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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Real Stories, Fake Names: “Brian”

My Name is “Brian” and I work in a bar. My story begins one night in the smoking area while I was on my break. I was standing there, smoking away when I caught a nice little piece out of the corner of my eye. I threw my half smoked cigarette down on the ground and approached her,

“Sorry you don’t have a cigarette do you?” the sly dog that I am.

She gave me one and we started chatting. Next of all this fella comes out of nowhere, turns out to be her boyfriend. Now I don’t mean to brag but I’m a big lad. So this little runt is giving it socks, chatting to me about the gym coming out with all sorts of compliments, if his nose was further up my arse he’d be touching my tonsils.

So after I endure his shite, he offers to buy a round and fucks off.

“Come here to me” I say to her “I wanna show you something”

In that moment my suspicions that she wanted the king python were confirmed. She followed me out the fire exit and into the hotel hallway. I bring her around a corner and start scoring her, meanwhile her runt of a boyfriend is buying us a round. I drop the hand and so does she, within minutes she’s on her knees choking on the serpent.

Her phone keeps going off, probably that boyfriend of hers, what a fucking cockblock. She keeps rejecting the calls, cock in mouth. In fairness to her, you’ve got to admire her eagerness and enthusiasm. So I finish In her mouth and she jumps up. I put him back in the cage and she skips on out the door back to the club. I see her go to her boyfriend who’s in a serious strop mouthing “Where were you?!”  She made some excuse about being at the bathroom and gives him a big sloppy cock tasting kiss. She takes the drink from his hand and takes a swig, I cant help but think, “Yeah wash that load down you dirty slut”

I then went back to work… Girls eh? Can’t trust em.

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SANI ABACHA, Nigeria’s Most Enigmatic Ruler part 6

SANI ABACHA, Nigeria’s Most Enigmatic Ruler part 5 Here

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WEST

-His regime was under intense pressure from the West for the non-democratic nature of his junta and he made moves to ensure that his image was shored up on the global stage and that the pressure was reduced to the barest minimum. In May 1995, this led him to grant an extensive interview to CNN about the political corundum in Nigeria. He also hired consultants and experts in America and paid them millions of dollars to improve and rebrand his image.

-He was also on good terms with a number of American legislators like Oklahoma republican Senator Jim Inhofe, who came visiting him in 1997 on behalf of The Family (The Fellowship), a secretive but highly influential evangelical Christian group with which he would later do business and enjoy a political relationship. The Family is so secretive that it has no website, holds no public fundraising and all paper used during meetings are destroyed. The group however, holds just one event every year, the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC, and every single US President from Dwight Eisenhower to Barack Obama have taken part. They both discussed political issues and Inhofe later told Abacha:

”Mr. President really, yeah, I’m a member of the U.S. Senate but I didn’t come over here as a senator. In fact, I came all the way across the Atlantic and down to Sub-Saharan Africa to tell you that in the spirit of Jesus, we love you.”

-Abacha also cultivated a relationship with Senator Carol Elizabeth Moseley Braun of Illinois. She remains to date the first and only African-American woman elected to the US Senate, the first woman to defeat an incumbent senator in an election and also the first and to date, the only female Senator from Illinois, same state with President Obama. She attempted to run for the US Presidency in 2004. In 1996, despite the US government sanctions against Nigeria, she embarked on a private trip and met with Abacha. She did not alert, notify or record her trip with the US State Department, the White House or even her own Chief of Staff who resigned in protest. While in Nigeria, Abacha used the opportunity to send a letter endorsing Clinton’s re-election, which turned out to be a great embarrassment for the White House.

Thereafter, she defended Abacha’s human rights record before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the US Congress in May 1996 where she referred to Abacha as a ‘longtime fighter for human rights’. She was criticized but she responded with a stout defence and had a total of seven trips to Nigeria but never met with people like Ken Saro-Wiwa. She defended the Nigerian junta saying that relative to what happened in other parts of the continent in terms of abuses is like ‘opening the refrigerator, seeing an elephant and complaining that a jar of jam is missing.’ In 1998, she lost her re-election bid, the first Illinois Democrat to lose in 20 years and the only Democrat to be removed that year. President Clinton thereafter made her the US Ambassador to New Zealand.

