Opinion
Exploring AI to bridge digital divide
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By Sonny Aragba-Akpore
As humanity grapples with the race to bridge the digital divide, global inequality remains a threat .
For instance an estimated 2.6 billion people around the world remain offline, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN Agency for Digital Technologies.
While overall Internet use is increasing, the benefits of access are unevenly distributed, reinforcing persistent digital divides affecting women and people in countries with lower economic development.
The elderly and people with disabilities are among other groups being left behind.
“Broadband is fundamental to ensure that everyone can benefit from digital technologies when so many people are still offline around the world,” according to ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Co-Vice Chair of ITU Broadband Commission.
“AI and other emerging technologies can help efforts to achieve universal meaningful connectivity, and it’s our job to make sure this happens in a way that is responsible for people and the planet.”
ITU Broadband Commission recently reviewed progress on its 2025 Advocacy Targets, comprising seven objectives for action in broadband development and universal connectivity. One target for mobile broadband affordability is close to being achieved. A target for gender equality in access to broadband has been achieved for some countries, although not globally.
The Commission noted that AI and emerging technologies can drive progress on broadband and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
But balancing the promotion of AI benefits while managing the challenges is a key task for policy-makers who are “racing to catch up” to the implications of the technologies according to ITU documents.
A worried ITU boss lamented recently about the divide which she and her team think could be addressed before 2030 under the SDGs.
“With one-third of humanity still offline and women and other vulnerable groups on the wrong side of the globe’s digital divides,regulators should raise standards if this one third offline population could be accommodated in the dividends of digital services.”
She spoke at the 2024 Global Regulators Symposium (GSR-2) whose focus was on “Best Practice Guidelines that highlight the innovation, trust, and inclusivity that we need in the policy and regulatory environment,”
She told the regulators that “With change being the only certainty facing regulators and policymakers, we must work together to pursue regulatory approaches to leverage transformative technologies such as AI, promote the space economy, encourage innovation, and support climate action and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
The regulators who met in Kampala,Uganda endorsed a set of guidelines to maximize the benefits of transformative information and communication technologies (ICTs) at the Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR-24) which closed July 4 .
GSR 24 highlighted Africa’s National Broadband Mapping Systems project, supported by the European Commission, to help establish broadband mapping systems to foster investment and digital transformation in Africa. With a budget of EUR 15 million over four years, the project will initially benefit 11 countries: Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The “GSR-24 Best Practice Guidelines” agreed by ICT regulators include a series of considerations for balancing innovation with regulation to create a positive impact on societies and economies from emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).
Prior to the opening of GSR-24, the Regional Regulatory Associations (RA) and Digital Regulation Network (DRN) meeting shared experiences and knowledge as well as areas for collaboration. The meeting also featured the achievements of the successful first year of the DRN, focusing on capacity building, thought leadership, and regulatory experimentation and innovation.
Key activities presented include knowledge sharing through the ITU Academy, the broadband mapping project, capacity building activities, contributions to ITU-D Study Groups, RA participation in interactive workshops and engaging on twinning experiences to learn from other Regional Regulatory Associations.
Also ahead of GSR-24, the Industry Advisory Group on Development Issues and Private Sector Chief Regulatory Officers (IAGDI-CRO) convened industry and private sector thought leaders to share experiences and proposals with regulators to address the complex regulatory and business landscape of digital ecosystems.
Apart from digital infrastructure development, implementation of regulatory ”sandboxes,” strategies to enable high-speed connectivity, participants discussed regulation of the future, including new domains such as AI, and technologies for the future.
A session of Network of Women (NoW) in ITU’s Telecommunication Development Sector at GSR-24 explored mechanisms for greater participation of women in ICT-related fields and addressed the leadership gender gap in the ICT sector.
Ms. Jessica Alupo, Vice-President of the Republic of Uganda, opened GSR-24 on July 1, on behalf of Mr. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda.
Hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN Agency for Digital Technologies – the symposium brought together over 600 participants including Ministers, Heads of Regulatory Authorities, industry executives and academics to discuss pressing regulatory issues.
