Nigerian entrepreneurs and businesses are strategizing in Lagos to maximize opportunities at the upcoming 2025 Spring Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China, set to begin in mid-April.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Video - Nigeria partners with China Foreign Trade Centre to unlock new markets
Nigerian entrepreneurs and businesses are strategizing in Lagos to maximize opportunities at the upcoming 2025 Spring Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China, set to begin in mid-April.
Video - Experts say Nigeria’s fuel truck ban won’t curb accidents
Energy analysts have criticized Nigeria’s ban on fuel trucks carrying up to 60,000 liters, arguing that improving road conditions would be a more effective way to prevent tanker accidents and explosions. The government announced the ban as part of efforts to enhance road safety.
What travelers need to know about Nigeria's updated visa-on-arrival policy
This clarification on the updated visa-on-arrival policy follows a meeting between the Director General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, and the Honourable Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The meeting aimed to discuss the VoA process, address concerns, and reaffirm the government’s stance on the initiative.
The decision to halt the visa-on-arrival policy in Nigeria has raised fears and panic among investors as it threatens to hinder business travel, discourage foreign investment, and create uncertainty about the country’s commitment to ease of doing business.
The meeting aimed to discuss the VoA process, address concerns, and reaffirm the government’s stance on the initiative.
The decision to halt the visa-on-arrival policy in Nigeria has raised fears and panic among investors as it threatens to hinder business travel, discourage foreign investment, and create uncertainty about the country’s commitment to ease of doing business.
Nigeria’s visa-on-arrival policy
Nigeria’s old Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) policy allowed passport holders from African Union (AU) member states and citizens of all countries to obtain visas upon arrival for short visits, tourism, business, or emergency relief work.
It also extended to Nigerians in the diaspora with dual citizenship, infants born abroad, and former citizens who had renounced their nationality.
The policy was designed to simplify entry procedures by allowing eligible travelers to obtain visas at international airports rather than at embassies or consulates.
However, it was not available at land border crossings. Travelers were required to meet documentation and fee requirements before receiving entry approval upon arrival.
Recently, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the government's plan to discontinue the Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) policy, citing it as “unsustainable” and a potential security risk.
According to the minister, it is essential to have prior knowledge of a traveler’s arrival in Nigeria. “I don’t expect you to just come to my country without me knowing you’re coming in. No, it’s never done anywhere,” he stated.
However, security experts have raised concerns about potential lapses, warning that relying solely on port-of-entry document submissions may hinder thorough vetting of travelers.
To enhance security, the government plans to deploy an Advance Passenger Information system at land borders.
Tunji-Ojo confirmed that by April 1, 2025, the current VoA system will be replaced with stricter pre-arrival clearance and screening processes to improve traveler tracking and strengthen border security.
Nigeria’s old Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) policy allowed passport holders from African Union (AU) member states and citizens of all countries to obtain visas upon arrival for short visits, tourism, business, or emergency relief work.
It also extended to Nigerians in the diaspora with dual citizenship, infants born abroad, and former citizens who had renounced their nationality.
The policy was designed to simplify entry procedures by allowing eligible travelers to obtain visas at international airports rather than at embassies or consulates.
However, it was not available at land border crossings. Travelers were required to meet documentation and fee requirements before receiving entry approval upon arrival.
Recently, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the government's plan to discontinue the Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) policy, citing it as “unsustainable” and a potential security risk.
According to the minister, it is essential to have prior knowledge of a traveler’s arrival in Nigeria. “I don’t expect you to just come to my country without me knowing you’re coming in. No, it’s never done anywhere,” he stated.
However, security experts have raised concerns about potential lapses, warning that relying solely on port-of-entry document submissions may hinder thorough vetting of travelers.
To enhance security, the government plans to deploy an Advance Passenger Information system at land borders.
Tunji-Ojo confirmed that by April 1, 2025, the current VoA system will be replaced with stricter pre-arrival clearance and screening processes to improve traveler tracking and strengthen border security.
VoA: Cancellation or upgrading?
The minister’s policy has, however, drawn significant criticism and concern, with some sectors warning that the move could discourage investors unwilling to endure long visa application queues.
