SANI ABACHA, Nigeria’s Most Enigmatic Ruler part 7

SANI ABACHA, Nigeria’s Most Enigmatic Ruler part 6

-ACHIEVEMENTS, ACTIVITIES & EVENTS UNDER ABACHA

-Restoring President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah of Sierra Leone back to power. He had said he would send the entire Nigerian Army to Sierra Leone if that was what would bring peace.

With the late Pontiff.

-Under Abacha, serious efforts were made to decrease the amount of the raw materials that were being imported into the country by increasing domestic production. The government, represented by the Minister of Industries encouraged the manufacturers and industrialists to make use of raw materials sourced locally. In order to ensure that this goal was achieved, a Talc Processing Company in Niger State was commissioned in1995, (a result of public-private joint venture; between the Raw Materials Research Development Council of Nigeria and business executives).

The plant was supposed to take care of all the talc needs of the industrial plants in Nigeria and put an end to the revenue spent on the importation of 3,000 metric tonnes of talc every year. Abacha made the exports of Nigerian goods and commodities a priority throughout his time in power. In trying to achieve this, there was the Iwopin Pulp and Paper Project, commissioned in Ogun State by his Defence Chief, Major-General Abdulsalami Abubakar. Plans were in place to construct more Export Processing Zones (EPZ) while concerted efforts were made to complete the Calabar EPZ.

26th of March, 1997, Abacha is in Lome, Togo for a summit. Looking nice with the ring :)

-In a bid to increase the export of made-in-Nigerian goods, Abacha also oversaw the attempt to harmonize the functions and duties of the Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM) and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEP).

-Abacha established the Ministry of Solid Minerals Resources which was mandated to explore and market Nigeria’s vast natural minerals. He would later reactivate the Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill but till date, that complex is one huge stinking cesspit of corruption. His government also did some dredging of the River Niger and established the Aluminum Smelting Company.

-Construction of the Federal House of Representatives Complex in Abuja and introduced the National Constitutional Conference.

-At a time in 1996, in order to address skyrocketing prices of food, Abacha ordered the massive importation of rice, and people like Dangote flooded the entire market with so much rice that the price crashed.

-Abacha also established the Federal Character Commission (FCC) which sees to it that the allocations of appointments are fairly distributed all over the country. The FCC also was to address the imbalance and lopsided appointments in the civil service and parastatals.

-Abacha also established the National Reconciliation Committee to quell disputes via diplomatic resolutions. He also saw to the establishment of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, and it must be noted that his junta made funds available for the National Programme on Immunization (NPI).

 -Abacha also saw to the construction of an international natural gas pipeline network between Nigeria, Togo and Ghana. This ensured that Nigerian gas products could be sold to these nations. Work on the pipeline network started in September 1995.

-On the 2nd of April, 1996, Abacha commissioned the Nigeria Police Academy, Kano with the hope that the institution will be affiliated to a degree-awarding university. He also saw to the establishment of the National War College and embarked on renovation of barracks.

 -In order to address the problem arising from foreign exchange, he introduced the Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (AFEM) policy while also keeping the Official Exchange Rate which was N22.05 to $1 in 1993 but had done high jump and somersaults to N85 in 1998. Thanks to 14 years of democracy, it is now double that amount and the naira keeps falling like Humpty Dumpty even though we are making more from oil exports than ever. Professor Sam Aluko and Chief Ani were the brains behind Abachanomics (Abacha’s economic policies). Abacha did not collect a penny of foreign loans, and that’s quite impressive. In January 1994, he dumped IBB’s Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) and embarked on his own populist economic policies. He also established the Economic Intelligence Commission (EIC).

