Military officers thought I was Yoruba – IBB reveals why he added Babangida to his names

• Babangida, who made the disclosure in his new memoir, A Journey in Service, said most military officers confused his name, “Badamasi,” for the Yoruba name “Gbadamosi.”

Former Military Head of State, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), says military officers thought he was a Nigerian of Yoruba extraction.

According to him, in his early days as an officer, he had to contend with the incessant inquisitions of his ethnic group as he got asked if he was a Yoruba by his colleagues in the military a lot.

Babangida, who made the disclosure in his new memoir, A Journey in Service, said most military officers confused his name, “Badamasi,” for the Yoruba name “Gbadamosi.”

The former military Head of State, who hails from Minna in Niger State, said the constant mix-up and questioning, led him to adopt his father’s name, Babangida, to clarify his identity.

He narrated: “I RETURNED TO Nigeria from India in January 1964 as 2nd Lt. Ibrahim Badamasi, with personal Army number N/438. I was promptly deployed to the reconnaissance squadron (the ‘Turaki’ Squadron), First Brigade, Kaduna.

“Although the overall Commander of the First Brigade was Brigadier Samuel Adesujo Ademulegun, young officers hardly had contact with him. I had Major Chris Anuforo, Major Hassan Katsina, and Major Okpo Isong as my immediate commanders. These senior officers were very kind to me in their different ways.

“However, before I settled down to work at the First Brigade, a particular incident led me to add ‘Babangida’ to my name. During official engagements that led to my deployment to Kaduna, officers who confused the Yoruba name ‘Gbadamosi’ with my last name, ‘Badamasi,’ repeatedly asked me whether I was Yoruba.

“That question had also come up a few years before, during my enlistment interview for the military. Since that question persisted (and since I knew I wasn’t Yoruba!), I decided to take on my father’s other name as my last name. And I remember joking about it then and saying: ‘Regardless of the name change, I am still my father’s son!’

“As happens with new and young entrants into the profession, especially those on overseas courses, I was put on probation for months after returning from India. Somewhere along the line, a final report arrived saying that I was okay and ready for work.”