Whatever Happened to the Abacha Loot?
By Sonala Olumhense

LET me begin by clarifying one point: Sani Abacha, the military general who ruled Nigeria for five brutal years in the 1990s, was a thief, among other things.

Sorry Mrs. Abacha, but your husband really was one of the greediest, and people the world over have proof. They laugh in legislatures, pubs and park benches at how much of a criminal he really was.

Take the Swiss, for instance. Never in their history have the cooperated with a people as they have cooperated with Nigerians in haunting for, and returning stolen money. Part of it reflects how scandalized they were to discover how much Abacha took them for granted, after taking his own country for almost everything we had.

Two weeks ago, the Government of Switzerland announced it was closing this extraordinary chapter of wholesale embezzlement and scandal. Mr Fabio Baiardi, the Charge D'Affaires of the Embassy of Switzerland in Nigeria, closed their books with the announcement of what they had returned:

* $290 million transferred on September 1, 2005;

* $168 million transferred on December 19, 2005; and

* $40 million transferred at the end of January 2006.

Another $7 million, he said, was also transferred into a 'blocked account' in Nigeria, the origin of which the Swiss government had not been able to identify its origin.

Recovering the Abacha loot is one of the few things that President Olusegun Obasanjo ever did, although it was called to question by his failure to extend the same probe to many other prominent thieves. Obasanjo also refused to tell Nigerians how he was managing the funds.

Because it is the right thing to do, particularly in view of the vast stealing that took place throughout Obasanjo's own tenure, it is important to obtain an accurate account of the recovered Abacha funds.

The Government of Yar'Adua must establish, and publish, an accurate account of the Abacha file. This is commonsense, but it is particularly important now that some prominent citizens are now describing Abacha as a patriot who did not steal anything. It is also important because Yar'Adua claims to be better, and has said he wants to serve the nation.

The national interest would be well served by a transparent picture of what has actually happened. The indications are that some of the funds recovered from the man and his family may have been re-stolen, or misused.

Nigerians may never know how much was stolen, not only by Abacha, but by other thieves. Some countries-Luxembourg, for instance-said they were waiting for Nigeria to put up a claim against funds they had found in the names of Abacha, his children and associates. We ought to know, therefore, how much we have claimed (and where); recovered; and received.

And then Yar'Adua must tell us where these funds are, or what they are doing. On February 15, 2007, as we were plunging into an awful election on the last stretch of Obasanjo's tenure, his Finance Minister, Nenadi Usman, said the funds had been given to the following ministries: Power, Works, Health, Education, and Water Resources. She said there was an investigation into how the funds were being spent.

That was two months after the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, had announced that $2 billion had been recovered in the Abacha hunt. That does not include the $700 million that former Finance Minister Michael Ani said in 1998-before Obasanjo assumed the presidency-had been recovered from Abacha's estate.

The point is that there is no doubt Abacha looted the national treasury. But have we taken advantage of his death and reputation? Has Abacha's bad name been used as a front for re-defrauding Nigerians?

Let us recall that for some time, the Swiss were reluctant to repatriate some recovered funds because they were uncertain Nigeria would spend it well. La Declaration de Berne, a Swiss humanitarian group, alleged some irregularities in December 2006 in Nigeria's use of returned funds (which it put at $700 billion), including about $200 million that had "disappeared" on its way to Nigeria.

That claim was later denied by the Nigerian Embassy in Switzerland. Of course. Mrs. Usman also said his ministry was investigating the use of the funds. Still, there remain only smoke and doubt.

Nigerians must insist on a full and transparent statement on the Abacha file. The man was a nightmare, but we should not stand by and be victimized all over again by those who came to save us.

I encourage Nigerian citizens to speak out. In particular, our newspapers should insist on an authentic report. Billions of dollars should not simply vanish in our hands.

Yves Saint La-Who?

This is hard to say, but last week I read this newspaper's editorial on Yves Saint Laurent, the French fashion designer, with anger.

I know The Guardian routinely pens obituaries of prominent international and local figures, but reading the Laurent editorial simply made me nauseous. If merchants import food and drinks, The Guardian's editorial was imported; unlike food and drinks, however, it lacked a redeeming local message or justification.

In a country with challenges in every conceivable endeavor-beginning with the realm of values-the Laurent editorial was a gross abuse of space. I could name 100 subjects of greater import and urgency in the same week- including Nigerians striving and striding in the fields of science and art and even fashion-that were more deserving of those column inches.

Stylistically, the editorial was remarkably repetitive and arrogant. It seemed determined to demonstrate irrelevant knowledge of New York ("The Metro") and Paris, along with meaningless fashion styles. It spoke of "national hero" and "the press" as though the conversation were about Nigeria. Both attitude and style sounded are demonstrably alien.

If a Laurent editorial had to be shoe-horned into The Guardian, it should have been done with an eye on perspective, and with considerably less pseudo-sophistication and drama. Perhaps one or two paragraphs articulating his relevance to the Nigerian, Algerian or African industry, and no more.

* sonalaolumhense@gmail.com

Robot  Villager

# 1 Whatever Happened to the Abacha Loot? ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 22.06.2008 02:10

PAPIG  Villager

# 2 Thanks Sonala, Would it not be helpful if we can ensure the freedom of information bill finally gets into our statute? For instance, we are unable to account for the Abacha loot repatriated by the Swiss government and the self elected government of Umaru Yar'Adua is in no hurry to give us a detailed account. Why should he? The culprits and beneficiaries are all aligned to his power base, the PDP and Military. I just pray and hope we are not pushed to the point where we the people have to forcibly take issues with the thieving military and their apologists in the PDP. Half a word..... Patience is not an infinite characteristic trait of Nigerians contrary to popular myth. Ask the Niger deltans. Posted by PAPIG| 22.06.2008 05:12

datuouwadaberechi  Villager

# 3 thanks for this article even though its among many on the same subject this week. i will limit my remarks about ur reference to mrs abacha by simply saying that of course she knew her husband was a thief....if she didnt, she should prepare to receive silliness award of the century. where did she think all the money she had at her disposal was coming from?? or she thot she was also born to enjoy like that. it wasnt a new marriage, she wasnt a child. she had live the life of a soldier's wife for long enough to notice the difference. just like wives of our current legislators, governors and lg chairmen know that there is somethng definetly fishy. thanks also for your remarks about the abuse of space the article on Yves represented. it is true that there are far far far too many unsung nigerian heroes out there who deserve the space far more than a total foreign whose clothes nigerians would likely only get hold off at okrika!!! Posted by datuouwadaberechi| 22.06.2008 12:38

tengallons  Villager

# 4 A timely reminder, Sonala. In addition to your call -- as a journalist -- we should be hearing the same demand from the Senate, House of Reps, the accounting community, and a credible opposition party among others. Of course, many of these institutions are hopelessly hobbled. The loud silence on this matter simply shows the anaemic environment of Nigerian "democracy". There is simply too much secrecy. Democracies thrive on sunshine policies. As for mourning the French fashion icon, ah, maybe the limousine liberals at The Guardian are now left without a tastemaker! Our kabuki theater... Posted by tengallons| 23.06.2008 08:37