Abacha’s friend: Senator Carol Moseley Braun.

-He was also friends with Reverend Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan who came on solidarity visits. He even named a street after Louis Farrakhan but the name was changed after Abacha’s death.   -While the West wanted to make Abacha look like a Kim Jong-il, he also did all that was possible to also show his own resistance. In 1996, Nigeria boycotted the African Football Cup of Nations. Why? South Africa, Nigeria’s main rival on the continent, was the host. He tried to also rally round and get the support of the other nations in West Africa. No doubt about it, Abacha had the clout and tremendous influence especially in West Africa. It was the same South Africa that attempted to solve Nigeria’s hydraheaded problems in 1995.

Mandela sent Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Thabo Mbeki (then the Vice President) to act as emissaries. Abacha was not impressed. He would eventually clash with South Africa over the killing of Saro-Wiwa and his kinsmen.

-Abacha did not have a cosy relationship with France mainly because of the latter’s role in the Nigeria-Cameroon Bakassi Peninsula dispute in 1994. Abacha believed that the French government was posing a serious threat to Nigeria’s security and stability by its aggressive actions. He believed French troops were already marshalled to Cameroon in case of the eventuality of a war. France denied this saying all that was sent was technical military assistance as based on a previous France-Cameroon defence agreement. At about the same, French troops were carrying out manoeuvers in Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) and Benin Republic, and Nigeria did not find this funny at all. While Abacha and his officials preferred a peaceful solution to the Bakassi debacle via bilateral talks and negotiations, France pushed Cameroon to bring the issue before the UN Security Council (of which France remains a Permanent Member) and to table the case before the International Court of Justice at the Hague.

-After the assassination of Kudirat Abiola at the age of 44, his government announced a $45,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of her killers. Abacha blamed terrorism and the increasing crime rate in the country for her assassination.

Mrs. Abiola was with her assistant and driver on the streets of Lagos, while in her white Mercedes Benz, they were attacked by six (some say three) men in a vehicle driven by Mohamed Abdulof, who rained bullets on them with a Belgium-made FN P90 submachine gun/compact assault rifle which is quite unconventional (see pictures and videos on the gun in action). 

The F-90, submachine gun/compact assault rifle used was used in killing Kudirat Abiola.

Her driver was shot and he died while her personal assistant, Michael Adesina was unhurt. She died from gunshot injuries to the forehead. She was rushed to the Eko Hospital after the attack. Before the killing, Kudirat Abiola had complained of threats to her life and that she was being trailed by unknown men. In May 1996, a month to her killing, she was arrested and detained briefly for possessing publications that were deemed critical of the Abacha junta.

Made in Belgium and described as a selective fire personal defence weapon, it is compact but highly efficient.

Named for 1990, the year it was made by FN Herstal, the weapon is ideal for vehicle crews, support personnel, special forces and counterterrorist teams. Weighing 2.6 kg and just 50.5 cm long, it is in use by the US Secret Service and its standard variant is not available to civilians. It has an integrated reflector sight system, back-up iron sights, fully ambidextrous control meaning it can be easily used by right or left-handed shooters and can fire 900 rounds per minute to a maximum distance of 1,800m.

