Abacha served Nigeria well - Buhari, Abdulsalami.
He did not loot treasury - Babangida.

TWO former heads of state and a military president yesterday rose in stout defence of their late colleague, Gen. Sani Abacha.

The former rulers are Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who served in the Abacha regime as chairman of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) declared that there was no basis for accusing Abacha of corruption.

Buhari's successor, who styled himself as military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and Abubakar also spoke in the same vein.

The Generals spoke yesterday in Kano barely a week after Abacha's widow, Mrs. Maryam, said there was no basis for accusing her husband of corruption.

According to Buhari: "All the allegations levelled against the personality of the late Gen. Sani Abacha will remain allegations. It is 10 years now, things should be over by now."

He added that rather than maligning Abacha, the late ruler deserved to be praised for initiating developmental ideas that moved the country forward.

Buhari, who was the presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the 2007 polls said: "When Gen. Sani Abacha came into power, he did four major things, which Nigerians will continue to remember him for." "He came up with the idea of incorporating state governors into the National Council of State, he set up a tribunal to check unethical practices by banks and he also set up the Petroleum Trust Fund, which every Nigerian benefitted from its activities."

Buhari said the PTF ensured hundreds of roads, medical and educational facilities were constructed across the country.

He spoke with reporters in Kano at the 10th anniversary prayer session for Abacha. According to him, Nigerians are still reaping the fruits of PTF till date.

Also at the event, Babangida described Mrs. Maryam Abacha as a courageous woman, adding that the allegations levelled against the former head of state were unfounded and baseless.

He said: "It is not true that he looted public treasury, I knew who Abacha was because I was close to him."

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article03//indexn2_html?pdate=090608&ptitle=Abacha%20served%20Nigeria%20well,%20say%20Buhari,%20Abdulsalami
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=113628


Is this a conspiracy by the north to discredit OBJ and the south at all cost or the fact that most Nigerians do not have shame and are not very good in remembering history?

PTF was a good project. I saw many things they did.

They were repairing roads, and building new ones.

But I suspect they did more projects in the north than in the south, i have no fact though.

Abacha killed about 20people in all. OBJ wiped-out the entire ODI village.

Abacha stolen from all sectors $3bill but OBJ in one section alone $16bil gone and nothing on ground.

Abacha started 'failed bank tribunal'; crook bank boss were sent to Jail.

Yes, Abacha was saint compared to OBJ. The only problem Abacha had; he was not liked by WEST, they demonised him.

OBJ had 8yrs with record level oil revenue and did NOTHING except sleep with his son's wife

To be honest those millitary rulers were better than OBJ
At least they left a landmark.
IBB Third Mainland Bridge.
Abacha, GSM
OBJ,?

Should we now accept that Abacha was a saint all because of OBJ's gross incompetence?
Or is it that majority of Nigerians are good in settling for mediocre?

One thing i know for sure is that very little means very much for suffer-heads.

nuzo:

Should we now accept that Abacha was a saint all because of OBJ's gross incompetence?
Or is it that majority of Nigerians are good in settling for mediocre?
One thing i know for sure is that very little means very much for suffer-heads.

Abacha is not a saint and will never be but compariring him with the monster(OBJ) he might look like a saint.

Are you a sufferhead? 'Cos clearly only a fool would find solace in what a crook like IBB (and colleagues) have to say.

nuzo:

One thing i know for sure is that very little means very much for suffer-heads.

How does anyone even begin to sanctify what that SOB Abacha did to Nigeria and her people?

MyTempID:

Are you a sufferhead? 'Cos clearly only a fool would find solace in what a crooked like IBB and colleagues have to say.
How does anyone even begin to sanctify what that SOB Abacha did to Nigeria and her people?

Nobody is trying to sanctify what abacha did but we are making comparism of the two monsters.
We all know what they did to drag us all backward but if we were to choose between them who will we choose.

presido1:

Nobody is trying to sanctify what abacha did but we are making comparism of the two monsters.
We all know what they did to drag us all backward but if we were to choose between them who will we choose.

Try neither.

A big monster or a small monster, both are monsters. And yes, by comparing, you are indeed attempting to ridiculously quanitify the damage done by this person of evil.

MyTempID:

Try neither.
A big monster or a small monster, both are monsters. And yes, by comparing, you are indeed attempting to ridiculously quanitify the damage done by this person of evil.

On a normal day and all things being equal i will choose niether but if it comes to a situation that you must choose one of them to be our president again who will u choose.

