Remembering General Sani Abacha

By

Lawal Shaibu

lawalshaibu@yahoo.co.uk

I was reading the above titled article written by one Dan Amor, published in this reputable newspaper (Daily Independent) on the 7^th of June 2004 , with my heart weeping for Nigeria . It is disheartening and painful that a member of the fourth estate of the realm like Amor could condescend so low as to dance to the tone of sentiment and vindictiveness by composing an article that more or less cast a post humus aspersion on the Late General Abacha. At first I was livid with rage and was almost overwhelmed by it to the extent that I attempted criticizing erroneously,  the Daily Independent.  No sooner did I start that than I realized the cause it stands for.  It allows people medium to air their opinion.  And that is basically a democratic cause.

However, I quickly understood that that piece of misinformation was the opinion of Amor, and I felt instantaneously that the man should be ignored.  But on a second thought, I felt if the man is not re-oriented with a rejoinder, he would feel like a hero and an opinion champion licensed to tell Nigerians anything and would gullibly be believed hook, line and sinker.

Based on my personal appraisal, if Amor is a journalist, then he could be rightly perceived as the enfant terrible of the journalistic world.  This is apparent in his assessment of Abacha.

He could not draw a comprehensive line between the pros and the cons.  As such he sees Abacha metaphorically in the likes of such diabolical rulers as Agathocles and Dionysus I of Sicily .

This he could be pardoned because obviously he has little or no knowledge of history. And if he is not a journalist, then he has an implacable hatred for the General.  If not how could he described the era of a man that stabilized the Nigerian exchange rate and pegged it officially at 22 Naira to a Dollar for more than four years; a man who increased fuel price with reasons and kept inflation at its lowest ebb with barbarism and savagery.  This is absolutely preposterous.

I should not be seen as holding brief for Abacha.  But I am saying that no matter Amor’s grouse about the late General, he should know that he has no monopoly of those critical radical idiosyncratic views he exhibited in his criticism of Abacha.  This writer was un-hypocritically a June 12 twelfer and sees Abiola as a model.

Such sentiment and belief should not make  analysts to throw objective analyses to the dogs in the cause of assessing accomplices that saw to the final burial of June 12.

Whether we like it or not, it could be axiomatically expressed that the opposite of strength is weakness.  These are the many qualities of all mortals.  Nobody can claim perfections.  They are of God.  No wonder Amor’s perception of Abacha was imperfectly written and un-impeccably analyzed.  He ambiguously contradicted himself.  He wrote about the inability of our present leaders to show magnanimity in victory, and oppositions to show equanimity in defeat. Yet in his entire expression about Abacha was a show of hatred and fomented antagonism.

However, we should know at this point that political assassination and lust for stupendous filthy ephemera lucre did not start and end with Abacha government. The tragic way kudirat Abiola died was the way Dele Giwa, Abiola, Bola lge, Harry Marshal Okadigbo, etc.; died. The N2.8B 1978 World Bank loan, the 1991Gulf War oil money, June 1998 to May 1999 drastic reduction in our foreign reserve and more recently, the N300B road construction money are yet to be accounted for. Yet Abacha is the only ruler that was a barbarous killer, callous and notorious for looting national treasury

The earlier Amor realized that most Nigerians are not that gullible to accept a repulsive criticism the better for him. Abacha as vicious as he was, was not ambitious. His meteoric rise to power from a humble background was at a snail speed. He preferred being a king maker to making himself a king. His eventual emergence as Nigerian Head of State was to dethrone an illegality called Interim National Government. And  to ensure the cohesion of a country whose foundation was threatened by the annulment of June 12 1993, he was able to pull the country together in the face of ossified oppositions from within and without.

Abacha as a result was painted black and his country was sanctioned by some international actors; because of his "anti-democratic" tendencies. Ironically, those same actors are today working partners of Musharaf Pakistan. Despite the latter’s apparent wretched compromise between "militocracy" and democracy.

This now reminds me about this over-stretched question-what is the West perception of democracy? This is definitely a topic for another day.

Whatever it is that is making Amor and his likes to haunt the spirit of Abacha six years after his death, should be buried. The only sin of Abacha is that he died the way he did. That is why his contemporaries with all their atrocities are today being worshipped and celebrated by most Nigerians. This Amor would not see.

The press therefore, would be doing the greatest damage to the already shaky entity called Nigeria if they allow jaundiced and biased pocket analysts like Amor to have their way. This would indubitably aggravate the reasoning of a people with an already national psychic disorientation.

 Muhammed Lawal Shuaibu

Corps Member

Dept of History & Int’l Studies

Nnamdi Azikiwe University ,

Awka.