“We are excited that the GSR provides a platform where all thought leaders, regulators, industry players and other key ICT stakeholders converge to dialogue and set the policy and regulatory agenda that will guide the global digital industry over the near future,” according to Uganda’s Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi.
“Best practice now calls for a coordinated and collaborative approach that is inclusive of all relevant stakeholders – if we are to achieve the impact that we all desire. We commit to align our national policies and regulatory frameworks around the well-thought-out Best Practice Guidelines that will encourage investment, innovation, and growth in the ICT sector.”
Regulators at GSR-24 noted that equal, global access to existing digital services would help countries leverage transformative technologies.
AI, for example, could help network operators conduct better planning and prevent fraud, but it also raises challenges associated with privacy, bias, job displacement, and the reliability of information.
“At GSR-24, we discussed core policy and regulatory issues to maximise the potential of digital technologies to improve lives. We addressed key topics, including new developments in the field of generative AI and robotics, building an inclusive, safe, and sustainable space economy, and required interventions in addressing climate change challenges,” according to Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau adding “We brought the global community of regulators together to strengthen our collective capacity to navigate the fast-changing technology landscape and drive sustainable and inclusive digital transformation. We heard from young innovators and entrepreneurs and adopted action-oriented Best Practice Guidelines to help us chart the course of transformative technologies for positive impact.”
“As we navigate the transformative landscape of digital technologies, the importance of impactful regulation cannot be overstated,” according to the Chairman of GSR-24 and Executive Director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), George William Nyombi Thembo. “Our shared learnings and collaborative efforts are crucial in shaping a regulatory environment that not only fosters innovation but also ensures that the benefits of technological advancements are widely shared. By recognizing the interdependencies with other sectors, we can create a cohesive framework that supports sustainable development, economic growth, and inclusivity. Together, we have the power to turn technology into a force for positive change, illuminating pathways to a brighter, more connected future.”
A session of Network of Women (NoW) in ITU’s Telecommunication Development Sector at GSR-24 explored mechanisms for greater participation of women in ICT-related fields and address the leadership gender gap in the ICT sector.
Opinion
ITU and autonomous Artificial Intelligence
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By Sonny Aragba-Akpore
Most people who are information technology (IT) savvy have some understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI) but beyond textbook knowledge,not many of them truly understand its domestic and autonomous capabilities.
AI is capable of doing virtually everything possible for humanity including possibly how to make babies,so we are told.
When sometime ago,AI was used to conduct a full church service on a Sunday in Europe,it was a marvel.But AI has gone beyond that.
The International Telecommunications Union ( ITU) is thinking outside the box as it prepares ground for autonomous AI by formulation of policies and ground rules.
And these ensure a new wave of autonomous AI—capable of reasoning, acting independently, and scaling at unprecedented speed,rapidly reshaping the technological landscape.
The rise of “agentic AI” and powerful, low-cost AI models is making artificial intelligence cheaper, more widely available, and potentially more energy efficient—but also harder to regulate.
With some prominent CEOs predicting human-level AI within two to three years, concerns are mounting over safety risks, weakened guardrails, and the challenge of responsible governance.
These pressing issues will be the focus of the AI for Good Global Summit 2025, the United Nations’ leading platform advancing AI in service of sustainable development, in Geneva, Switzerland from July 8–11,2025.
The expanded, four-day gathering will also showcase progress on advanced robotics, autonomous mobility, quantum computing, AI in space, and brain-computer interfaces.
Hosted by the ITU,the UN agency for digital technologies, the goal of AI for Good is to identify trustworthy applications of AI, build AI skills and standards, and strengthen global dialogue on AI governance for sustainable development.
“As AI development accelerates, so does the urgency to keep innovation aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “AI for Good is where the world comes together to ensure these technologies are safe, responsible, and leave no one behind.”