They should go and beg the Pope to cannonise Abacha as a "saint". Nonsense - _{a prolonged hiss}

desgiezd:

They should go and beg the Pope to cannonise Abacha as a "saint". Nonsense - _{a prolonged hiss}

Did anybody in this forum call abacha a saint? It pains me more than you to see those monsters as our leaders.
We are just comparing the two monsters.

presido1:

On a normal day and all things being equal i will choose niether but if it comes to a situation that you must choose one of them to be our president again who will u choose.

Again, neither.  It's not a matter of black or white.  Clearly these people (depending on who you consult) were not the right candidates, and as such I wouldn't make the mistake of choosing them AGAIN.

Yes, Abacha was saint compared to OBJ.



if you have contrary view provide facts and not some idle talk.

Of what benefit is it to compare lucifer to the devil? Lucifer IS the devil.

As I said, you're an emptyhead for repeatedly comparing OBJ the bad apple to ABC the bad orange.

Abacha is a saint?

Lord have mercy! that coming from IBB, I am not surprised he is also a saint including hitler and mobutu seseko. all the saints in the house holler.

beystwin:

Abacha is a saint?

Lord have mercy! that coming from IBB, I am not surprised he is also a saint including hitler and mobutu seseko. all the saints in the house holler.

well, it all depends on who define SAINT. is pope a saint?

Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bull Dum Diversas on 18 June, 1452. It authorised Alfonso V of Portugal to reduce any “Saracens (Muslims) and pagans and any other unbelievers” to perpetual slavery. This facilitated the Portuguese slave trade from West Africa.

yes ABACHA is a saint when compared to this pope and OBJ.

IBB, Buhari, Abdulsalami at Abacha’s memorial - Abdulsalami berates probe of past govts

From Tribune.

Kola Oyelere, Kano - 09.06.2008

THREE former heads of state, Generals Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Muhammadu Buhari, on Sunday in Kano attended the 10th anniversary of the death of former head of state, General Sani Abacha, as General Abubakar tasked Nigerian politicians to concentrate on how best to contribute positively to national development instead of wasting time and money investigating their predecessors.


The former presidential candidate of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), General Buhari, who also served as chairman of defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), stole the show as the mammoth crowd at the gathering hailed him while attention on other former heads of state was not much.


Speaking at the remembrance prayer held at General Abacha’s family house on Gidado Road, Kano, General Abubakar said probing past administrations would not yield anything positive for the country and should, therefore, be discouraged.


The former head of state, who spoke to newsmen after the remembrance prayer organised by the family, said the late Abacha was a personality Nigerians could not forget because during his administration, he made his little contributions to the country.


All past military heads of state were present to honor one of their own. My question is where was OBJ?

MyTempID:

Again, neither.  It's not a matter of black or white.  Clearly these people (depending on who you consult) were not the right candidates, and as such I wouldn't make the mistake of choosing them AGAIN.

Ok are u telling me that at the point of death and your only saviour will be to choose one btw the two,will u choose to die?

That is the major reason the Nigerian state is the way she is now; settling for less and thinking it's the only option.

I'm sorry but i think nigerians are very short-sighted and tend to forget the evils of our past leaders when there is a new one to hate. I bet in a few years, Yar'adua will be in vogue to hate in Nigeria.

But no matter what Nigerians should never forget the ills that the megalomaniac called Abacha did to us. How can these leaders come and say he was not corrupt. OK  so the billions of money that have been returned to nigeria from other countries where he stashed his loot (switzerland, Uk etc) have all been what, gifts?? a gesture of goodwill?? Please abacha was not only a thief, he was a bloody dictator as well. Can we not remember the important people he killed, ken saro-wiwa to name but one. Can we not remember how he forced all the parties in Nigeria to elect him as the presidential candidate to ensure that he will win the election (happily his plan did not come to fruition). On a personal level, a family friend of mine who owns a television station in nigeria, was called to aso rock and threatened for his refusal to run the election campaigns as instructed, on his way back from abuja his driver was killed in an ambush, luckily he had arrived early and taken a taxi home.

Mr Landis, abacha was a dictator and we suffered terribly under 5 years of his rule so the matter of saint does not come into this. OBJ was much better than him in terms of human rights, economic growth, due process  , and in almost every other area except provision of electricity. I leave the ex presidents for God to judge, especially IBB who in the past condemned abacha and now is praising him

All past military heads of state were present to honor one of their own. My question is where was OBJ?

