Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), the former Military Head of State, has revealed why some military officers mistakenly believed he was Yoruba during his early career.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
According to Babangida, the majority of military officers mistakenly thought that his name, “Badamasi,” was the Yoruba name, “Gbadamosi.” The former military head of state claimed that in order to make his identity more clear, he took on his father’s name, Babangida. Babangida is a native of Niger State’s Minna. Babangida revealed this in his book, A Journey in Service: In January 1964, as 2nd Lt. Ibrahim Badamasi, with personal Army number N/438, I returned to Nigeria from India. I was immediately assigned to First Brigade, Kaduna’s reconnaissance unit, also known as the “Turaki” unit.
Brigadier Samuel Adesujo Ademulegun was the First Brigade’s overall commander, but young officers rarely interacted with him. My immediate commanders were Major Okpo Isong, Major Hassan Katsina, and Major Chris Anuforo. In their various ways, these senior commanders showed me a great deal of kindness.
However, a specific circumstance forced me to add “Babangida” to my name before I settled down to work at the First Brigade. Officers frequently asked me whether I was Yoruba during official encounters that resulted in my deployment to Kaduna because they mistook my last name, “Badamasi,” for the Yoruba name “Gbadamosi.”
“That question had also been asked during my military enlistment interview a few years prior. I made the decision to adopt my father’s second name as my last name because that question kept coming up and I knew I wasn’t Yoruba. And I recall making a joke about it at the time, saying, “I am still my father’s son regardless of the name change!” “After returning from India, I was placed on probation for months, as is common with young people just starting out in the field, particularly those enrolled in courses abroad. A final report stating that I was well and prepared for work eventually came in.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
