Babangida Celebrates 76th Birthday in Germany

Babangida Celebrates 76th Birthday in Germany

Former military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, on Thursday marked his 76th birthday in Germany. 

Babangida, popularly called Maradona, was said to have traveled out of the country about a week ago " for a well-deserved rest."

However, some of his domestic staff were said to have been caught unawares by the decision of their boss to travel outside the country "this time around" because some of them, especially women, were said to have bought and sewn special attires to celebrate the birthday of their boss.

The hilltop residence of the former military president was also devoid of the large traffic of people usually associated with such celebration in previous years.

 In his felicitation message, Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, described Babangida as "a precious gift to mankind and to the country," relating him to "a true champion of peace, unity and togetherness in Nigeria."

Bello expressed gratitude to the former military president for his "relentless contributions to the growth and development of the state and country."

In the statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Jibrin Ndace, the governor said: "For over seven and half decades, he ( Babngida) has lived an impactful life which has endeared him to many people across the country.

"We are proudly celebrating a strategic  and unrepentantly nationalistic leader and human manager with an uncommon passion in the service of  our fatherland and humanity in general.

"Indeed, he holds his country very dear to his heart."

According to the governor, Babangida had over the years become "a household political lexicon as a result of his impactful contributions to the sociopolitical and economic development of the country. His contributions have made him politically relevant decades after he left office.