'I brought Buhari into politics' - Maryam Abacha gives rare interview

'I brought Buhari into politics' - Maryam
Abacha gives rare interview
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
from DON DAZY