The story of Ibrahim Babangida,
former Nigerian military head of state better known as IBB, has been documented
in a new biopic, ‘Badamosi: Portrait of a General’.
The film, written and directed by
Obi Emelonye, acclaimed filmmaker, explores Babangida’s story from childhood up
to his run as the head of state, also touching several key history points in
Nigeria’s history.
Babangida was head of state from
August 27, 1985, to August 26, 1993. He previously served as the chief of army staff
from January 1984 to August 1985.
He was a key player in most of
the military coups in Nigeria (July 1966, February 1976, December 1983, August
1985, December 1985 and April 1990) and notably moved the seat of power from
Lagos to Abuja in 1991.
In an interview with NAN on
Friday, the filmmaker explained the inspiration behind the film and its
importance in modern-day Nigeria.
“I decided to use the IBB story
to explore our history and our political consciousness,” he said.
“In a film, what creates drama is
conflict. If you are such an easy-going, quiet person, nobody would want to
make a film about you which explains the hundreds of films made about Hitler.
“It tells you that the more
complex a character, the better their stories will be for film.
“So we started looking for
stories of Nigerian leaders that can be used to explore our history. The story
of Babangida stood out.”
Emelonye also said that it was
important to get Babangida’s authorization and perspective while making the
film to increase authenticity.
“I wanted to make it authorised.
I wanted his participation because that is what will make it more interesting,”
he said.
“This is because most stories are
already in the public domain and there will be no point to make a film about
it.
“The only thing missing is his
personal perspective which we don’t have. For me, his participation was the
determining and distinguishing factor.”
On the portrayal of Babangida in
the film, Emelonye noted that in history, perspectives differ hence the need to
document from Babangida’s perspective.
“Whatever came out as a persona
of Babangida was a function of the information from news outlets,” he said.
“What I did with this film was to
dig deeper into the psyche of the man himself to find his perspective to the
things we already know in the public domain.”
The trailer of the film, starring
Enyinna Nwigwe in the lead titular role, has been sparking several
conversations on social media as the premiere draws closer.
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