After General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida had dribbled Nigerians, in his usual Maradona way, for eight years, he realised that his game was up after the rancour that followed the June 12, 1993, presidential elections. To both Nigerians and his military colleagues, Babangida just had to leave. However, the Evil Genius would not leave the stage just like that, without putting up a fight. Even if it was a weak one. Thus, he hand-picked a civilian member of his dying regime, to head the newly-constituted Interim National Government (ING). The man Babangida chose to head the ING was the 57-year-old Ernest Shonekan. The only thing that qualified Shonekan to lead Nigeria at the time was that he was from Abeokuta – the birthplace of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, the winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election. As a matter of fact, one of the conditions given to Shonekan was that he buried the June 12 matter as soon as possible. To Babangida, it takes a monkey to catch a monkey. The outgoing head of state then released a spate of decrees to cage Abiola and crush his political ambitions. The most important of this decree was Decree No. 61 which established Shonekan’s Interim National Government. At around 3:30 p.m. on August 26, 1993, Chief Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan was sworn in as Nigeria’s new Head of State and Chairman of the ING by the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Mohammed Bello, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Interestingly, Decree No. 61 invested Abacha with the position of Senior Minister who would watch the government and then take over in the event of any unforeseen circumstance. Literally, it was asking the fox to protect and guard the henhouse. #historyville Full story: https://youtu.be/VBqyzL5I6Nw