Picture shows a disassembled PS90 (The standard P90 disassembles into similar main components), showing the major component groups: 1. trigger group, 2. barrel and optical sight assembly, 3. butt plate, 4. magazine, 5. bolt carrier and recoil assembly, 6. stock body and trigger. The firearm was indeed designed to kill: The P90 was designed to have a length no greater than a man’s shoulder width, to allow it to be easily carried and maneuvered in tight spaces, such as the inside of an armored vehicle. The weapon overall has an extremely compact profile—it is the most compact fixed-stock submachine gun to be made. The P90 requires minimal maintenance, and it can be disassembled quickly and easily. The P90 utilizes the small-caliber, high-velocity 5.7×28mm cartridge. The P90 can be fitted with a sling for greater ease of carry, and since the weapon has a fixed stock (as opposed to having a collapsing or folding stock), it can be quickly deployed when needed. It is in use in 40 countries of the world including Nigeria where it is employed by the State Security Service (SSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

-For some, Abacha was an independent ruler who shunned the West and was leading Nigeria to the Promised Land. Well, sorry to burst your bubble. It was his collaboration with the same West that propped him in power for the five years. The Anglo-Dutch oil giant, Shell, played a very significant role in the Abacha government. With petrodollars oozing from the nozzle of Shell, Abacha consolidated his grip over the military. Activists from Ogoniland condemned the support and the warm rapport between Shell and the Abacha government but what did they get for all their shouts: the Goggled One gagged them. Who can ever forget the brilliant Kenule Saro Wiwa? He called for more autonomy for his people and more compensation for Ogoniland but how did the Nigerian leader respond? Crushingly.

- Armed troops stormed his area and arrested him and eight others on subversion charges. Before you could spell Ogoni, they were all hanged. But one thing was that before they were killed, Owens Saro-Wiwa, the brother of Ken-Saro Wiwa approached the Shell boss in Nigeria, Brian Anderson, on three occasions, for him to intervene in Saro-Wiwa’s case. According to Owens, the Shell expatriate told him it was ‘difficult but not impossible’ and that Shell could help demand for clemency only if the Saro-Wiwa-led campaign against Shell would cease. Anderson denied ever making such offer, even as other human rights group also approached the oil giant on the matter. Here comes the masterstroke, just a few days before Ken-Saro Wiwa was killed alongside others, Shell announced a natural gas joint venture with the Abacha government. Guess how much the deal was worth: over $4 billion. After the executions, Shell insisted that it was no concern of theirs if a military junta decides to execute people. Shell had a warm, cosy and mutually-beneficial relationship with the Abacha regime and for a nation that makes over 85% of its money from crude oil, there was no way he could have funded his five-year terror on Nigerians without the billions tumbling in from oil sales.

-Well, it must be stated here that that was not the first time a multinational like Shell would have a nice relationship with the government (even though the masses had to bear the brunt most of the time). In October 1990 when Babangida was in power, there was major demonstration against Shell in Ogoniland, which promptly called on the government for assistance. IBB’s government responded, mobile policemen were drafted to the area and by the time the smoke cleared, 75 Nigerians lay dead and about 500 houses were destroyed. The crackdown was so brutal that the government set up a commission which submitted that the mobile policemen showed ‘a reckless disregard for lives and property.’ They were branded ‘kill-and-go squads’, and till this point, as you are reading this, many Nigerians still urinate in their pants at the mention or sight of a MOPOL. When the people of Ogoniland erupted again in 1993 in protests, Shell simply called in the troops, and what followed was indescribable savagery termed by the military as ‘wasting operations’. The Niger Delta is still very much militarized, as if it is a war zone. You see, when I read and write about stuffs like these, I know that the problem of Africa is much deeper than what many of us think or acknowledge.The Niger Delta is still as messed up as hell right now, not minding the fact that a shawn of the shoil is at the helm of affairs. But as a professor once said: The Nigerian government is a shell. Shell is the government. An interesting quote considering the fact that the oil minister herself was once an executive with Shell. Don’t let us even go into the oil spills. Enough of that, we continue with Gumsu’s father. -In 1997, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka was charged with treason by the Abacha government. He was accused of being involved in a series of ‘mysterious bombings’ of several Nigerian Army installations. The punishment was death penalty but before Abacha could act upon it, ‘he kindly took his leave of the world.’, to use the words of WS himself

-COUNTRIES VISITED

-Abacha’s first visit outside Africa as the Head of State was to the G15 Summit in New Delhi, India in early March, 1994.