In response, the Director General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) engaged with the Minister of Interior to gather more information on the policy.
During the meeting, the minister reassured the DG that the Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) process is not being scrapped but rather upgraded to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
He clarified that travelers will still be able to apply online for short-stay visas, with approvals granted within 24 to 48 hours.
Tunji-Ojo added that individuals must fill out a landing card, which will be integrated with the visa solution, passport solution, and global background checking systems, prior to arrival. According to him, the ministry will share this data with other agencies worldwide to sanitize the process.
Once approved, the visa will be sent directly to the applicant’s email, eliminating the need for a physical sticker upon arrival.
This upgrade builds on the existing online approval system, streamlining the process and ensuring travelers receive approvals before departure.
The enhanced system aims to eliminate inefficiencies, improve automation, and strengthen Nigeria’s control over traveler inflows.
By modernizing the visa process, Nigeria moves closer to creating a more business-friendly environment and attracting foreign investment.
The minister’s policy has, however, drawn significant criticism and concern, with some sectors warning that the move could discourage investors unwilling to endure long visa application queues.
In response, the Director General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) engaged with the Minister of Interior to gather more information on the policy.
During the meeting, the minister reassured the DG that the Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) process is not being scrapped but rather upgraded to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
He clarified that travelers will still be able to apply online for short-stay visas, with approvals granted within 24 to 48 hours.
Tunji-Ojo added that individuals must fill out a landing card, which will be integrated with the visa solution, passport solution, and global background checking systems, prior to arrival. According to him, the ministry will share this data with other agencies worldwide to sanitize the process.
Once approved, the visa will be sent directly to the applicant’s email, eliminating the need for a physical sticker upon arrival.
This upgrade builds on the existing online approval system, streamlining the process and ensuring travelers receive approvals before departure.
The enhanced system aims to eliminate inefficiencies, improve automation, and strengthen Nigeria’s control over traveler inflows.
By modernizing the visa process, Nigeria moves closer to creating a more business-friendly environment and attracting foreign investment.
By Solomon Ekanem, Business Insider Africa
Chinese EVs Make Inroads in Nigeria as Gasoline Prices Rise
On an untarred road in Nigeria’s upmarket neighborhood of Victoria Island in Lagos, a fairly modest looking car dealership has been drawing attention.
The showroom floor of Saglev, an independent electric vehicle dealer in Nigeria’s largest city, showcases several car models with unfamiliar names for most Nigerians: Voyah, Nammi and Mhero — all made by Chinese automaker Dongfeng Motor Group Co. Three Saglev-branded luxury EV sedans parked in front of the showroom turn a few drivers’ heads as they pass by in gasoline-fueled cars.
While the EV revolution is well underway in many parts of the world, the idea of charging up a car with electrons is still somewhat bemusing in the West Africa nation where half of the population have no access to electricity, and the other experiences frequently interrupted power.
Yet after gasoline prices began to soar in Nigeria in 2023, EV proponents saw an opportunity to pitch their wares to the millions of drivers across Africa’s most populated nation. There are now at least 10 dealerships across Nigeria pushing two- and four-wheel EVs, mainly from Chinese makers. Separately, efforts are underway to build up a nationwide EV charging infrastructure and Saglev is even backing a domestic manufacturing facility to build zero emissions vehicles.
Rather than be deterred by the notoriously erratic power supply in Nigeria, investors see EVs as a savvy long-term bet in a country that needs to quickly switch to reliable clean power for cost reasons alone.
“The actual EV story in Africa is not actually climate change but economic,” said Saglev Chief Executive Sam Faleye, a native Nigerian who left his medical practice in the US to go into EVs in Africa. He has partnered with Chinese EV maker Dongfeng to annually assemble up to 2,500 units in Nigeria by as early as this year.
Until two years ago, gasoline in Nigeria was among the cheapest globally as the country spent about $10 billion annually to keep the fuel affordable for its largely poor population. That changed in May 2023, when newly elected President Bola Tinubu put an end to the costly practice that was pushing the nation into a fiscal crisis. Subsidies were consuming nearly half of government income, while debt service took the remainder. Pump prices of gasoline subsequently soared more than fivefold, leaving many people struggling to keep their cars on the road.