-The Chairman of ECOWAS from 27th July 1996 until he died, he gave a solid backing to regional plans and fully supported innovations like the ECOWAS Traveller’s Cheque. The cheques were released in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 West African Unit of Account (WAUA) and were to serve as legal tender in the subregion. They had indigenous designs such as the ECOWAS logo and the flags of the Member Nations. Security features included the water mark, security thread and beautiful intaglio designs. The WAUA was equivalent to 1.36 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), which is the unit of account of the International Monetary Fund. The WAUA was convertible to any of the currencies in the ECOWAS subregion.

Abacha with Yasser Arafat, Palestine Liberation Organization Leader (PLO). Hours after seeing off Arafat, Abacha, who looked very healthy here, was stone-dead. Arafat too is dead and both men are suspected to have died from poisoning. Arafat’s wife has called for Yasser’s body to be exhumed and checked for plutonium poisoning. Credits: AP

-Abacha saw to the creation of six new states: Ebonyi, Bayelsa, Nasarawa, Zamfara, Gombe and Ekiti, and a total of 182 new Local Government Areas (LGAs). He was also the one who introduced the concept of the six geopolitical zones we have today and the rotational framework on October 1, 1995 when he announced a transition to civilian rule in three years. The new package also provided for a President, Prime Minister, Vice President and a Deputy Prime Minister.

-Ostensibly responding to increasing calls for democratic changes, he had the ambitious plan of succeeding himself in power, forming five political parties (Democratic Party of Nigeria, DPN, United Nigerian Congress Party, UNCP, Congress for National Consensus, CNC, Grassroots Democratic Movement, GDM and the National Center Party of Nigeria, NCPN with opposition parties carefully excluded) after setting up the National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON), which Bola Ige referred to as the ”five fingers of a leprous hand.’

-One funny thing happened: even before Abacha declared his intention to run for the Presidency (death never gave him the opportunity), all the five political parties adopted him as their flag bearer and presidential aspirant on the 20th of April, 1998. with Abacha positioned as a sole candidate, most retraced their steps and only Tunji Braithwaite and Alhaji MD Yusufu, a former police chief, were bold enough to also declare their interest in running for the Nigerian presidency. The five parties were shunned by most Nigerians and the participation rate was embarrassingly low, less than 5% in some places. He had planned a handover date of October 1998 and even had a draft constitution kept in secret but later revealed by Abdulsalami. Does that remind you of Mbasogo, Mobutu, Mugabe and other African leaders who always win with 80-90%? LOL! Or even Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and the late Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan who tend to get almost 100% in every election?

-Alongside the redesigning and completion of Abuja Phase II, Abacha saw to the construction of Gwarimpa Housing Estate, Abuja, the largest of its type in Africa and also established the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund (PTF) and there was reasonable trickle-down effect of the benefits of the removal of fuel subsidy in addition to stabilizing fuel pump prices at about N25 per liter. Overall, he was also able to reduce Nigeria’s external debt profile. Foreign reserves stood at about $10 billion but fell rapidly months after his death to $4billion during the Abdulsalami regime. PTF proceeds went to the building of schools, barracks, roads and bridges across the nation and also funded the Drug Revolving Scheme and the construction of the International Trade Fair Complex in Kaduna (I can remember that one very well, my Dad was there as an English-French translator/interpreter during one of the fairs in 1997 or so). There was also the establishment of Nigeria’s first natural gas superfacility, the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) which commercialized Nigeria’s vast natural gas reserves and reduced flaring. In addition to this, there was the exploration of crude oil in other places like Gombe, Borno and Bauchi states.

-Abacha also embarked upon the rehabilitation and modernization of the railway system. Abacha also launched the Federal Urban Mass Assisted Bus Service all over the country at subsidized rates. As a student, I benefitted from the buses, which we simply called ‘urban’. As for the seaports, there was a facelift for the facilities while new ships were procured, like the one from Poland in 1994.

SPORTS:

Abacha’s regime was a golden one as far as the history of sports in Nigeria is concerned. In the 1994 (19th) edition of the African Cup of Nations in Tunisia, the late Rashidi Yekini (highest goal scorer with 5 goals) and Mutiu ‘The Headmaster’ Adepoju dazed the whole continent. At the finals, Nigeria crushed Zambia to win gold (see images). In 1995, the Super Eagles of Nigeria also dazzled at the Afro-Asian Championships when they defeated Uzbekistan 3-1.

