IBB on how Abdulsalami Abubakar’s switch from the air force to the army divinely positioned him to lead Nigeria

Former military president Ibrahim Babangida asserts that Abdulsalami Abubakar's transition from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to the Nigerian Army (NA) was a divinely orchestrated move that ultimately led him to become Nigeria's head of state. Babangida shared this perspective in the foreword of Abubakar's autobiography, "Call of Duty."

Abubakar, a retired army general, assumed leadership in June 1998 after the sudden death of General Sani Abacha, who had ruled since 1993. Babangida noted that Abubakar's transfer to the army in 1966, after his flight training in West Germany was cut short, was a pivotal moment. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in October 1967, Abubakar entered the institution that has historically dominated Nigeria's political landscape.

Since Nigeria's independence, all eight military leaders have been drawn from the Nigerian Army. This includes figures like Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Muhammed, Olusegun Obasanjo, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida himself, Sani Abacha, and Abdulsalami Abubakar. The NAF, established later in 1964, has remained smaller and less politically influential.

Babangida's argument emphasizes that officers commanding troops and controlling strategic formations within the army wielded the most political influence during periods of military rule. By switching to the army in 1966, Abubakar unknowingly placed himself within the power structure that would shape Nigeria's leadership for over three decades. Had he remained in the air force, his path to the nation's highest office would have been significantly different, if not impossible, given the historical precedent.

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We do not have to wonder too much because clearly, there were divine forces at work in his life and those were further confirmed with the role he went on to play in restoring peace to the polity after a serious political storm usually experienced in developing countries.