To cushion the pain of higher fuel costs, the government has been urging car owners to convert their vehicles to ones running on compressed natural gas.
At the same time, Faleye said, the case for EVs has been improving — especially for electric ride-hailing drivers who had to stop work after gasoline subsidies ended.
“Today a ride hailing driver in a small vehicle will need almost 18,000 to 20,000 naira ($11.91 to ($13.23) for petrol for the day,” he said. “It’s less than 4,000 naira for the electric vehicle.”
With an average daily income of about 13,000 naira for a ride-hailing driver in Lagos, according to service provider Bolt Technology OU, the jump in gasoline prices made the service unprofitable.
While the lower cost of operating an EV makes it attractive, its prospects might at first look dim in a country that supplies only 4 gigawatts of electricity for its over 200 million citizens. As a comparison, South Africa with about one fourth of Nigeria’s population generates about 25 gigawatts.
In Nigeria, households and businesses cover the energy shortfall with gasoline-powered generators. This means in the near term, EVs charged at home will likely be fueled by dirty power systems, which is paradoxical to the advantages the clean cars are supposed to bring. Over time though, renewable energy will play a bigger role in meeting Nigeria’s electricity needs.
BloombergNEF expects solar installations in Nigeria to soar. The researcher had to completely revamp its forecasts after gasoline prices surged in 2023. It currently sees Nigeria’s solar capacity increasing to as much as 21.5 gigawatts by the end of the decade, compared with only around 1 gigawatt a couple of years ago.
Jenny Chase, an analyst for BloombergNEF, said one indication that solar is already taking off at a great clip is customs data show in 2024, $150 million of solar panels — about 1.5 gigawatts — left China for Nigeria. “It isn’t clear where they have gone, but most likely they have been installed on homes and businesses to help people generate power independent of the grid and without burning expensive diesel and gasoline,” she said. “This trend is likely to continue, as solar modules are now incredibly cheap.”
Already more than 7 million Nigerians in rural areas are now able to access power via decentralized renewable projects. Siemens AG is also working with the government on a $2.3 billion project to improve transmission and distribution.
Meanwhile, Sterling Bank is backing an initiative through Qoray Mobility to build a network of EV charging stations across Nigeria, with a little more than a dozen deployed so far. The bank funded the first publicly available EV-fueling station in the business district of Lagos. “That station has been running for nearly a year now charging some of the most sophisticated electric vehicles, the Tesla of this world to the BYDs and the rest,” said Olabanjo Alimi, head of renewable energy and mobility at Lagos-based Sterling Bank.
Arguably the biggest obstacle for the expansion of EVs across Nigeria, however, is upfront cost. An estimated 87 million Nigerians were living below the poverty line in 2023, according to the World Bank, making it the world’s second-largest poor population after India.
For some EV proponents, the answer is to focus on just two- or three-wheel EVs, which are cheaper to make and buy. Adetayo Bamiduro, chief executive and co-founder of Max, a Nigerian vehicle subscription startup, said his company is aiming to deploy around 100,000 EVs — mainly two-wheelers — in Nigeria and other African countries over the next five years. “Max is mainly focused on two-wheeler EVs because of affordability,” he said. “A lot more people can afford to buy an electric motorcycle than buy a an electric car.”
There are a mix of private and public solutions to make EV purchases more financially feasible. As part of its Qoray initiative, Sterling Bank is providing buyers of EVs loans for up to 90% of the value of a vehicle with repayment spread over five years.
The government is also offering incentives as it aims for 30% of domestic car production to be EVs by 2032. It announced in October last year a value-added tax exemption for EVs in a bid to promote usage and reduce greenhouse emissions in line with its net-zero target by 2060. EV dealers can also get additional tariff waivers with a so-called import duty certificate.
Faleye said the exemption has made EVs cheaper when compared to their gasoline counterparts, while Chinese EVs are almost cost competitive on their own. “Today the electric vehicles coming out of China, cost wise, quality wise you can’t get anywhere in the world,” he said.
