REVISIONISM is under fire as attempts to re-write history is forcing Nigerians to find their voices.
Statements credited to three past military rulers, Generals Muhammadu Buhari and Abdulsalami Abubakar and former military President, Ibrahim Babangida, that the late head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha, did not loot the treasury have sparked off reactions from Nigerians who were all witnesses to the years of locust that the Abacha era was.
The three former leaders spoke on Abacha at the 10th anniversary prayer session for the late head of state held on Sunday in Kano.
While the Action Congress (AC) described the leaders’ comments as disgusting revisionism, the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) wondered why they waited for 10 years, especially when the former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration had made stunning revelations about the Abacha loot.
On his part, former Kaduna State military Governor, Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (rtd), said giving tacit support to “those who ruined the nation’s economy through corrupt practices would further endanger Nigeria’s development.”
The AC, in a statement yesterday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, described as “disgusting case of revisionism and belated the comments credited to the former military heads of state exonerating the late Gen. Sani Abacha of looting the public treasury while in office as head of state.”
The PPA Publicity Secretary, Nawa Uninke, in a statement, said the revelation was untimely, stating that the former military leaders had unnecessarily waited for a decade before rising in defence of Abacha.
The AC said the comments credited to Abdulsalami, that past administrations should not be probed, smacked of an act of self-preservation rather than a patriotic stand, adding that heeding such advice would thwart efforts to enthrone the rule of law, due process and probity as well as good governance.
The party said if the comments made by the trio were true, then Nigeria should return all the looted funds returned by some foreign countries where they were stashed and apologise to them as well as the Abacha family.
“We are sure that those countries will be laughing at Nigeria now. What a shame! ‘If the former leaders’ comments that the late Abacha ran one of the best administrations in this country were to be taken seriously, then the trials of former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and others for atrocities allegedly committed during the regime should be stopped forthwith, while the accused should be granted national honours to mitigate the sufferings caused by their prolonged trial.
“We are worried by the aggressive but belated defence offered by these leaders, who incidentally all passed the batons of powers among themselves, the late Abacha inclusive! We are compelled to ask: ‘What is their agenda? What are they up to?
“Where were they when former President Olusegun Obasanjo was telling whoever cared to listen how billions of dollars of public funds were spirited to foreign bank accounts by the late head of state? Why have they suddenly found their voices now that Obasanjo has left office?” AC queried.
The AC said one way or the other, these former leaders were close to Obasanjo, either as co-former military leaders or as members of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), “yet none of them dared raise a voice against the allegations of massive looting of public treasury, which he levelled against Abacha.”
The party said the former leaders, by virtue of their highly-respected positions, should be careful with their utterances so as not to send confused and wrong signals to Nigerians and the world at large.
The PPA advised the Generals to avoid throwing up disorder when it seemed the country is recovering from battered experiences of the military regimes.
Uninke said: “Where were these military leaders when the Obasanjo administration accused Abacha of looting billions of dollars, and so much money recovered from several foreign accounts, and which those nations paid under their own testimonies.
“It is estimated that the monies stolen by Abacha is between $3 billion and $5 billion. According to reports, a total of $800 million has been recovered from domestic institutions before $505.5 million was retrieved from the Swiss government.
“Now, who is lying against who and who is protecting who? In 2002, Obasanjo froze the Abacha family’s “alleged” loot, which he said was close to $2 billion.
“Cases were fought in London where he said about $150 million or thereabouts released, about 300 million Deutschmark. All these stories and others told on Abacha’s loot, going by the testimonies on ground, is taking Nigeria back”, Uninke said.
Umar described those who exonerated Abacha of looting the treasury as hypocrites who are not doing the country any good.
According to him, politicising or giving tacit support to those who wrecked the nation’s economy through corrupt practices would further endanger the national development.
Umar argued that those who assembled at the 10th anniversary prayers for Abacha and believed that the deceased should not be held responsible for the massive looting by his government should also see wisdom in discharging Obasanjo and Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello from any probe and legal trial.
He said: “I understand the wisdom and benefits associated to prayers for the repose of a dead person’s soul, which is acceptable in both Christianity and Islam, but I disagree with the exoneration of Abacha from looting the country’s treasury.
“With all that we know from the recovery of Abacha’s loot, one is shocked that the late General is given a clean bill of health… And if that is the case there is no need to continue with the probe and trial of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, respectively.”
Buhari had said at the event: “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.”
Babangida remarked that all allegations of looting against Abacha are “unfounded and baseless,” saying: “It is not true that he looted the public treasury; I knew who Abacha was because I was close to him.”
In his own comment, Abubakar pointed out that “it is quite unfortunate and unfair to accuse the family of the late Sani Abacha of looting public funds, but now we have been seeing what is happening.”
“Whether we like it or not, Gen. Abacha has done a lot for this country… Many things have been done wrongly in the past. What should be done was not done, but we are hoping that the subsequent administrations would build up positively from where the previous governments stopped.”