Maryam Abacha, widow of Nigeria’s former military ruler, General Sani Abacha, has come out strongly to defend her husband’s legacy, challenging the widespread belief that he looted billions of dollars while in office.
In a recent interview with TVC, the former First Lady insisted that no one has ever provided concrete proof of the alleged looting.
“Who is the witness of the monies that were being stashed? Did you see the signature or the evidence of any monies stashed abroad?” she asked.
Mrs. Abacha went further to claim that funds her husband purportedly set aside for Nigeria mysteriously disappeared following his death in 1998.
“And the monies that my husband kept for Nigeria, in a few months, the monies vanished. People are not talking about that,” she said, alluding to possible mismanagement by successive governments.
She questioned the continued focus on her husband’s administration, suggesting there may be deeper motives behind the accusations.
“Why are you blaming somebody? Is that tribalism or a religious problem or what is the problem with Nigerians?
“I pray for Nigerians. I pray for all of us. I pray that we should have goodness in our hearts. We should stop telling lies and blaming people.
“Why are we so bad towards each other? Because somebody is a northerner or a southerner, somebody is a Muslim or a Christian, or somebody is nice or… It’s not fair.”
Mrs. Abacha also took aim at the media, urging journalists to act more responsibly in shaping public discourse.
“People are not that bad. Twenty-seven years ago and you are still talking about Abacha. He must be very powerful and loved by Nigerians. We thank God for that,” she added.
When reminded of the relatively stable economy under her husband’s rule — characterized by low external debt and growing foreign reserves — she once again denied any allegations of corruption.
“So, where did he steal the money from? So where would he have stolen the money from?” she asked. “And because Nigerians are fools, they listen to everything.”
The former First Lady concluded by making a passionate appeal for unity and mutual respect among Nigerians, regardless of their political, regional, or religious affiliations.
“Babangida doesn’t make Nigeria alone. Abacha does not make Nigeria alone. Abiola and everybody, nobody is big enough for Nigeria. We are all very important.
“Even the single man on the street is very important. We are all human beings, for goodness sake. All these wahala should stop. Babangida cannot make things or unmake things.”
Maryam Abacha’s remarks come amid renewed debates over Nigeria’s military era and the billions in recovered Abacha-linked funds returned to Nigeria over the past two decades.