The potential to scale-up business is also key. Alimi noted that any slice of the vehicle market in a country as populous as Nigeria can give a good return in the long term.
“There are 12 million registered vehicles on Nigerian roads,” he said. “At some point in time, these 12 million registered cars on Nigerian roads will begin to have some electric vehicle [in the] mix.”
By Anthony Osae-Brown and Emele Onu, Bloomberg
The showroom floor of Saglev, an independent electric vehicle dealer in Nigeria’s largest city, showcases several car models with unfamiliar names for most Nigerians: Voyah, Nammi and Mhero — all made by Chinese automaker Dongfeng Motor Group Co. Three Saglev-branded luxury EV sedans parked in front of the showroom turn a few drivers’ heads as they pass by in gasoline-fueled cars.
While the EV revolution is well underway in many parts of the world, the idea of charging up a car with electrons is still somewhat bemusing in the West Africa nation where half of the population have no access to electricity, and the other experiences frequently interrupted power.
Yet after gasoline prices began to soar in Nigeria in 2023, EV proponents saw an opportunity to pitch their wares to the millions of drivers across Africa’s most populated nation. There are now at least 10 dealerships across Nigeria pushing two- and four-wheel EVs, mainly from Chinese makers. Separately, efforts are underway to build up a nationwide EV charging infrastructure and Saglev is even backing a domestic manufacturing facility to build zero emissions vehicles.
Rather than be deterred by the notoriously erratic power supply in Nigeria, investors see EVs as a savvy long-term bet in a country that needs to quickly switch to reliable clean power for cost reasons alone.
“The actual EV story in Africa is not actually climate change but economic,” said Saglev Chief Executive Sam Faleye, a native Nigerian who left his medical practice in the US to go into EVs in Africa. He has partnered with Chinese EV maker Dongfeng to annually assemble up to 2,500 units in Nigeria by as early as this year.
Until two years ago, gasoline in Nigeria was among the cheapest globally as the country spent about $10 billion annually to keep the fuel affordable for its largely poor population. That changed in May 2023, when newly elected President Bola Tinubu put an end to the costly practice that was pushing the nation into a fiscal crisis. Subsidies were consuming nearly half of government income, while debt service took the remainder. Pump prices of gasoline subsequently soared more than fivefold, leaving many people struggling to keep their cars on the road.
To cushion the pain of higher fuel costs, the government has been urging car owners to convert their vehicles to ones running on compressed natural gas.
At the same time, Faleye said, the case for EVs has been improving — especially for electric ride-hailing drivers who had to stop work after gasoline subsidies ended.
“Today a ride hailing driver in a small vehicle will need almost 18,000 to 20,000 naira ($11.91 to ($13.23) for petrol for the day,” he said. “It’s less than 4,000 naira for the electric vehicle.”
With an average daily income of about 13,000 naira for a ride-hailing driver in Lagos, according to service provider Bolt Technology OU, the jump in gasoline prices made the service unprofitable.
While the lower cost of operating an EV makes it attractive, its prospects might at first look dim in a country that supplies only 4 gigawatts of electricity for its over 200 million citizens. As a comparison, South Africa with about one fourth of Nigeria’s population generates about 25 gigawatts.
In Nigeria, households and businesses cover the energy shortfall with gasoline-powered generators. This means in the near term, EVs charged at home will likely be fueled by dirty power systems, which is paradoxical to the advantages the clean cars are supposed to bring. Over time though, renewable energy will play a bigger role in meeting Nigeria’s electricity needs.
BloombergNEF expects solar installations in Nigeria to soar. The researcher had to completely revamp its forecasts after gasoline prices surged in 2023. It currently sees Nigeria’s solar capacity increasing to as much as 21.5 gigawatts by the end of the decade, compared with only around 1 gigawatt a couple of years ago.
Jenny Chase, an analyst for BloombergNEF, said one indication that solar is already taking off at a great clip is customs data show in 2024, $150 million of solar panels — about 1.5 gigawatts — left China for Nigeria. “It isn’t clear where they have gone, but most likely they have been installed on homes and businesses to help people generate power independent of the grid and without burning expensive diesel and gasoline,” she said. “This trend is likely to continue, as solar modules are now incredibly cheap.”
