Maryam Abacha, widow of former military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, has refuted long-standing allegations that her late husband looted billions of dollars while in office.
In a recent interview with TVC, Mrs. Abacha challenged the narrative that her husband stashed public funds in foreign accounts. “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 questioned.
She further claimed that the funds allegedly secured by her husband for Nigeria “vanished” shortly after his death in 1998, hinting at mismanagement by subsequent governments.
“And the monies that my husband kept for Nigeria, in a few months, the monies vanished. People are not talking about that,” she said.
Mrs. Abacha also criticised what she described as a continued focus on her husband’s legacy, suggesting it may be driven by tribal or religious bias. “Why are you blaming somebody? Is that tribalism or a religious problem or what is the problem with Nigerians?” she asked.
She called for national unity and urged journalists to play a more constructive role in public discourse. “We should stop telling lies and blaming people. The media should educate the people, not bastardise them,” she said.
Responding to a remark about the relatively stable economy during her husband’s regime, which was marked by rising foreign reserves and lower external debt, she insisted her husband committed no wrongdoing. “Where did he steal the money from?” she asked. “Because Nigerians are fools, they listen to everything.”
Mrs. Abacha concluded by emphasising the importance of unity and mutual respect among Nigerians. “Even the single man on the street is very important. We are all human beings, for goodness’ sake. All these wahala should stop,” she said.