-Abacha was a man who preferred the shadows rather than hug the limelight with the glee of a celebrity. As the Head of State, he was reluctant to travel either within or outside Nigeria unless it was absolutely necessary. He managed to visit the following countries in his lifetime: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, UNITED KINGDOM, TUNISIA, SAUDI ARABIA, GERMANY, RUSSIA,

With the swagger of an emperor, Abacha arrives Tunis, Tunisia on June 6, 1994, to attend the 30th summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

-SIERRA LEONE

Sierra Leone ‘s President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (C) is flanked by his Nigerian counterpart Sani Abacha (L) and Guinean President Lansana Conte (R) during a ceremony held in Freetown 10 March to mark the return of Kabbah after more than nine months of exile imposed by a now-toppled military regime. Abacha helped bring Kabbah back to power and he is here in Freetown marking the victory.

-UNITED KINGDOM

-SOUTH AFRICA

-CHAD (Where he met with Muammar Gaddafi on planning his self-succession shortly before he died).

- TOGO

Meeting with former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in Togo.

MARRIAGE, FAMILY & CHILDREN:

-On the 15th April, 1983, an article in the Democrat Weekly recounted the days of Abacha as a young Brigadier in the army, his experiences during the civil war and how he met his wife:

Sani Abacha neither drinks nor smokes and talks with a gentle, strong voice. It is not difficult to see that the man is an extremely cautious personality. Before the discussion started he had specified that he did not want questions on the coup and politics. And so when, during the chat, he felt a question brushed the forbidden area, he chuckled gently, reached out with a finger and touched the pause button of the recorder. When later he was asked what made him fall in love with a girl called Maryam whom he married on December 4, 1966, Brigadier Abacha chuckled shyly, looked down at the centre-table and slowly said 'She was in those days....I don't know what to call it. She looked a simple, natural, straightforward girl.'

-Surviving the 20th Century: Social Philosophy from the Frankfurt School edited by Judith Marcus, pages 184-185. 

-Abacha got married to Maryam Jidah in 1965 (some records indicate 1966) and they raised ten children together (seven sons and three girls). One thing with the Abacha family, like it or not, is that all of his children are very cute and good-looking. You can’t take away the cuteness.

Abacha and Maryam in their youth.

1-IBRAHIM ‘GAJI’: According to Binta Yar’adua, Shehu Yar’adua’s wife in an interview with Tell published in July 2000, there were some issues regarding Ibrahim ‘Gaji’ Abacha’s paternity. She said: He is Shehu Usman, Sarkin Musa from Funtua district in Katsina. And he happens to be my father. He was the district head of Funtua , and one time, a cabinet minister in Sardauna’s government. He happened to marry Maryam. He was a minister. I think in the middle of 1965. And Shehu’s father (Yar’adua) had nothing to do with my father’s marriage to Maryam.” When TELL pressed her further about the speculated issue of paternity, she replied: I wouldn’t know. I don’t know. He could be my father’s son. He could be Abacha’s son. I don’t know…I wouldn’t say it’s forceful marriage because it didn’t look like it was a forceful marriage….maybe about two years. One and a half or two years Ibrahim Abacha was born in our house. (TELL, July 3, 2000, p 14-17).

To put this issue in proper perspective, it is good to understand that Abacha jailed Shehu Yar’adua who eventually died in Abakaliki Prisons. On the 17th of January, 1996, a presidential jet ferrying the son of the late maximum ruler, Ibrahim Abacha crashed at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, just minutes before landing. He perished alongside Julie Osolukoya, his girlfriend, Aliko Dangote’s (read all about Dangote here and how he also escaped near plane crashes) younger brother (Bello Dangote) and eight other friends which included Onieba Dan Princewill, Audu Baba, Abubakar Abdullahi and Lema Ibrahim. They were coming from Lagos. Although some fingers were pointed at the late Head of State, the United Front for the Liberation of Nigeria (UFLN, formed in 1996 and classified as a terrorist group, now believed to be inactive) claimed responsibility for blowing up the aircraft. TELL would also publish a damning article on 15th February, 1999 that the plane crash that killed Ibrahim was based upon Abacha’s orders, and that in itself is a very controversial claim. That aside, Ibrahim has been described as a most humble and kind personality. Upon his tragic death, Maryam Abacha was shattered and had to leave for Saudi Arabia where she stayed temporarily, prayed, meditated and sought for consolation in her faith and God. The Ibrahim Sani Abacha Vocational Centre in Maiduguri, Borno State was named after him.

