The Daily Trust of Monday, June 9, 2008, carried the bold headline on its front page as its lead story, “ABACHA WAS NO LOOTER.” It was stated that in separate interviews at the 10^th year anniversary prayer for Abacha, former military rulers, Generals Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, gave Sani Abacha “a clean bill of health that he looted public treasury.

General Sani Abacha took over power from the interim government of Alex Shonekan at a turbulent time in the history of Nigeria which was as a result of global change that has its root in the fall of Communist Soviet Republic in 1990. His crony, IBB, had squandered eight years adrift in the cesspool of corruption and failed to handover power to a democratic elected government after he was forced to resign leaving Nigeria at the brink of civil war.

The fall of Communist Soviet Republic ended the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States . From bi-polarized system that governed the world since 1945 we suddenly have a single super power. The US and its friends in Europe embarked on public relations stunts that they are the pioneers of democracy and freedom around the globe. It was this time that Abacha seized over power from the interim government of Alex Shonekan which was supposed to conduct an election that would put Nigeria among democratic countries of the world after many years of successive failed military regimes. And unfortunately for Abacha it was wrong timing considering the new global trend.

It was a time when democratic ideals from Diaspora started gaining ground in Nigeria and Nigerian intelligentsias, the press who control public opinion, and a large section of the population were disenchanted with the military juntas and the debacle they represent. It was a time when apartheid in South Africa had been crushed and Nelson Mandela was the democratic elected government of South Africa . It was an era of CNN, an era when happenings anywhere in the world is brought to your doorstep anywhere you are around the globe. Abacha was caught up in this change. He ignorantly ignored the change and then tried to manipulate the change, and in the end it made his government very unpopular both at home and internationally.

Because Abacha didn’t understand the change, most decisions he took during his five year reign were wrong decisions, from the execution of Ken Saro Wiwa and others to dining and wining with Mammam Ghadafi of Libya and the formation of political parties and muscling his way as a sole candidate of the five political parties as the only man who the cap fits.

Abacha was fighting everything and everybody against his ambition tooth and nail, guns and bombs, and in the end he ended up with an image equal to that of the most notorious dictators the world has ever seen. CNN compared Abacha reign to that of Nazi Germany under Hitler, Idi Amin of Uganda , and Papa Doc of Haiti. The Nigerian press was fed up with military antics and came down hard on Abacha. Abacha clamped on them with the entire brute you can imagine. He was going to make himself president and anything or anybody on his way had to give way by whatever means. Human Rights activists were jailed. Journalists were jailed and some murdered. Those who spoke against Abacha’s ambition were hunted. Like something out of a Shakespearian tale the deux ex machina was death. Abacha died in the midst of his dream and ambition to the surprise of the nation.

During his time as military president of Nigeria he made himself a lot of enemies, from north to south, east and west, indiscriminately. General Abdulsalami Abubakar who took over after Abacha was one of them. He was the first to expose the Abacha loot barely three months after Abacha’s demise. The West that he fought all these while was willing to cooperate with the Nigerian government and they did in exposing the numerous bank accounts with millions and billions stashed away. Afterwards the Olusegun Obasanjo government continued to regain huge amounts from foreign banks through the cooperation of their governments.

With all the facts and figures available on the Abacha loots, it is ridiculous and pathetic to exonerate Abacha of all wrong doings. And such hocus-pocus from the mouth of Abdulsalami Abubakar is all the more an insult to the sensibilities of Nigerians.

Perhaps what the trio meant by their silly comment was that Abacha looted like any of them, so why should his family go through all the humiliation. They forgot that the Abacha loot is not an ethnic or tribal issue but an international issue with the entire world fighting corruption which leads to impoverishing billions of people. Buhari shouldn’t get himself embroiled in such controversy with his ambition of becoming Nigerian president. Babangida has never been a man to be taken seriously.

In his five years as President, General Sani abacha it must be noted did a lot that affects the livelihood of the common Nigerian more than the eight years of democratic Nigeria under Obasanjo. The Petroleum Trust Fund and the sanity to the Nigerian banks is something we owe to Sani Abacha. Perhaps even the GSM revolution. But to say Abacha did not loot the treasury of Nigeria is a travesty.

Robot  Villager

# 1 The Daily Trust of Monday, June 9, 2008, carried the bold hea...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 19.06.2008 09:12

Tiger  Villager

# 2 Interesting write-up. Let us hope trio read this! Posted by Tiger| 19.06.2008 10:13

Agidimolaja  Villager

# 3 Without pains or sweats,we can now safely arrive at the conclusion that our three former leaders,Buhari,Babangida and Abdulsalam are blatant liars. They all know the truth but have taken it upon themselves to suppress the truth with home-cooked falsehood. It bothers me so much that even Buhari who claimed to be the most righteous of all the leaders that ever ruled Nigeria is among the three pathetic liars. We may then ask Buhari;why was he locking up some people and murdering some in the name of cleaning up the country when he is so fully loaded with gross falsehoods? The reason for these past three shameless leaders to unite and dish out falsehoods may probably be to ward off any impending trouble in respect of their own stewardships. The three of them did not do well just like Abacha but they would like to be left alone unmolested hence they grab the first available opportunity with which they can start to soften the ground for themselves by propagating falsehoods. Abdulsalam said it openly recently that it is of no use probing past leaders as nothing good shall come out of it. He is right. Nothing good will come out of it because each of them had more than ten years with which to cleverly cover up their crimes and properly hide away their massive loots. In truth,they have massive wealths now with which to buy out any investigator. They also possess instruments of threats with which to intimidate any would be investigators.What then is the need for going after these well advanced crooks? Vanity upon vanity,all is vanity. Readers should as well bear it in mind that these shameless former leaders are Northerners.Since they recently disturbed peoples' ears with that absurd utterances;have you heard of any attempt made by Northern leaders to condemn them?No! Such unfortunate statement is ok as long as it was uttered by Northerners. But wait till a Southerner say similar things.Threats would be put out everywhere.It might even become another opportunity for Northern barbarians to descend mightily upon defenceless Southerners; killing,maiming and torturing them within Northern boundry under the watchful eyes of Northern leaders. That is the kind of Nigeria we are living in.Such evils are part of the reasons why Fakoya,Eluyera etc are lamenting ceaselessly. That Abacha did not loot, is the most unfortunate statement any former leader can make considering indisputable evidences unearthed already and at the nations disposal coupled with the returned money from various Western countries. Can facts be denied? No,sirs! Posted by Agidimolaja| 20.06.2008 00:43

Abraxas  Villager

# 4 Hi, folks! I wonder why anyone can be surprised by the fact that Ibrahim (Evil Spirit) Gbadamosi Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar would empathize with corruption. What should come as a very timely revelation is that the so-called Mr. Discipline, a.k.a. General W.A.I., that is, Muhammadu Buhari, is himself, a crooked thief, just like his fellow coup-plotters, OBJ, IBB, et al. Muchas gracias. Don Juan-Carlos ABRAXAS (III) Posted by Abraxas| 21.06.2008 03:08