Would you then say Buhari played into the hands of Babangida?
DAVID-WEST: Babangida had no programme. I worked with him. He is a public relations man. He is glib. He has the gift of the gab. I don’t think he is very intelligent. The economy was looking up during Buhari’s time. We were down, and everything was done to bring us down. There was the rumour that they would overthrow Buhari within three months. When we cut our oil price, we shook the world. They wanted to price us out of the market. For the first time, a despatch rider had to take me to Dodan Barracks. Buhari was once Oil Minister, so he knew the intrigues. I told the Commander-in-Chief: “We have three moves. First, don’t move. Second, shave off exactly the same price as the competitors. Third, shock the world!” He laughed and said: “Shock the world to show them we can survive; shave off two dollars!” We shaved off double the amount that the rest did, and consequently, they panicked. Britain never expected this nor Norway. Those people who wanted to bring us down never expected this. B