The late Ibrahim ‘Gaji’ Abacha.

2. MOHAMMED: The best known of the Abacha sons, Mohammed was incarcerated alongside al-Mustapha after his father’s death by the Obasanjo presidency but his mother was said to have consulted with powerful traditional rulers in the north to prevail upon Obasanjo. He was later released and denied having any deal to return any money to the Federal Government. He made attempts in 2011 to be the Governor of Kano State under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) but lost. Reports indicate he may run again in 2015 and he is steadily becoming a strong political voice. He is married with five kids to two ladies: Fatima and Samira. At a ceremony in Bayelsa State to honour his late father, he was given a new Ijaw name: Izonebidou-owei..

Alhaji Mohammed Abacha. Please note that all of Abacha’s sons attended the Nigerian Military School (NMS) Zaria with the exception of Abba and Mustapha (see below for their pictures).

Mohammed Abacha and Major Hamza al Mustapha during their trial.

Mohammed is a free man while al-Mustapha had a death penalty hanging upon him but was later freed.

Painting shows Mohammed Abacha and wife

A true son of his father: President Olusegun Obasanjo (right) presents an award to Alhaji Mohammed Abacha, who receives it on behalf of his late father, former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, at the Nigerian Army Colour presentation parade at the Eagle Square, Abuja, on Monday, March 19, 2007. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

Lawal Wada Nas and Mohammed Abacha. Photo credits: Lawal Wada Nas.

3. SADIQ: Nicknamed Damu Sarkin Hakuri, he is described as nice, calm and patient.

Sadiq Abacha.

Sadiq Abacha. Sadiq Abacha with his wife Huda Khaloud on their wedding day. COURTESY: OVATION

4. MAHMUD: He is Abacha’s 4th son. (Steve Job, thanks a lot for clarifying this!) He got married on the November 15th, 2013, to his heartthrob, Hamama Mohammad, the daughter of Alhaji Mahammad Ahman Abdulmulah. The wedding fatiha took place at the National Mosque, Abuja after Friday congregational prayers on the 15th.

Abacha’s fourth son, Mahmud at the wedding of his brother, Sadiq. Mahmud was the one who presented the bride’s ring to the groom.

5. ABBA: A fan of Keri Hilson , he attended Command Day Secondary School, Ibadan, Oyo State where he finished in 1987.

Abba Abacha.

 6. ZAINAB: Mohammed’s younger sister and a carbon-copy of their mother, Hajiya Zainab Lado was married in 1999 to her father’s minister of power and steel, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu.

Hajiya Zainab Lado, Abacha’s daughter.

The wedding, a classic talk-of-the-town, was attended by the glitterati and high-class clique of Nigeria, but the union ended in a divorce. The marriage produced a child.

Zainab, Abacha’s daughter.

Zainab turned not a few heads during her father’s reign when she had her own office designated as the Office of the Daughter of the Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Not too long ago, she had her second marriage, with Senator Yakubu Lado.

 7. GUMSU (FATIMA GUMSU aka G_sparking): Of all of Abacha’s children, Gumsu is the most sociable and visible. Quite jovial and funny, she responds with maturity to people on Facebook and Twitter who pour vituperations upon her family. That is not an easy thing to do…lol! She tweeted recently: The buttocks are like a married couple though there is constant friction between them; they will still love and live together.

Gumsu.

Abacha’s daughter, Fatima Gumsu with her husband in Cameroon.