At the AI for Good Global Summit 2025, leading experts from governments, industry, academia, civil society, and the UN will explore how AI is reshaping our world, tackling urgent challenges such as safety, employment, sustainability, privacy, security, governance, and its broader societal and economic impacts.
Among the AI visionaries set to present are Geoffrey Hinton, AI pioneer and Nobel Prize winner; Yoshua Bengio, Founder and Scientific Director of Mila – Quebec AI Institute and Turing Award winner; Sasha Luccioni, AI & Climate Lead of open-source AI developer Hugging Face; and other prominent voices.
Responding to the Global Digital Compact, adopted in 2024 by the UN General Assembly, the AI for Good Global Summit 2025 will provide a global platform for dialogue to advance AI governance, standards, and capacity building. As AI adoption accelerates, the Summit aims to inform policies and drive solutions that ensure AI is developed and deployed responsibly, fairly, and for the benefit of all.
Yet, a global AI governance gap persists—an ITU survey found that 55 per cent of Member States lack a national AI strategy, and 85 per cent have no AI-specific regulations.
To address this, the Summit will host ITU’s second AI Governance Day on July 10,focusing on safety, trust, international standards, and bridging the regulatory gap, while also tackling the urgent need to build AI skills and capacity, especially in developing countries.
On July 11 ,2025 the Summit will host an International AI Standards Exchange, bringing together leading global standards bodies to strengthen AI’s technical backbone, ensuring interoperability, safety, and inclusive standards development.
“ITU is driving the development of a trusted and interoperable AI ecosystem,” said Seizo Onoe, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau.
“Our AI standards are supporting innovation in areas from network orchestration and energy efficiency to multimedia coding and content authenticity. Our International AI Standards Exchange will help keep up global momentum on the technical underpinnings of responsible AI.”
The newly established AI for Good Awards, presented in partnership with Tech To The Rescue, will recognize groundbreaking AI solutions that contribute to global progress on sustainable development with categories including AI for People, AI for Planet, and AI for Prosperity. Applications for awards will open soon.
The AI for Good Global Summit is organized by ITU together with 47 partner UN agencies. The yearly event, co-convened by the Government of Switzerland, is free of charge and open to everyone.
This year, AI for Good makes its debut at Palexpo, Geneva’s largest event venue and exposition centre.
Apart from the ITU which has put in place some ground rules in the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning(ML),with International Standard Organisation (ISO),there are ongoing advocacies for entrenchment of ethics to minimise abuse of the use of AI across global communities.
AI ethics are the moral principles that companies and individuals use to guide responsible and fair development and use of AI.
Although there’s currently no wide-scale governing body to write and enforce these rules, many technology companies have adopted their own version of AI ethics or an AI code of conduct.
AI ethics are the set of guiding principles that stakeholders (from engineers to government officials) use to ensure artificial intelligence technology is developed and used responsibly. This means taking a safe, secure, humane, and environmentally friendly approach to AI.
A strong AI code of ethics can include avoiding bias, ensuring privacy of users and their data, and mitigating environmental risks. Codes of ethics in companies and government-led regulatory frameworks are two main ways that AI ethics can be implemented. By covering global and national ethical AI issues, and laying the policy groundwork for ethical AI in companies, both approaches help regulate AI technology.
The future will see large parts of our lives influenced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. Machines can execute repetitive tasks with complete precision, and with recent advances in AI, machines are gaining the ability to learn, improve and make calculated decisions in ways that will enable them to perform tasks previously thought to rely on human experience, creativity, and ingenuity.
AI innovation will be central to the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by capitalizing on the unprecedented quantities of data now being generated on sentiment behavior, human health, commerce, communications, migration and more.
ITU will provide a neutral platform for government, industry and academia to build a common understanding of the capabilities of emerging AI technologies and consequent needs for technical standardization and policy guidance.
Countries must put in conscious efforts to mitigate the dangers of deployment if they want to achieve positive results.
Speaking during a digital press briefing on the review of the: “Global Inclusivity and AI-Africa Conference” as well as its responsible use, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Joy Basu, stated that while it was great to grab the opportunities provided by the use of AI, the world must also learn to reduce its negative impact.
