The elite business class in Nigeria announced contributions totalling N17.5 billion for the IBB Presidential Library project during the launch in Abuja of the autobiography of the country’s former military president, Ibrahim Babangida.
The donations were revealed at the public unveiling of Babangida’s long-awaited memoir, A Journey in Service.
Billionaire industrialist and philanthropist Abdul Samad Rabiu led the contributions with a pledge of N5 billion, at the function attended by President Bola Tinubu at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton.
Africa’s wealthiest individual, Aliko Dangote, contributed N2 billion and promised to donate an additional N2 billion each year for the next three years, which would total N8 billion while former army chief and minister of defence TY Danjuma committed N3 billion. Business tycoon Arthur Eze also contributed N500 million to the initiative.
In his statement, General Babangida commended Rabiu for his early support of the project, noting that his dedication was vital to bringing the vision for the library closer to fruition.
The library’s advocates explained that the IBB Presidential Library is envisioned as “a national institution that will function as a storage centre for Nigeria’s artistic, political, and military history.”
They highlighted that the library aims to maintain a record of the development of leadership and governance in the nation, particularly during Babangida’s eight-year presidency. The only other library of this nature in Nigeria is the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library located in Abeokuta.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo presided over the book launch event, while former Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo gave the keynote address.
The gathering was graced by three former Nigerian leaders: Yakubu Gowon, Abdulsalami Abubakar, and Goodluck Jonathan, along with former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Koroma. Former vice presidents Atiku Abubakar and Yemi Osinbajo were also present, while senior aides represented former President Muhammadu Buhari and Danjuma.