And she can be quite vocal too, she tweeted: Masses too sabi support bad things. Make them suffer. No be them support GEJ last year say bcos he is christian? Let them face it too!

Gumsu with her husband on the Bosphorus (Istanbul Strait, Turkey) in 2013.

Gumsu is happily married with kids to Mohamadou Bayero Fadil, one of the richest and most powerful men in Cameroon where he may emerge as the President in future. If that happens, Gumsu will become the first Nigerian woman to become the First Lady of another nation.

She is a big fan of Brymo (play Brymo’s Good Morning for her if you want to make her day…lol!) Anita Baker and eLDee. I know some readers are boiling already but facts are facts. #SingingBrymo….lmao!!! Her words:Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. Is there anything cruel or do I say evil that has not been said about him?? Or about us his family? I truly cannot be bothered. God knows best. Time will tell. I Just love facebook…My dear comment on what? When u feel u have said it all? ..I can only laugh as I was an insider but u weren’t ..keep airing ur points I actually enjoy de reading part. He is my dad u know so I would rather listen than talk. All i know is no one is a SAINT. All this does not matter now. As it is ur opinion u just gave as an individual. To u he was a failure to some he is a hero. That’s life for u. I will as I said not go into all this..as it may turn dramatic eventually, he at least left a huge foreign reserve and pegged the dollar.. And yes possibly he had pple around him that did not help matters..the picture they presented to him was most times negative and untrue…while in actual facts critical attention was needed. He was very aloof not a very social figure at all But I thank God for his life and for the discipline he instilled in us….There are so many others that never made an impact..dem only chop clean mouth. But dem de on ground cos they are alive. I think the biggest issue here is that he passed away..end of discussion. I rest my case.

8. RAKIYA: She is popularly referred to as Mami. She got married in Kano in August 2009.

Rakiya with her groom on her wedding day in 2009. Photo credits: Gumsu Sani Abacha.

Dele Momodu with the three Abacha girls: (L-R) Zainab, Rakiya and Gumsu.

Standing in their father’s shadow: The Abacha Girls.

9. ABDULLAHI ‘MOGLEE’: In September 2012, he was splashed on the pages of Nigerian newspapers when one of the suspects, a telephone operator in their house, arrested for stealing her mother’s jewelry stated Abdullahi gave him the gold to sell and use the money to get him cocaine in Sabon Gari quarters.

He also accused Abdullahi of almost killing him when he refused an earlier directive. However, Abdullahi has emphatically denied having anything to do with the robbery incident, he was even in Abuja at the time but believed that the suspect named him believing that it would be easier to make Abdullahi an easy target. He is a fan of Lady Gaga, Liverpool FC and George Galloway, a British politician with anti-Zionist stance. He studied History at the University of Maiduguri, Borno State.

Abdullahi Abacha at a much younger age. Cute face and chubby cheeks! His nickname is Moglee (after the Jungle Book character which he loved so much as a young boy). CREDITS: ABDULLAHI SANI ABACHA.

A young Abdullahi dons a red cap.Here, he is with his brothers Sadiq and Mahmud with a couple of cousins. CREDITS: ABDULLAHI SANI ABACHA.

Young and casual Alhaji :D CREDITS:ABDULLAHI SANI ABACHA.

Moglee in a relaxed mood :) CREDITS: ABDULLAHI SANI ABACHA.

With a friend. CREDITS: ABDULLAHI SANI ABACHA.

Abdullahi Abacha.

10. AL MUSTAPHA ABACHA: Nicknamed Musty, he was born while his father was still the head of state, Al Mustapha is the last child of the Abachas. He was named after Abacha’s late elder brother, Mustapha Abacha. On 7th December 2011, the 17-year-old Al-Mustapha was shot by armed robbers while at the home of his sister, Zainab, in Kano State. He was shot by one of the robbers who saw him making a call for help on his mobile phone and left for dead. He survived the ordeal.

Abacha’s last child, Al Mustapha.