“Many of us know the risks that are both applicable in Africa but also in the United States.
There’s a lot of humility we have about understanding that none of us can control these risks alone and that it will really be a global conversation.
“You also have a number of risks particularly around elections. This is a year where so many countries are voting, including our own, and we all have to be aware of those risks.
“Regardless of the ways in which the risks manifest, one key mitigating solution that was discussed is ensuring that our populations are AI-equipped and are AI-ready and that they have not only the skills to take advantage of an AI workforce, but they have the critical thinking skills to be able to assess truth from fiction and disinformation and understand what those risks are and the way that they interact with AI,” Basu said.
She added that there was also a robust conversation throughout the conference about these various concerns as well as about the lack of certain kinds of data and languages and making sure these AI models are built in ways that are inclusive.
When the ITU hosted the yearly Global Seminar for Regulators(GSR),in Kampala,Uganda,in early in July 2024,Secretary General, Bogdan-Martin told the regulators that “With change being the only certainty facing regulators and policymakers, we must work together to pursue regulatory approaches to leverage transformative technologies such as AI, promote the space economy, encourage innovation, and support climate action and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
The regulators who met in Kampala,Uganda endorsed a set of guidelines to maximize the benefits of transformative information and communication technologies (ICTs) at the Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR-24) which closed July 4 .
GSR 24 highlighted Africa’s National Broadband Mapping Systems project, supported by the European Commission, to help establish broadband mapping systems to foster investment and digital transformation in Africa.
With a budget of EUR 15 million over four years, the project will initially benefit 11 countries: Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The “GSR-24 Best Practice Guidelines” agreed by ICT regulators include a series of considerations for balancing innovation with regulation to create a positive impact on societies and economies from emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).
Opinion
*OBASANJO’S WEEKEND PILGRIMAGE TO VATSA’S VILLAGE*
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By Tunde Olusunle
*Mamman Vatsa Writers Village,* tucked amidst igneous rocks and ranges, vales and valleys in Abuja’s *Mpape District* is rapidly contesting the medal of Nigeria’s most vibrant headquarters of literary activity. The physical location of the ever-growing permanent headquarters of the Association of Nigerian Authors, (ANA), was, for several decades after it was allocated to ANA in 1986, a forlorn wasteland. The soldier-poet, Mamman Jiya Vatsa, who was a member of the association and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, (FCTA) in his time, was concerned about the serial mendicant nomadism of the association. ANA forever quested, cap in hand, for host states across the country, for its activities. Vatsa, an army General and poet himself, concurred with the request of ANA’s primordial leadership, for a settled operational address and allocated the present site, to the association. The bounteous parcel of land survived attempted takeovers by successive regimes and capricious trespassing. These chopped off nearly half its original span of over 60 hectares.
Under the leadership of Denja Abdullahi a few years ago, ANA secured partnership with *KMVL,* a construction firm headed by Kolawole Shaw, also a retired military officer, for the actualization of the dream of structured physical development of the hectarage. The breathtaking, still-in-progress complex, already features well paved, substantially tarred network of roads complete with drainages. There is a large auditorium, parking areas, secretariat, library, luxury suites, apartments, bars and African-themed gazebos. There are residential blocks by way of fully detached, semi-detached and terraced houses. There is even a modern shopping centre, as part of the enterprise of making the village self-sufficient. The names of famous Nigerian writers echo from the doors and signages of structures and facilities, beginning with the revered African master storyteller, Chinua Achebe, after whom the conference centre is christened.
