year, remained sealed even after communications were resumed.
