Former First Lady of Nigeria, Maryam Abacha hardly speaks to the press.
Since her husband, former military head of state, Sani Abacha, died, the
mother of 10 has been living a relatively quiet life. But she recently
gave a rare interview to Abubakar Hashim of The News magazine and opened
up on a few things. Find the interview below...
How has life been with you since the death of your husband?
We
thank God for His kindness and love for us. We also thank those that
have been around us in these moments of grief. We are still waiting for
those that have distanced themselves from us to reconcile and come back.
We are not angry with anybody. We are still friends to everybody. We
look forward to the Almighty Allah to provide us the fortitude to bear
this loss. So life has been quiet and peaceful with us. We are one and a
happy family. Continue...
When you heard of his sudden death, how did you take it? How did you feel?
My
husband’s death was like a coup. It was sudden and shrouded in
confusion. General Abdulasalami [Abubakar] just called me, telling me to
come and collect the dead body. We buried him like any other ordinary
Nigerian. It was quite unfortunate the way he died. Allah knows best and
unto Him we shall all return. May his soul rest in peace. I’m yet to
fully recover from the shock of his death.
And how did you both meet?
Like
any other would-be couple. He was a charming, handsome and likeable
personality; a loving father who liked his children and loved ones. We
became friends and got married. Here are pictures in the family album;
before, during and after our wedding day. He was a caring husband, a
dedicated father and an affectionate grandfather.
President Goodluck Jonathan awarded your late husband a centenary award. How did you feel receiving the award?
We
felt happy. Maybe this is the beginning of good things to happen to
Nigeria; maybe reconciliation… President Jonathan is a young man, he is
using his time and energy to bring peace and reconciliation. I think it
is high time we all come together to lift the country and stabilise
ourselves. I hope it is the beginning of good things to come.
Do you still continue with the pet projects you embarked on when you were first lady?
I
did those projects on government basis. They are still on there.
Obasanjo did not change the names, neither did subsequent [Presidents].
The African First Ladies Peace Mission is still there, the Poverty
Alleviation Programme, the National Programme on Immunisation, the
Family Support Programme, the Family Support Basic Education Programme
and the Family Economic Advancement Programme are all there. These are
projects and programmes that touched the lives of the people,
particularly women.
The National Hospital is there and so are the other hospitals around
the country. I never did any programme for my personnal benefit, but
for the government and the people of the country. So today, in my
personnal capacity, on whether I’m still embarking on these projects,
I’m no longer in government so I’m not embarking on such projects. I
tried my best as the then first lady to bring about all-round
development, particularly for women in the rural areas. We did extensive
reach-out to the rural populace and touched lives in the remote areas
of the country.
Do you have any political ambition?
No, I don’t have any political ambition.
For the presidency, at least; the first woman President of Nigeria?
Not
at all. I was a first lady. I just want peace for the country.
Stability and development are not achieved by one person. There are
governors, ministers, local chairmen, civil servants and the like. It is
a cluster of people. The President alone does not make a government.
What is your assessment of General Muhammadu Buhari, and by extension, the All Progressives Congress, APC?
I
brought General Buhari into politics; It’s not that I want to expose
him. We did everything to support and encourage him. He called my son
Mohammed to join Congress for Progressive Change, CPC. They rejected
Mohammed by force during the governorship race. This was the trend, not
only in Kano, but also in Katsina, Bauchi and other states. I think it
is not healthy for democracy; not just because of Mohammed but for the
smooth play of democratic norms and values. Democracy is the choice of
the people. But when people put their own personal interest first and
they interfere [in the process], then it is no longer democracy. It is
unfortunate that elders like them could come belittle themselves in the
race.
For the APC I cannot comment. It is not yet time for me to
do so. However, it is good for democracy to have competition and
opposition. It enhances democratic values, norms and stabilises the
country’s image, and will eventually uplift our democratic credentials
in the international comity of nations.
Your son, Mohammed, wanted to be governor of Kano State.
It
is the people of Kano that wanted my son to be governor. They still
want him to be governor. They’ve been calling us to come and intensify
his campaign. In fact, they are even campaigning on his behalf. So it is
people of Kano that want him as governor because they appreciate his
father’s contribution to various fields of endeavour.
They also
appreciate the little projects and programmes I did in Kano and in the
country. They say he should come and continue the projects and
programmes in Kano.
The late General Sani Abacha
contributed to the restoration of democracy in Sierra Leone. Could you
comment on the role he played in the process.
I cannot
tell you exactly how he played this role as I was not a soldier, I was
just a housewife. But he tried his best for Sierra Leone and thank God
it was a success and indeed, peace returned to Sierra Leone. The late
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah was restored to power. It was indeed a tragedy to
hear about his death recently. He was an African statesman of
international repute.
I remember one of his visits [to Nigeria]
after he was restored to office; he was so calm, amiable and indeed,
supportive of a just pan-African solution to African crises. He was
indeed, a true democrat of continental proportion. My late husband
honoured him and appreciated him.
What message do you have for the people of Sierra Leone on the death of Kabbah?
I
send my sympathy, my condolence and my prayers. May God give them
peace, may God give them the fortitude to bear the great loss of the
father of democracy in that country. May God give the present president,
Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, the power to emulate what the previous president
had done, particularly entrenching stability, peace and democracy in
Sierra Leone. I wish President Koroma all the best. He is a young man.
I
wish the people of Sierra Leone all the best. I have never been there
but I hope to be there in my lifetime. I learnt it is a small and
beautiful country with about six million people, with lots of natural
resources including diamond and oil. May God Almighty grant the late
President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah eternal rest. May Allah also grant my late
husband eternal rest. Nigeria and Sierra Leone have a long, historical
relationship.
We look forward to building on the strong ties that
have cemented us for so long a period. That was why my late husband
stood by Sierra Leone in the time of her crisis; to restore democracy,
sanity and stability in the country. We couldn’t stand by and watch
Sierra Leone fall into anarchy, because the entire West African region
would have been affected. So we moved in to bring back normalcy and
sanity to the country.
So my wish for Sierra Leoneans is that they
maintain peace and stability, especially the peaceful democratic course
we’ve seen in past elections. We want this to continue so that other
countries will emulate it.
…Published in TheNEWS magazine