The Atlanta 1996 Olympic Gold Medal won by Nigeria. (Courtesy: Sundah Oliseh).

The Atlanta 1996 Olympic Gold Medal won by Nigeria. (Courtesy: Sunday Oliseh)

Nigeria also won the 1994 African Cup of Nations. (Courtesy: Sunday Oliseh)

-Mary Onyali and her team-mates also did the country proud in August 1994 when they clinched the gold medal at the Women’s 4X100 metre relay race at the Commonwealth Games in Canada in 42.99 seconds. She also won the silver medal at the 200 metre race. 

BOMB EXPLOSIONS:

Today, Nigerians are getting used to the not-funny idea of bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) going off like knockouts. During Abacha’s era, a series of explosions were also recorded. In January 1996, a small bomb went off inside the public toilet on the ground floor of the Durbar Hotel, Kaduna. A man was killed in the blast and he was with a copy of Wole Soyinka’s The Man Died, which he just purchased from the hotel’s bookshop. The police said the bomb went off as the man was trying to assemble it even though many thought he was just an innocent victim. The dead man, according to the police, was Bagauda Kaltho, a journalist with TheNEWS magazine. As the man’s face was already blown off, it created some degree of doubt as to the identity of the man. Kaltho’s family insisted the government was still detaining their child but this was strongly denied.

-Later on, there was another explosion at the car park of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. By the time the smoke disappeared, the Chief Security Officer of the airport, Dr. Sola Omatshola was dead. The police, under Biu, accused him of being a NADECO member. Someone had called Omatshola on the phone, he went out of his office, entered his car and the bomb exploded. Former Police Commissioner for Lagos State under Abacha, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav narrated:

There was a time when I was Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, there was this bomb blast that killed Dr. Omatsola, the Security Officer of the Murtala Mohammed Airport. My command was directly involved in the investigation. So from what happened during the investigation, I knew that the security units of this country were the ones throwing the explosives. They will throw the bomb and go and tell lies to Abacha that it was NADECO. “In the case of Omatsola, for instance, my command was directly involved in the investigations. The evidence we had was that somebody telephoned Dr. Omatsola, he went out of his office and entered his car and the bomb went off and killed him. So I minuted the file that they should go to NITEL, because there was no GSM then. I asked them to go to NITEL and find out who telephoned him, from what number and from where. We were working on this when they took the file away from us and handed it over to a unit they called anti-terrorist squad (headed by Biu).

Abacha was a recipient of the following:

Abacha was a recipient of one of America’s highest military awards, the Legion of Merit, LOM (Commander Degree). It is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.

With former US Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff and Commander of the US Army Forces Command, General Colin Luther Powell. Abacha (the Boss) meets the Powell (the SuperBoss) in 1991. In this picture, General Sani Abacha is being honoured with the Legion of Merit (LOM) (Commander Degree, which is equivalent to a US military chief of staff or higher position, but not to a head of state), America’s sixth highest military award. The US has been accused of being a major backer of the Abacha regime. In the 1980s, Abacha was in the United States for a course. Same with IBB. Both guys would later rain terror on millions of Nigerians, lending credence to the theory that both could have been nothing more than American agents, subservient to their American masters but putting up a show in the countries they rule. In the citation, Powell said: “…his (Abacha) personal efforts during a crisis in Liberia and direct support of the Economic Community Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) and Economic Community of West African States (ECPWAS) operations, ensured the humanitarian treatment of both civilian and military forces who bought the conflict to a rapid conclusion and established law and order during a period of total anarchy.” Later, Powell advised Abacha not to take over. I guess that advice went unheeded.

Ribbon of the Legion of Merit.

-Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON)

-Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR)

-Defence Service Medal (DSM)

-Nation Service Medal (NSM)

-Republic Medal (RM)

-General Service Medal (GSM)

-Silver Jubilee Medal (SJM)

-Force Service Star (FSS)

-Distinguished Service Star (DSS)

-Meritorious Service Star (MSS)

-Member, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos, (MNI).

-INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT HIM -HOBBIES

He was a great lover of squash and lawn tennis.

-RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION

-Like millions of Nigerians today, General Sani Abacha was a deeply spiritual man who did not joke with his religious obligations. That reminds me of the late Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire. A Sunni Muslim, he was also a man very much devoted to his religion, never mind the fact that he looted his country blind and killed off opponents like Mortein finishing off mosquitoes. For the over 30 years that Mobutu spent in power, he faithfully attended the Sunday Mass and in his Gbadolite Presidential Palace, he even built a small chapel where he silently read the Eucharist service. After the church service, Mobutu would join his guests in the main palace and enjoy his favorite pink Laurent Perrier wine and a buffet full of lobsters and heavy steaks. Abacha was a devout Muslim, devoted to his religion, Islam, and its tenets. The picture below shows him with the Black Stone while on pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

General Sani Abacha touching the Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad) inside its silver frame in the eastern corner of the Ka’aba at the centre of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Touching or pointing to the Black Stone during the Holy Pilgrimage is of great importance to Muslims who regard it as an Islamic relic dating back to the time of Adam and Eve. Veneration of the Black Stone has been done in Arabia even before the coming of Islam. According to Islamic traditions, the Black Stone fell from Heaven to show Adam where to build the first worship place on earth. It is believed that the Stone was initially dazzling white but turned black over time because of the sins of humanity. The Black Stone is broken into seven pieces when it was returned by the Qarmatians in 952 after stealing and keeping it for 23 years. Scientists think it is either a natural piece of glass, a meteorite, basalt stone or even an agate.

NIGERIAN? NIGERIEN OR CHADIAN? BOKO HARAM?

-Some Nigerians will swear by their grandfather’s graves that Abacha was a Chadian, some will even say Niger (Naiwu Osahon states that Vatsa told him Abacha was from a neighboring republic shortly before he was killed). Well, this rumour about the Borno general seems to be based on the fact that many members of his Kanuri ethnic group are also found in Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic (former President Mamadou Tandja is Kanuri while the current one, Mahamadou Issoufou is Hausa).

However, about 80% of all Kanuris are found in Nigeria, Bornu State to be precise. Other prominent Kanuris in Nigeria include Sir Shettima Kashim Ibrahim, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff (former Bornu State Governor), Shettima Ali Monguno, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe (former minister under Abacha, MKO Abiola’s running mate (he actually defeated MKO at the first round of nomination at the SDP Jos Convention in 1993 but later agreed to support MKO) and Secretary to the Federal Government before he was fired). He loves referring to himself as King I Be.

Can you spot General Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar? He is looking right at you! LOL!

-It is also quite interesting to know that the most wanted man in Nigeria and leader of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, Imam Abubakar Shekau is Kanuri, who also speaks Hausa and Arabic but no English, according to reports by the BBC. He was born in Shekau village in Yobe State, where al-Mustapha also comes from. Boko Haram’s hottest spots are the two states with the most significant Kanuri population: Yobe and Borno. The founder of Boko Haram, Mohammed Yusuf who was killed extrajudicially was a Kanuri from Borno State.

The two senators also named in connection with the sect, Senator Ahmed Khalifa Zanna and Senator Ali Ndume are also Kanuris. While this is not to malign the Kanuri ethnic group, this aspect of the saga is not too apparent. When Mohammed Abacha berated the Federal Government for insecurity in the land stating that his father would have suppressed Boko Haram, his words made perfect sense. When the spokesperson for Boko Haram, Abu Qaqa (also known as Abu Dardaa, Mohammed Shuaibu and Abu Tiamiyu) was arrested, he stated: “What was bad about those handpicked for the suicide mission was that all of them were non-Kanuri. They were always Chadians, Nigeriens, Camerounians, Hausa, Fulani and others. No Kanuri. That was why some of us had divided opinion on it.”

