Between Bayo Onanuga and Osinbajo

Bayo Onanuga has an admirable skill: the ability to tell a story so confidently that one might momentarily doubt their own memory. This time, his argument is that former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was wrong to call Ibrahim Babangida a tormentor of Bola Tinubu. Onanuga insists that Babangida was, in fact, an inspiration, not an oppressor.

Now, history might have something different to say. In the early ’90s, Tinubu, then a senator, was among those who opposed the military’s dissolution of the Senate. That military was led by Babangida, who, after annulling the June 12 elections, effectively sent democracy packing. However, according to Onanuga, this was all part of a grand mentorship programme.

One has to wonder: If Babangida’s actions indirectly pushed Tinubu towards a political career, does that erase the reality of what happened? By this logic, a person thrown into exile by a dictator should be grateful for the “opportunity” to become a freedom fighter. It’s not a very accurate way to frame history.

Onanuga also claims that Tinubu’s real troubles only started under Sani Abacha. Fair enough—Abacha was a harsher enforcer. But does that absolve Babangida of his role in setting the stage? Was it not Babangida’s actions that created the political chaos that made a dictator like Abacha inevitable?

Former Vice President Osinbajo, for his part, seems to have merely stated what most people already know. His comment at the book launch was not a revelation but a widely accepted recollection of events. Yet, Onanuga appears determined to refute even the most straightforward of historical accounts—perhaps out of duty, or perhaps because loyalty demands it.

There is something almost amusing about how Onanuga defends Tinubu. If tomorrow someone claimed Tinubu was a mythical creature from folklore, one gets the feeling Onanuga would appear on national television to confirm it, as long as it was framed positively. A spokesman’s job is to defend, but sometimes, a little restraint might do wonders.

Why does this matter? Well, when the rewriting of history happens in real-time, it forces people to question what they know. And when history is constantly reshaped to suit political narratives, the truth becomes just another opinion. And that, more than anything, is worth thinking about.