Why We Honoured Abacha - Nigerian Government

The Nigerian government on Friday said
although late General Sani Abacha’s
regime was one of the most
controversial in Nigeria’s history, the
military dictator deserved to be
honoured.

The government also explained why Mr.
Abacha, Nigeria’s military dictator from
1993 to 1998, was among those who
received the centenary award for 100
Nigerians.
The government stated this position in
the awardees’ brochure where a brief
citation was written for each recipient
and reasons given why he or she
deserved the award.

The citation and reasons where read
during the Centenary honours Award
night held at the Presidential Villa in
Abuja.
The federal government said Mr. Abacha
was also a Nigerian soldier and former
leader. The government said his regime
recorded unprecedented economic
achievements in Nigeria’s history.

The Federal Government also said Mr.
Abacha oversaw an increase in the
country’s foreign exchange reserves
from $494 million in 1993 to $9.6
billion by the middle of 1997; and
reduced the external debt of Nigeria
from $36 billion in 1993 to $27 billion in
1997.

Mr. Abacha, the government noted, had
brought all the controversial
privatisation programs of the Babangida
administration to a halt, reduced an
inflation rate of 54 per cent inherited
from the Ibrahim Babangida
administration to 8.5 per cent between
1993 and 1998, while the nation’s
primary commodity, oil, was at an
average of $9 per barrel. Mr. Babangida
was also among the 100 honoured.

Mr. Abacha’s administration was also
credited with creating the most
‘comprehensive and realistic blueprint’
for Nigeria’s development through
Vision 2010 committee chaired by his
predecessor, Ernest Shonekan.

Mr. Abacha’s regime was characterised
by massive corruption, state-sponsored
murder and assassination, and random
imprisonment of persons seen as
critical of government. Many Nigerians
hunted by the government also sought
exile abroad.

Some of those who died either directly
in the hands of the state or believed to
have been murdered by the government
include Ken Saro- Wiwa and other
Ogoni leaders, Shehu Yar’Adua, and
Kudirat Abiola. Those imprisoned
include Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s
former president, journalist Kunle
Ajibade and others.
The federal government also recently
said it spent the over $500 million
stolen money recovered from the
Abacha’s on rural development.