*Chairman of the Abuja chapter of ANA, Arc Chukwudi Eze, (left) and former FCT Minister, Engr Muhammad Abba-Gana, CON, welcoming former President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, to the weekend ANA event in Abuja.*
The secretariat of the association pays tribute to Emeritus Professor Femi Osofisan, one of Africa’s most profound and most prolific dramatists. Suites in the residential area, voice the names of past leaders of ANA, notably Odia Ofeimun, Kole Omotoso, Abubakar Gimba, Olu Obafemi, Wale Okediran, Jerry Agada, Remi Raji and Denja Abdullahi. The two-storey standalone “writers residency” is tribute to the memory of former ANA President and Ogoni rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa. A prominent playwright, novelist and essayist, Saro-Wiwa was, sadly, executed alongside eight others under the military government of Sani Abacha in 1995. They were allegedly complicit in the murder of four of their kinsmen, months earlier, a development which stirred restlessness in the oil producing area. The *Mamman Vatsa Writers Village* is rapidly assuming the status of the new *Mecca* for African literature, an evolving pearl of the continent.
Between the monthly activities of the Abuja segment of ANA and the quarterly events organised by the national body, the writers’ facility is regularly kept alive. Literary juggernauts like Osofisan, Obafemi, Ofeimun, Ernest Emenyonu, Okediran, Raji, Abdullahi, Niyi Osundare, Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Shamshudeen Amali, Idris Amali, Al-Bishak, Udenta Udenta and Sunnie Ododo, have been guests and pilgrims at the resort. Same for Tony Afejuku, Razinat Mohammed, Mabel Evwierhoma, Dul Johnson, Joe Ushie, Maria Ajima, Rasheed Na’Allah, Amanze Akpuda, Greg Mbajiorgu, Isiaka Aliagan, and indeed the recently transited literary luminary, Nuhu Yaqub. The diaspora component of Nigeria’s formidable literary harvest, as well as foreign writers, are also regular callers at the village. Voices and laughters; “hi fives” and backslaps, typically activate and enliven the slumbering boulders and sleeping bedrocks in the commune, whenever literary adherents, pilgrimage.
Saturday February 22, 2025, the Mamman Vatsa Writers Village hosted an unusual guest. The airwaves had become frenzied weeks and days before when it became public knowledge that the first President in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, Olusegun Obasanjo, would be the distinguished guest at the month’s edition of the regular reading and writer’s dialogue. The planning was competently steered by the Abuja zone of ANA, led by Chukwudi Eze, the veteran architect who designed the *Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library,* Abeokuta, Africa’s first such purpose-built resource. Obasanjo was to speak to the topic: *The Writer’s Role in Nation Building and Africa’s First Presidential Library.* Obasanjo’s life and career as a soldier; military Head of State; world statesman; death row prisoner; democratically elected President, traversing aeons and times, has spawned a luminous repertoire of books and publications. These include *My Command,* (1980); *Nzeogwu,* (1987); *Africa Embattled* (1988) and *Not My Will,* (1990). There are also *This Animal Called Man,* (1998), and *My Watch,* (2014), which is a hefty three-volume work. To be doubly sure, Obasanjo’s oeuvre spans over two dozen books straddling several subjects and preoccupations.
A three-man panel made up of Professors Emeka Aniagolu of Veritas University, Abuja; Razinat Mohammed, University of Abuja and Onyinye Nwagbara of the Nigerian Defence Academy, (NDA), were billed to engage with Obasanjo. The imminence of Obasanjo’s return flight, however, altered the plan. Obasanjo opted to speak to the first part of the topic, the role of the writer in nation building, deferring the discourse on the presidential library until another encounter. He decried the poor reading culture in Nigeria which is on the rise, and warned it could be antithetical to the preserved of the nation’s literary heritage. According to him, Nigeria has produced some of the world’s finest and most respected writers, a situation which he observed compels the evolution of new writers to sustain the trajectory. Obasanjo noted that despite the advantages provided by technological advancement, many youths do not apply themselves to the grindstone of rigorous reading and intellection. He noted that if this *laissez-faire* attitude is not corrected, it could backlash vis-a-vis the emergence of uninformed and incompetent leaders. The former President noted that the internet provides limitless opportunities which must be leveraged by the younger generation. His words: “Many of them no longer do serious reading. Reading makes an effective and productive human being. A reader is a leader, a leader must not necessarily be a writer but must be a reader to be up to speed with trends and happenings.”