Already more than 7 million Nigerians in rural areas are now able to access power via decentralized renewable projects. Siemens AG is also working with the government on a $2.3 billion project to improve transmission and distribution.
Meanwhile, Sterling Bank is backing an initiative through Qoray Mobility to build a network of EV charging stations across Nigeria, with a little more than a dozen deployed so far. The bank funded the first publicly available EV-fueling station in the business district of Lagos. “That station has been running for nearly a year now charging some of the most sophisticated electric vehicles, the Tesla of this world to the BYDs and the rest,” said Olabanjo Alimi, head of renewable energy and mobility at Lagos-based Sterling Bank.
Arguably the biggest obstacle for the expansion of EVs across Nigeria, however, is upfront cost. An estimated 87 million Nigerians were living below the poverty line in 2023, according to the World Bank, making it the world’s second-largest poor population after India.
For some EV proponents, the answer is to focus on just two- or three-wheel EVs, which are cheaper to make and buy. Adetayo Bamiduro, chief executive and co-founder of Max, a Nigerian vehicle subscription startup, said his company is aiming to deploy around 100,000 EVs — mainly two-wheelers — in Nigeria and other African countries over the next five years. “Max is mainly focused on two-wheeler EVs because of affordability,” he said. “A lot more people can afford to buy an electric motorcycle than buy a an electric car.”
There are a mix of private and public solutions to make EV purchases more financially feasible. As part of its Qoray initiative, Sterling Bank is providing buyers of EVs loans for up to 90% of the value of a vehicle with repayment spread over five years.
The government is also offering incentives as it aims for 30% of domestic car production to be EVs by 2032. It announced in October last year a value-added tax exemption for EVs in a bid to promote usage and reduce greenhouse emissions in line with its net-zero target by 2060. EV dealers can also get additional tariff waivers with a so-called import duty certificate.
Faleye said the exemption has made EVs cheaper when compared to their gasoline counterparts, while Chinese EVs are almost cost competitive on their own. “Today the electric vehicles coming out of China, cost wise, quality wise you can’t get anywhere in the world,” he said.
The potential to scale-up business is also key. Alimi noted that any slice of the vehicle market in a country as populous as Nigeria can give a good return in the long term.
“There are 12 million registered vehicles on Nigerian roads,” he said. “At some point in time, these 12 million registered cars on Nigerian roads will begin to have some electric vehicle [in the] mix.”
Gen 'IBB' Babangida’s book: Former Nigerian military ruler reveals all
Nigeria's former military ruler Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, known as IBB, has released a new autobiography including several revelations about the turbulent times while he was in charge of the country from 1985 to 1993.
A Journey In Service has got Nigerians talking and reflecting on what might have been if things had turned out differently - especially the controversial decision to annul the 1993 elections, and the execution of a childhood friend.
Babangida has a mixed record. While some praise him for the infrastructural development Nigeria he oversaw, others say there was massive corruption during his time.
Here are four takeaways from the book:
The 1993 elections annulment
This is the biggest talking-point as it touches on a topic which many believed altered Nigeria's history. Some say the country still has not really recovered from the annulment of the 1993 presidential elections.
In the book, Babangida, now 83, for the first time expressed deep regret for cancelling that election.
The poll was supposed to bring an end to military rule after 10 years and the cancellation of the outcome threw the country into turmoil.
The date of the vote - 12 June - is now remembered in Nigeria as Democracy Day.
Moshood Abiola, widely believed to have won the election, was later imprisoned and his wife assassinated.
Gen Babangida acknowledged that Abiola, who died in 1998, had won the vote.
However, in 1993 as results were being collated, the military government abruptly stopped the process - an action that triggered widespread protests and a political crisis.
"That accident of history is most regrettable. The nation is entitled to expect my expression of regret," Babangida writes.
At the time, he cited the issue of vote-buying, as well as the need to protect the country’s judiciary as reasons for the annulment.
Gen Babangida was forced to resign several months later.
Nigeria's current President, Bola Tinubu, said at the book launch that Gen Babangida had shown courage by admitting what took place.