Funny, probably relaxing with a cup of tea. why should OBJ go to honor Abacha? for killing prominent Nigerian people like ken sara-wiwa etc  . Abacha would have also killed OBJ if not for GOD.  

this is Nigeria , anything is possible.

if abacha is a saint, Anini is a prophet of God.

beystwin:

Funny, probably relaxing with a cup of tea. why should OBJ go to honor Abacha? for killing prominent Nigerian people like ken sara-wiwa etc . Abacha would have also killed OBJ if not for GOD.

Odi and Zakibiam comes to mind. Maybe its better to kill non-prominent people from ur view.

This is very typical of Nigerians. They forget whatever any past leader did to them as soon as they find someone else to vent their spleen on.

Is this not the same Abacha who death was wildly celebrated on the Streets all over Nigeria?

Nairalander keeps forgetting that Nigeria had been in the hands of the same group of friends since after the civil war. And almost all presidents after OBJ's first coming were installed with the support of OBJ.

OBJ was the Master and others were his students, let me explain further;
It was OBJ that brought IBB into the Supreme military council when he was military head of state, when IBB was barely a Major, and gave him privileges of senior officers. In fact OBJ was IBB's mentor, as often confirmed by IBB himself. So we can safely say IBB learnt from OBJ.

Abacha also was a student of OBJ, as had been confirmed by Theophilus Danjuma, who asked that Abacha should be retired early and not be allowed to go beyond the rank of Major, But OBJ refused and protected and promoted him. So it ironic when student having learnt from his master turned against his master ( it is allowed in the power game).

Although i do not have much info on abdulsalami, but since he was IBB's cousin, i suspect they had the same mentor.

I am sure the presidency was to be the turn of another in the group of friends as chosen by OBJ (rotational Presidency), but since the beneficiary was dead, his Junior brother was asked to fill his space.

So can now appreciate why their styles of governance is similar (looting, Killings, sit tight syndrome).

Of course you cannot expect OBJ to be present at Abacha's remembrance after his betrayal

Can we not remember the important people he killed, ken saro-wiwa to name but one

False Abacha did not kill Ken.

The court of law found him guilty and sentenced him to death.

Go and ask the judge that passed that 'death-sentence'.

Abacha stolen from all sectors $3bill but OBJ in one section alone $16bil gone and nothing on ground.

Abacha started  'failed bank tribunal'; crook bank boss were sent to Jail.

Yes, Abacha was saint compared to OBJ.   The only problem Abacha had; he was not liked by WEST,  they demonised him.

OBJ had 8yrs with record level oil revenue and did NOTHING except sleep with his son's wife

I plead the fifth!

I'm sure they meant to say Abacha is a saint compared to Obasanjo, but hey I guess those guys dont realize that the lesser of two evils is still evil.

Mr Landis, abacha was a dictator and we suffered terribly under 5 years of his rule so the matter of saint does not come into this. OBJ was much better than him in terms of human rights, economic growth, due process , and in almost every other area except provision of electricity. I leave the ex presidents for God to judge, especially IBB who in the past condemned abacha and now is praising him

you can say that again.

i would like looking at the situation from the angle of sparing the living devils who are today out to testify the goodness of their dead colleague.
in the first place, the probe of abacha had no good intentions because as long as nigerians are concerned, babangida was involved so why making the living ibb a saint? the worst type of justice is selective justice and that is what obj represents.
abacha was a military president but if we look at the rate of killings during his time and that of obj, we will simply call abacha a saint.
why will a whole attorney general(bola ige) die without trace till date- that was obj's joke.
odi massacre could not happen when abacha was there.
the state of our roads and security of nigeria during the two administrations can equally support the idea of making abacha a saint.

Babangida, Buhari, Abdulsalami, what will Nigerians say about these ex-rulers (I hate to call them leaders) when they are gone?
Speaking from the angle that this turns to me, Abacha should never be called a saint. Abacha that was very instrumental in destroying our economies in so many ways most people have now forgotten. I remember very well that we cooked with saw-dust from the saw-mill when the scarcity of petroleum products were at the climax. We had to queue to buy these saw-dust in those days, how come that man is a saint? I am not surprise that the statement was from those living crooks to me they are of the same class.
If Abacha then turn out to be a saint, may God give him rest (if he deserves it).

Abacha did not loot the treasury.
He and his family owned it.
You dont steal what belongs to you, do you?
slowpoke leaders we have all had!
God, satan and everything in between will punish all of them, their families and their friends