Can one really miss Sani Abacha?

by Eze Eluchie

I never thought the day will come when I will miss the rulership of former dictator, Sani Abacha.

But how I wish Sani Abacha was at the helm off affairs today, as British authorities decide to impose, from November 2013, a most discriminatory 'cash-bond charge' of over 750,000 Naira {3,000.00 British Pounds} on every intending Nigerian visitor to Britain.

Sani Abacha had come unto the Nigerian scene at a very volatile period in the nation’s history. Upon 'stepping aside' from office, Ibrahim Babangida, the dictator who had annulled the June 12 1993 elections had deliberately allowed a raw military officer, who had little formal education but had under Nigeria's flawed quota-driven process, found himself to the rank of a 3-Star General in the Nigerian Army.

Being poor in formal education, it was quite easy for smart alecs who surrounded Sani Abacha to manipulate him to their own personal pecuniary ends.

Two principal set of characters that seized the opportunity of Abacha's low IQ to clean up themselves were Abacha’s security team headed by former Chief security Officer {CSO} (Major Al-Mustapher) and those who had access to public funds and the bidding processes for Nigerian 'Oil Blocks'. 

Sani Abacha rarely traveled outside the borders of Nigeria during his tenure and for a very lengthy period during his tenure as Head of State was virtually imprisoned within the walls of Aso Rock by his security advisers who coined ceaseless tales of attempts by all manner of imaginary folks to kill Abacha. It was later revealed that the CSO himself had been instrumental to some of the terrorist attacks and bomb-blasts targeting military barracks in Nigeria during the Abacha era. These attacks had then been blamed on pro-June 12 actors. Having cornered his boss (Abacha), Major al-Mustapher was thus able to secure access to unrestricted and inexhaustible funds under the guise of 'tackling the opposition' and 'securing the head of State'.

Abacha was so intimidated and frightened of his own shadow that he was even made to adorn very dark sunglasses even whilst in his office.

Abacha's children and persons who were close to him, all cashed in, with frightful frenzy, on the intellectually challenged late Head of State’s inability to see through the woods. Within a period of 3 years, well over U.S.$8 Billion was stolen out of Nigerian reserves by relatives and friends of the Abacha clan, as the reclusive ruler hid behind his sunglasses. A certain childhood acquaintance of Abacha, Mai Deribe, overnight acquired the single most lucrative oil block in Nigeria and pronto, became one of the 'richest men in the world'.

Even in death, most who accuse Abacha of graft, have not stopped to wonder why a man who hardly left the confines of the Presidential villa, had no plans of vacating office and was not a great fan of travel, except to Mecca for Hajj, would be stashing away billions of dollars in Swiss Banks. The fact is that the billions stolen during Abacha’s tenure were stolen, not by the goon, but in his name!

In all his 'dumbness', one area where Sani Abacha excelled heads above his peers was in a stubborn insistence on reciprocity in intergovernmental relations.

When for instance the British authorities in an effort to muscle our then Nigeria Airways from flying into the lucrative Lagos - London route (which till date remains the most lucrative route operated by British Airways worldwide), by claiming that aircraft's used by Nigeria Airways on the said route were not 'airworthy', Abacha did not waste time in promptly banning British Airways flights from coming into Nigeria.

The impact on the fortunes of British Airways and the British economy was instant. Overnight, the British authorities announced a review and then a reversal of their policy against Nigeria Airways. Delegation upon delegation were dispatched from London to Abacha to plead for a reversal of the ban Nigeria had imposed on the British carrier. Abacha staunchly refused and British Airways flights did not land in Nigeria till the end of the Abacha-era.

Yet another instance occurred when the Nigerian national soccer team (the Eagles) was due to play a friendly match in Johannesburg with their South African counterparts in celebration of a Nelson Mandela victory. Nigerians, our Eagles (who had already arrived Johannesburg for the match), and the international football community, were shocked when the South Africans turned the Nigerian national team back on account of the most unfortunate murder (by hanging after a jaundiced trial) of famed writer and environmental rights activist, Ken Saro Wiwa.

Not to be out done, Sani Abacha waited for the commencement of the African Cup of Nations, which was to be hosted later that year by South Africa and which had Nigeria’s Eagles as defending champions to exert his pound of flesh. Abacha aborted Nigeria's participation at the South African event, reminding all of the insult South African authorities had meted out to Nigerians and the Nigerian soccer team. Everybody ranted, but Abacha, on point of reciprocity and mutual respect amongst sovereign States, stood his ground - and rightly so, I must state.

In the face of the recent announcement by British authorities of the imposition of a most discriminatory 'cash-bond charge' of over 750,000 Naira on every intending Nigerian visitor to Britain, I have no doubt whatsoever that if Abacha was in charge, the British would not have contemplated such move and if in their folly they did try it, the consequences would have been instant and drastic.

At his end, the very same factors who felt they had had enough of crisis following the botched June 12 1993 elections in Nigeria craftfully eliminated the two principal actors in the imbroglio - Sani Abacha and MKO Abiola, and our contraption continued. After killing Abacha, a childish dummy of 'apples and Indian prostitutes' was sold to our gullible population.

Over the Saro Wiwa hanging, Abacha can continue to rot in hell!

Over the planned 'cash-bond charge' required from Nigerians planning to visit Britain, may the spirit of Abacha come back to life!!

Picture: Former military dictator, Sani Abacha