Abiola’s son Jamiu said the acknowledgment by Gen Babangida that his father had won the election came as a welcome surprise to him and some of his family members.
"Perhaps General Babangida was looking for peace,” he told the BBC Focus on Africa podcast.
Civilian rule was eventually restored in 1999, 11 months after the death of another military ruler Gen Sani Abacha. He had seized power towards the end of 1993 in the wake of the annulled elections.
A Journey In Service has got Nigerians talking and reflecting on what might have been if things had turned out differently - especially the controversial decision to annul the 1993 elections, and the execution of a childhood friend.
Babangida has a mixed record. While some praise him for the infrastructural development Nigeria he oversaw, others say there was massive corruption during his time.
Here are four takeaways from the book:
The 1993 elections annulment
This is the biggest talking-point as it touches on a topic which many believed altered Nigeria's history. Some say the country still has not really recovered from the annulment of the 1993 presidential elections.
In the book, Babangida, now 83, for the first time expressed deep regret for cancelling that election.
The poll was supposed to bring an end to military rule after 10 years and the cancellation of the outcome threw the country into turmoil.
The date of the vote - 12 June - is now remembered in Nigeria as Democracy Day.
Moshood Abiola, widely believed to have won the election, was later imprisoned and his wife assassinated.
Gen Babangida acknowledged that Abiola, who died in 1998, had won the vote.
However, in 1993 as results were being collated, the military government abruptly stopped the process - an action that triggered widespread protests and a political crisis.
"That accident of history is most regrettable. The nation is entitled to expect my expression of regret," Babangida writes.
At the time, he cited the issue of vote-buying, as well as the need to protect the country’s judiciary as reasons for the annulment.
Gen Babangida was forced to resign several months later.
Nigeria's current President, Bola Tinubu, said at the book launch that Gen Babangida had shown courage by admitting what took place.
Abiola’s son Jamiu said the acknowledgment by Gen Babangida that his father had won the election came as a welcome surprise to him and some of his family members.
"Perhaps General Babangida was looking for peace,” he told the BBC Focus on Africa podcast.
Civilian rule was eventually restored in 1999, 11 months after the death of another military ruler Gen Sani Abacha. He had seized power towards the end of 1993 in the wake of the annulled elections.
Execution of a childhood friend
General Mamman Vatsa and Babangida grew up together, were in the same class in school and rose alongside each other in the military. His execution in 1986 after he was convicted of a coup plot is another major talking-point of Babangida's presidency.
"We were very close friends," Babangida recalls.
"We had grown up together in Minna and had been classmates in Bida. We did several things together as peers. My wife recalled that we used to share a room as bachelors. We would reach out for whatever shirt was available, irrespective of whose it was, and just wear it and head out! We were that close."
However, he says now realises that Vatsa had been jealous since when they were teenagers.
"With the benefit of hindsight now, I recall that a constant part of our relationship as teenagers and young men was a continuous and recurrent peer jealousy on his part towards me. He was always envious of my achievements, especially when he thought I was progressing better than him, either in school or our military career path."
Vatsa and nine others were executed in March 1986. They were said to have planned a coup, which according to Babangida would have plunged the country into darkness.
"I had to choose between saving a friend's life and the nation's future," he writes.
General Mamman Vatsa and Babangida grew up together, were in the same class in school and rose alongside each other in the military. His execution in 1986 after he was convicted of a coup plot is another major talking-point of Babangida's presidency.
"We were very close friends," Babangida recalls.
"We had grown up together in Minna and had been classmates in Bida. We did several things together as peers. My wife recalled that we used to share a room as bachelors. We would reach out for whatever shirt was available, irrespective of whose it was, and just wear it and head out! We were that close."
However, he says now realises that Vatsa had been jealous since when they were teenagers.
"With the benefit of hindsight now, I recall that a constant part of our relationship as teenagers and young men was a continuous and recurrent peer jealousy on his part towards me. He was always envious of my achievements, especially when he thought I was progressing better than him, either in school or our military career path."
Vatsa and nine others were executed in March 1986. They were said to have planned a coup, which according to Babangida would have plunged the country into darkness.
