IBB Recounts How His Maternal Grandfather Helped Him Confront ‘Witches and Wizards’ Fear at Government College, Bida

OpenLife Nigeria reports that the remarkable life story of former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, also stretches back to his secondary school days at Government College, Bida, Niger State.

In his book “A Journey in Service,” the former Head of State narrated how his maternal grandfather, then the Chief Imam of Minna, guided him in overcoming childhood fears of witches and wizards said to dwell in Bida.

According to Babangida, attending the institution was a privilege. Founded by the colonial government in 1912 as a Provincial Middle School, the college initially admitted its first set of 60 students in 1914. Over the decades, the school underwent several name changes: from Bida Provincial School (1929–1953) to Provincial Secondary School (1954–1966), then Government Secondary School, Bida, before eventually adopting the name it bears today—Government College, Bida.

Babangida recalled entering the school in 1957 at the age of 16, with admission number 211, as part of the famous “Class of ’62.” That class would later produce two Nigerian Presidents, four State Governors, two Federal Ministers, three Justices, four Ambassadors, and other prominent national figures. Among them were Abdulsalami Abubakar, Sani Sami, Sani Bello, Garba Duba, Mamman Jiya Vatsa, and several others.

He also noted that the college has produced highly respected Nigerians, including former Chief Justice of the Federation Idris Legbo Kutigi, Hon. Justices Jibrin Ndajiwo and Abdullahi Mustapha, Ambassador James Tsado Kolo, Ambassador Abdulrahman Gara, Professor Jerry Gana, Senator Awaisu Kuta, as well as traditional rulers such as the Emir of Suleja, Malam Awwal Ibrahim, and the Emir of Kontagora, Alhaji Saidu Namaska.

However, before leaving for Bida, Babangida admitted he was consumed by fear. He had been told chilling tales of ghosts, witches, and wizards that haunted the town at night. Troubled, he approached his maternal grandfather, the Chief Imam of Minna, for help.

His grandfather wrote a short Arabic verse on a piece of paper and instructed him to memorize it. According to him, reciting it whenever confronted by a ghost or witch would make the spirit vanish.

“Fortunately, I never had to use the verse because, throughout my five years in Bida, I never encountered witches, ghosts, or wizards,” Babangida wrote.

Instead, he described the college environment as serene, nestled in Sahelian vegetation, and surrounded by the cultural richness of Bida—the historic capital of the ancient Nupe Kingdom, which traces its roots to Tsoede, the first Etsu Nupe, in 1531.

By the time the class of ’62 graduated, Babangida and his colleagues had not only acquired academic training but also absorbed much of Bida’s rich cultural heritage.