Speaking further, Obasanjo noted that “Nigeria is blessed with good writers who have used their craft in nation building and one of such distinguished authors is Chinua Achebe. He showcased Nigeria’s culture to the world and elevated our culture in his writings.” The former President charged the youths to take bold steps in shaping their own futures rather than wait for opportunities to drop on their laps. He noted that the recurring mismanagement of the nation’s human and material resources were at the roots of the nation’s travails. He canvassed the application of political will in the nation’s policy formulation and execution, noting that limited bureaucratese in military dispensations was instrumental to better effectiveness under martial rulership. He commended ANA for its impressive work in developing the writers village and in championing initiatives to inspire up and coming writers.
ANA Abuja Chairman, Chukwudi Eze noted that the power of writing is evident in the motivational phrase: “Give me liberty or give me death,” which birthed the American revolution and built the nation into a global colossus. He thanked Obasanjo for according him the special privilege of designing the Abeokuta-based presidential library. He applauded Obasanjo’s initiation of the *Africa Leadership Forum,* (ALF) back in the days, which sought to broaden the worldview of the continent’s potential leaders. Eze expressed the hope that Nigerian leaders across levels will emulate Obasanjo’s uncommon Pan-Nigerianism and the placement of competence and merit, over and above clannish parochialism. ANA National President, Usman Oladipo Akanbi who flew in from Ilorin for the programme, thanked Obasanjo for the honour done to the association by his keeping a date with the writers body like he promised. The gesture, he noted will spur the association to greater heights. Akanbi noted that the former President indeed brightened the weekend of youths and teenage students who attended the event, who never believed they would ever see him in flesh and blood.
Former Minister of the FCTA, Muhammad Abba-Gana, CON, who attended the event, commended Obasanjo for liberalising property ownership in Abuja by approving the mass housing scheme, proposed during his period in office as Minister. He observed that before Obasanjo’s coming, workers were predominantly resident in faraway communities and had to commute through the stress of heavy vehicular traffic to the city centre everyday, and back home. Abba Gana acknowledged Obasanjo’s courageous liquidation of Nigeria’s foreign financial commitments and his bequeathal of a very robust foreign reserve to the successor administration. Senator Shehu Sani who shared the same section of a jailhouse with Obasanjo when they were both incarcerated by former military leader, Sani Abacha, was equally in attendance. A published author himself, he applauded Nigerian authors for deploying their creativity to drive societal change towards the attainment of an egalitarian nation.
Jerry Alagbaoso, a former Member of the House of Representatives and prolific playwright; former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Shamshudeen Amali, and Obasanjo’s private secretary during his stint as military Head of State, Ambassador Albert Omotayo, were also at the programme. The Chinese Embassy was represented at the gathering by a three-man delegation led by Yang Jianxing, the Cultural Counsellor and Director of the Chinese Cultural Centre in Nigeria. Al Bishak, Vicky Sylvester Molemodile, Professors at the Federal University Lafia and the University of Abuja, respectively, and Colonel Shaw, lead developer of the ANA behemoth and member of the association by adoption, were also present. Etim Oqua, a retired police Commissioner and Otunba Abiodun Fagboun, graced the occasion. On Obasanjo’s entourage were his longstanding ally, Otunba Oyewole Fasawe and Obasanjo’s children, Obabiyi, and Funke. Obasanjo received an ANA-branded commemorative souvenir presented by Usman Akanbi, in recognition of his untiring contributions to national development, through the decades.
*Tunde Olusunle, PhD, Fellow of the Association of Nigerian Authors, (FANA), is an Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Abuja*
Opinion
*How Prof. Osinbajo Embodies The Essence Of IBB’s 440-Page Autobiography,*
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By Emmanuel Ajibulu*
Nigeria’s former Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, impressively displayed the strength of his academic prowess during the moment he was giving insights into the autobiography of former military President, General (rtd.) Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, “A Journey In Service” just as he described IBB as one of Nigeria’s most enigmatic leaders, stating that his highly publicized literary and scholarly work offers a rare perception into the life and times of the former leader.