"I had to choose between saving a friend's life and the nation's future," he writes.
Nigeria's first coup
Another contentious issue has been the 1966 coup which overthrew Nigeria's first government following independence from the UK. Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was killed, along with other high-ranking national and regional leaders.
The fact most of the coup plotters were from south-eastern Nigeria meant the coup became known as an "Igbo coup" - a label Babangida rejects.
He highlighted the role of Major John Obienu, an ethnic Igbo officer, who played a key role in quelling the coup, revealing that many senior Igbo officers were also killed in the mutiny.
The book also sheds light on the involvement of members of other ethnic groups, notably Yorubas, many of whom he said had participated in the military takeover.
The former leader confirmed that the original intention of the coup plotters was to release politician Obafemi Awolowo from detention and install him as president.
Babangida writes: "It was a terrible time for the Nigerian military. As I have said elsewhere, as a young officer who saw all of this from a distance, probably, ethnic sentiments did not drive the original objective of the coup plotters.
"For instance, the head of the plotters, Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, was only 'Igbo' in name. Born and raised in Kaduna, his immigrant parents were from Okpanam in today's Delta State, which, in 1966, was in the old mid-western region. Nzeogwu spoke fluent Hausa and was as 'Hausa' as any! He and his original team probably thought, even if naively, that they could turn things around for the better in the country."
The association of Igbos with the coup led to attacks on members of that community around the country and ultimately to the civil war in which some Igbo leaders tried to secede from Nigeria in 1967. At least a million people were killed in what became known as the Biafran war.
Another contentious issue has been the 1966 coup which overthrew Nigeria's first government following independence from the UK. Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was killed, along with other high-ranking national and regional leaders.
The fact most of the coup plotters were from south-eastern Nigeria meant the coup became known as an "Igbo coup" - a label Babangida rejects.
He highlighted the role of Major John Obienu, an ethnic Igbo officer, who played a key role in quelling the coup, revealing that many senior Igbo officers were also killed in the mutiny.
The book also sheds light on the involvement of members of other ethnic groups, notably Yorubas, many of whom he said had participated in the military takeover.
The former leader confirmed that the original intention of the coup plotters was to release politician Obafemi Awolowo from detention and install him as president.
Babangida writes: "It was a terrible time for the Nigerian military. As I have said elsewhere, as a young officer who saw all of this from a distance, probably, ethnic sentiments did not drive the original objective of the coup plotters.
"For instance, the head of the plotters, Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, was only 'Igbo' in name. Born and raised in Kaduna, his immigrant parents were from Okpanam in today's Delta State, which, in 1966, was in the old mid-western region. Nzeogwu spoke fluent Hausa and was as 'Hausa' as any! He and his original team probably thought, even if naively, that they could turn things around for the better in the country."
The association of Igbos with the coup led to attacks on members of that community around the country and ultimately to the civil war in which some Igbo leaders tried to secede from Nigeria in 1967. At least a million people were killed in what became known as the Biafran war.
The love story with Maryam Babangida
Many Nigerians see Babangida's wife Maryam as the country's most iconic and influential first lady. From 1985 to when they left office in 1993, their love story captivated a lot of people. She died in 2009 and the ex-head of state has never remarried.
"She was stunning. Her ebony beauty set off enchanting eyes, and her dazzling smile showed off a lovely set of teeth; when she smiled - and she often smiled - her face lit up, and her eyes danced," he writes.
"We both saw our marriage as our freedom and agreed to sort things out ourselves if we quarrelled. We were very compatible; indeed, I can only recall two occasions on which we quarrelled, and neither of us was afraid to apologise to the other. In all our years of marriage, it was never necessary for anyone to mediate between us over a misunderstanding because of that original meeting of minds.
"I never imagined that Maryam would pass away before I did, but the gift of life is in Allah's hands, not in humanity's. I am grateful for the life Maryam and I shared and for the fruit of our union. Coping without her has not been easy, but it has been made much less demanding by the memories of our life together and the length of her shadow," Babangida says.
He describes Maryam as a devoted wife, mother, homemaker, and passionate advocate for rural women. Above all, he saw her as a true partner.
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