Serving Senators under the aegis of the Northern Senators Forum on Monday celebrated former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR, on his 85th birthday.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of the Forum, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, Katsina Central, the lawmakers described IBB’s tenure as a defining period that reshaped Nigeria’s political and administrative structure.
The Senators singled out Babangida’s legacy of state creation as “one of the most enduring gifts to Nigerian federalism.”
“With the creation of 11 states between 1987 and 1991, namely: Akwa Ibom, Katsina, Enugu, Jigawa, Abia, Osun, Taraba, Yobe, Delta, Kebbi, and Kogi, you responded directly to decades of agitation for inclusion and equitable representation,” the statement said.
For the North, the Forum noted that six new states were birthed: Katsina, Jigawa, Taraba, Kebbi, Yobe, and Kogi.
“That bold restructuring brought government closer to the people, opened up rural development, and gave new voices a seat at the national table. It eased tensions and strengthened the unity of the federation we all swore to protect,” the Senators added.
The Forum also commended Babangida for the physical relocation of Nigeria’s capital from Lagos to Abuja in December 1991.
“Perhaps no single administrative decision bears your imprint more than the movement of the Federal Capital. You completed and inaugurated Abuja as Nigeria’s capital in 1991, giving the nation a purpose-built, centrally located seat of government,” they said.
According to the Senators, the move was “more than geography. It was a statement of national integration, neutrality, and long-term planning.”
“Today, Abuja stands as a symbol of Nigeria’s unity in diversity, and as host to government, diplomacy, and enterprise from every part of the country, including the 19 Northern states we represent,” they stated.
The Forum prayed for continued strength, wisdom and good health for the former Military President, noting that “by the grace of God and your resolve, Nigeria remained united through turbulent times.”
“May your counsel continue to be available to the nation, and may the ideals you pursued, of a stable, united, and prosperous Nigeria, be fully realized in our time,” the statement concluded.
