Lagos — The murder of Dele Giwa, former Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch, will for ever remain a riddle, going by the word of former military President, Ibrahim Babangida, who acknowledged that people have accused him of snuffing out the life of the muck-raking journalist on October 19, 1986.

Babangida bared his mind on Monday on Africa Independent Television (AIT) programme, Focus Nigeria, where he also explained why he did not appear before the Oputa Panel.

He spoke on other matters too, including the power sector, his take on President Umaru Yar'Ardua, his own Presidential ambition, and the need to immortalise Moshood Abiola, the man whose Presidential election he annulled in 1993.

Babangida said he shunned the Oputa Panel because he felt he would not get justice.

"Remember I was accused of killing Dele Giwa. My voice would have been drowned. I feel really pained that the cold hands of death snatched him, a man that I know, a man I interacted with and one I have always respected.

"The killers of Dele Giwa were not found because Nigerians had already made up their minds on who the killers were, and they were not ready to come out and give evidence.

"It was that initial suspicion by Nigerians of the government's involvement in the killing that made it difficult for the security operatives to go after the killers. Nigerians did not co-operate with the government, that is why it has proved difficult to apprehend the killers of Dele Giwa," he stressed.

"You (the press) and the people were not interested in what happened. Honestly, at that time I did not think I would get the true justice if I had appeared there. And because I didn't want to be seen as recalcitrant former President, I went to court to help me make a decision. I went to the Supreme Court and they said I was right.

"You want the country to benefit from the participants, the principal actors, but people were not interested in that. A lot of lives have been murdered and there was so much hysteria."

Babangida said he would support any effort to immortalise Abiola, whom he saw "as a brother, friend; not as a politician, but as someone who was passionate. Before he went into politics, he used his wealth for the betterment of the downtrodden masses.

"Whatever he got he tried to share with the less privileged. So there was a lot going for him - his community development efforts and establishment of training institutions, educational institutions, fighting for Nigeria and fighting for the black people in the Diaspora. I think he deserved to be immortalised."

Babangida noted that the huge sums invested in the power sector should have gone a long way, "and maybe we would have gotten there by now. There has to be a lot of planning. Quite frankly, we should go nuclear."

He said he supported former President Olusegun Obasanjo because "we needed somebody who believes passionately in the concept of one Nigeria.

"He believes in it, nothing will deter him, and we needed somebody who will continue to work despite assault, pressure by the press - and if you put them on the scale - he was better qualified."

Babangida explained that Yar'Adua is not slow because he needs to study problems.

"People should give him enough time to study, analyse the situation and come out with his plans."

He declared his readiness to disclose how his government spent the $12.4 billion oil windfall that accrued to Nigeria during the 1991 Gulf war.

"I can give you documentary evidence of how we spent the money and you can verify it. We kept records of what accrued to us in the Federation Account and how we spent it, not only for the oil windfall but from August 1985 to September 1992. We kept our records because I know that such a thing will happen and I was prepared to defend myself at any time."

Babangida ruled from August 1985 to August 1993.

Human rights lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi, had in 1992 sued him and senior members of his administration over the Gulf war oil wind fall, much of which was alleged to have been stolen.