-Also, Habib Bama (Shuabu Bama, Habib Mamman), an ex-soldier and Boko Haram member declared wanted by the Federal Government is also a Kanuri from Bama, Borno State. He was accused of being the mastermind behind the 2011 Nigeria Police Force Headquarters bomb attack, the United Nations building bomb blast and the Christmas Day bombing of the St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State in which over 40 people died. In June 2012, Bama was reported to have died in his cell in Damaturu, Yobe State from gunshot injuries. He was captured in an ambush by the Joint Task Force and then whisked off to a military facility for interrogation. He didn’t survive it. As at the time of writing this, the sect has turned down offers of amnesty from the government, prospective amnesty committee members are shunning the President’s invitation and there is palpable fear and terror in the land. As at the time of reading this, Boko Haram has already grounded 10 Local Government Areas, steadily taking control of the entire state, which has 27 LGAs.

-Whatever is said about the late Abacha, there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever about his incredible guts and the stupefying level of bravery and courage he possessed (unlike many men today who do their own revolution on Facebook and Twitter…lol!). What he lacked in height, the General had abundantly in sheer fearlessness. On many occasions, the General stared at Death right into his eyeballs. He fought in the Nigerian Civil War and in 1978, Abacha, then a major-general, was the commander of the Nigerian troops in Chad during the border skirmishes.

When IBB was almost killed in a coup attempt, it was General Sani who launched a daring counterattack against the coup plotters and almost singlehandedly saved IBB’s life. It was in April 1990, when middle-ranking officers led by Major Gideon Ngwozor Okar made attempts to topple IBB, and what ensued was a very bloody encounter. The gunbattle in Lagos was so heavy that Lt. Col UK Bello, IBB’s ADC was killed. Rebellious soldiers and loyal troops battled for the soul of the nation’s capital, then Lagos, but a brave Abacha saved the day, and IBB’s life. With the rattle of heavy gunfire and exploding mortar shells all over the State House and the military headquarters, he also organized a safe passage for the Minna general and his traumatized family while the ordeal lasted. He saw to their welfare and dutifully briefed his C-in-C from time to time as to the situation of things. Babangida would later state to reporters: “The unfortunate situation in Lagos this morning has been brought under control.” In Ibadan, thousands of students trooped out in support of the coup plotters. Eleven hours after the heavy gunfight, Abacha, then a Lieutenant General and the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced to the nation that the attempt has been quashed. Once again, Abacha proved himself to be a soldier of ruthless bravery and legendary courage. That singular act cemented the relationship of the two buddies and IBB would later promote him to a full general, a rank meant for the Head of State alone, for the first time in the nation’s history, there will be two full generals at the very helm of affairs. IBB would later refer to Abacha as the Khalifa, an Arabic word meaning ‘Successor’ or can be loosely translated to mean ‘King-In-Waiting’. Give it to him, Abacha was a man. But when Death came knocking again in the early morning hours of Monday, the 8th of June, 1998, he had no choice but to unclasp his iron hands.

Smart, confident, fearless and very bold, the General gives a sharp salute.

-Just in case you are wondering why the Fuji musician, Lalakukulala maestro and Alatika legend, Alhaji General Kolawole Kollington Ayinla (Kebe in Kwara, Professor Master) is called a General, look no further. It was General Sani Abacha who conferred upon him the title of a ‘General’ at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos. Actually, Kollington Ayinla served in the Army for 10 years and became a musician upon his discharge from the military. (Daily Times, 4th May, 1979).  Abacha seemed to be specially fond of Kollington, and even gave him emotional support and issued a cheque for him when his house got burnt. 


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