Maryam Abacha, widow of former military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, has opened what promises to be a can of worms alleged that those who succeeded her late husband looted Nigeria’s treasury.
Speaking during an interview with TVC, Mrs. Abacha said the funds her husband secured for Nigeria “vanished” shortly after his death.
“The monies that my husband kept for Nigeria, in a few months, the monies vanished. People are not talking about that,” she said, implying mismanagement by subsequent administrations.
Contrary to the popular belief that General Abacha looted public treasury and stashed the loot in the vaults of foreign banks, Mrs. Abacha challenged those peddling the rumour to produce the evidence.
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Demanding concrete proof that her husband stashed public funds in foreign accounts, she asked: “Who is the witness of the monies that were being stashed? Did you see the signature or the evidence of any monies stashed abroad?”
Gen Abacha who ruled Nigeria as military head of state from 1993 following a palace coup d’état that ousted Chief Ernest Shonekan’s Interim National Government died on Monday, June 8, 1998, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja. He was buried on the same day according to Muslim tradition and without an autopsy, fuelling speculation that he may have been assassinated.
He was succeeded by General Abdulsalam Abubakar who returned Nigeria to civil rule on May 29, 1999.
But since then, 27 years after his death, Nigeria has always received what has become known as “Abacha Loot” from foreign countries.
But dismissing the longstanding allegations that her late husband looted billions of dollars during his time in office, Mrs. Abacha, instead defended his legacy, insisting he did not siphon public funds abroad.
Questioning the motivations behind the continued focus on her husband’s legacy, she said, “Why are you blaming somebody? Is that tribalism or a religious problem or what is the problem with Nigerians?
“I pray for Nigerians. I pray for all of us. I pray that we should have goodness in our hearts. We should stop telling lies and blaming people.
“Why are we so bad towards each other? Because somebody is a northerner or a southerner, somebody is a Muslim or a Christian, or somebody is nice or… It’s not fair.”
Mrs. Abacha also criticised the media, urging journalists to “educate the people” rather than “bastardise people.”
She added, “People are not that bad. Twenty-seven years ago and you are still talking about Abacha. He must be very powerful and loved by Nigerians. We thank God for that.”
Responding to a remark about the relatively stable economy during her husband’s regime, marked by rising foreign reserves and lower external debt, she reiterated her denial of any wrongdoing, urging critics to present verifiable evidence.
“So, where did he steal the money from? So where would he have stolen the money from?” She asked. “And because Nigerians are fools, they listen to everything.”
Mrs. Abacha emphasised the importance of unity and respect for all Nigerians, saying, “Babangida doesn’t make Nigeria alone. Abacha does not make Nigeria alone. Abiola and everybody, nobody is big enough for Nigeria. We are all very important.
“Even the single man on the street is very important. We are all human beings, for goodness sake. All these wahala should stop. Babangida cannot make things or unmake things.”
