Economic Hardship: Babangida Talked about Military Takeover, Sent Message to Tinubu? Fact Emerges

Economic Hardship: Babangida Talked about Military Takeover, Sent Message to Tinubu? Fact Emerges

  • There was a viral tweet on Friday, February 16, purportedly by Former military president General Babangida, advising President Tinubu to take immediate action to combat hunger and hardship in Nigeria
  • Babangida also purportedly mentioned in the tweet the possibility of a military takeover if the hardship continues, although he said he was not in support of it
  • However, further checks by Legit.ng indicate that the tweet did not emanate from Babangida, rather it was by a parody account, @General_Ibbro
  • Parody accounts on Twitter (now X) are those accounts usually named after popular personalities and organisations, mainly for humorous or satirical purposes

Legit.ng journalist Segun Adeyemi has over 9 years of experience covering political events, civil societies, courts, and metro

A parody Twitter (X) account named after the former head of state Ibrahim Babangida tweeted on Friday, February 16, about the current economic hardship in Nigeria.

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The X user stated via the parody account he/she does not support the return of military government amid the rising economic hardship in Nigeria.

President Tinubu has been sent a crucial by one of he predecessors
President Tinubu has suffered several criticism for his harsh economic policies. Photo Credit: Bola Ahmed Tinubu/General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida
Source: Facebook

He/she urged President Tinubu to act fast and be proactive before the hardship turned into a pandemic.

"I am not in support of the proposed Military takeover, but I will urge the FG to come to Nigerian's aid before it finally turns into a pandemic," the post reads.

Parody mistaken for IBB's official handle

Though the owner of the X account stated in the profile that it's a parody, Legit.ng notes that many, based on their reactions, erroneously believe that the post emanated from Babangida.

The X account, with the handle @General_Ibbro and name Ibrahim B. Babangida, does not belong to the former military leader.

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It is a parody account, meaning that it does not belong to the former military head of state.

Parody accounts on Twitter (now X) are usually named after popular personalities and organisations, mainly for humour or satire.

Twitter rules permit the use of parody accounts. However, certain requirements must be met.

One of them is that the bio of a parody account “should clearly indicate that the user is not affiliated with the subject of the account.”

Editorial Note: Kindly note that this report has been updated to correct an editorial error regarding whether or not the account originally belonged to former military leader Ibrahim Babangida.

Emir of Kano questions Tinubu's economic decisions

In other news, President Tinubu has been urged to open up on the relocation of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Central Bank departments to Lagos.

This demand was made by the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado, on Monday, February 12, during the visit of the First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu.

Read also

Nigerian defense minister orders intelligence agency to target coup plotters

The monarch also told the First Lady to speak with her husband about Nigeria's rising economic hardship.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Segun Adeyemi avatar

Segun Adeyemi (Current Affairs and Politics Editor) Segun Adeyemi is a journalist with over 9 years of experience as an active field reporter, editor, and editorial manager. He has had stints with Daily Trust newspaper, Daily Nigerian, and News Digest. He currently works as an editor for Legit.ng's current affairs and politics desk. He holds a degree in Mass Communication (Adekunle Ajasin University). He is a certified digital reporter by Reuters, AFP and the co-convener of the annual campus journalism awards. Email: segun.adeyemi@corp.legit.ng.