Professor Osinbajo beautifully embodied the essence of the moment, he was honest without pretenses or masks and also exhibited his true feelings and thoughts. He further climaxed the high profile event with a good sense of humour that wrapped everyone with laughter, particularly when he jokingly remarked that President Bola Tinubu GCFR, was now celebrating with his former tormentors.
The book which chronicled major events that characterized the June 12, 1993 presidential poll, which was launched on Thursday, February 20, 2025 at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton, was described by Osinbajo as “an important book.”
Osinbajo, who was the book reviewer, held the audience spellbound while giving a brilliant assessment of the 440-page autobiography that tells the important and intriguing story of one of the most important days in Nigeria’s history and the events surrounding it.
He described the book as “the story of stories; it is the story of our nation.”
He said IBB was one of the most charismatic and enigmatic leaders of the country, making his memoir a valuable addition to history.
He said Babangida gave his views on all the major national events that defined his eight-year rule as Nigeria’s military president.
Quoting excerpts from the book, he said IBB explained his role in stopping the 13 February 1976 coup attempt led by Lieutenant Colonel Bukar Suwa Dimka.
Lt. Dimka, who was later executed along with other officers, had attempted to overthrow the government of General Murtala Mohammed.
Dimka and IBB were family friends.
The book also explains why another IBB friend, Maman Vatsa, was implicated in the 1986 coup that led to his execution.
Osinbajo also explains the relationship between IBB, Generals Yakubu Gowon, T.Y. Danjuma and Abdulsalam Abubakar as narrated by the author, which has led to mutual respect amongst them.
It was Gowon who inspired IBB, Abubakar and eight others to enlist in the army after he visited their secondary school and gave a talk.
The students then were impressed by Gowon’s smart dress and motivational talk.
Perhaps, the most shocking revelation in the book is IBB’s admission that late M.K.O Abiola won the June 12, 2023 presidential election which he annulled.
Osinbajo teased the audience with a few details about what led to the annulment before telling his listeners to find out from the book who ordered the annulment!
He got a standing ovation after his masterful delivery which was commended by IBB and his son Mohammed.
Also during the former VP’s review, he reminisced how Tinubu, then a senator, resisted the dissolution of the Senate under Sani Abacha, following the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
“And then, of course, there’s a gentleman here who was an elected senator in 1992 because of Babangida’s transition programme,” the former vice-president said.
“When Babangida annulled the 1993 election and General Abacha took over, dissolved the senate, that senator tried to reconstitute the senate in resistance to the dissolution.
“He was detained, charged to court, and later escaped into exile. Today, he is here, celebrating with his former tormentors—but as the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu.”
A book that will not end the debate
Concluding his remarks, Osinbajo described Journeys in Service as an engaging and insightful account of Babangida’s life.
“By any standard, this is an extraordinary book. Babangida tells his story with remarkable wit, insight, and a vivid sense of place. His storytelling ability is undeniable,” he said.
However, he noted that the book would not silence debates or end controversies surrounding Babangida’s rule.
“The questions will persist, the criticisms will continue, but that has always been the nature of the Babangida phenomenon. He remains, as ever, a force of history.”
Osinbajo urged Nigerians to read the book, saying it offers a chance to engage with history from Babangida’s own perspective.
“Babangida in his own words—this is a book we must all read,” he concluded.
Without doubt, Prof. Osinbajo last Thursday reaffirmed that he is a brilliant lawyer and consummate teacher of the law, his works as the former Attorney-General of Lagos State is still a reference point. As Vice President, he made indelible impacts to national growth and development, and was very dutiful in his assignments.
His eloquence is applaudable, His mastery of the English also stands him out.
●Ajibulu is a seasoned media practitioner, infopreneur, writer, PR consultant, publisher/editor-in-chief of Veracity Desk (veracitydesk.com) an online magazine ([email protected]).
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