Remembering the Abacha that Bayelsa knew
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- Written by James Henshaw-Jack
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It is impossible to obliterate the record of good performance. Neither the passage of time, nor the hatred of enemies can destroy the memory of a leader with an outstanding performance record. The late General Sani Abacha falls into the category of leaders whose outstanding records will live after them. The epic failures of the Obasanjo years frequently evoke the memory of the late military head of state, General Abacha. Despite his vilification by enemies who failed to match his record, General Abacha cannot be forgotten so easily because we are daily confronted with enduring evidence of his performance in office.
Recently, the people of Bayelsa State posthumously honoured the late General Abacha along with several other public figures who contributed to the development of Bayelsa State. In particular, the people of Bayelsa State argue that they are eternally grateful to General Abacha for making their dream of having a state of their own become a reality. The struggle for the creation of Bayelsa State was long and persistent, occasionally accompanied by despair, but the people never gave up the agitation. The emergence of General Abacha as military Head of State in November 1993 was the beginning of a new dawn of hope for the people of Bayelsa State.Before General Abacha became Head of State, the people of Bayelsa State almost gave up the hope of ever having a state of their own. However, in 1996, the late General Abacha finally came to their rescue by creating Bayelsa State. To many Bayelsa people, it was a pleasant surprise that their dream finally came to fruition; thanks to Abacha’s bold decision to create the state. General Abacha was decisive; he had the capacity to tread where others were too timid to act. State creation is one of the toughest decisions to ever take, but Abacha didn’t hesitate to create Bayelsa State, despite the fears of some people that their dream would be dashed just as other previous administrations did so.
In fact, the true test of a courageous leader is the ability to make or take difficult decisions. General Abacha was never wanting in this regard and his dynamism is one of the best records in the political leadership of Nigeria. State creation is usually intended to accelerate development, especially where size and population make governance too unwieldy. Whatever the misgivings anyone could ever have about the creation of Bayesla State by the late General Abacha, such doubts have now paled into insignificance. The scale of development since the state was created more than 10 years ago is such that even Abacha’s most hardened enemies may be compelled to silently admire his foresight.
Substance is more important than form. Nigerians can appreciate good performance regardless of the background of their leaders. General Abacha was a military ruler, but his performance record could not be beaten by the so-called democratic administration of former President Obasanjo. Within only five years, General Abacha had achieved what the former President Obasanjo’s regime could not achieve in eight years, despite huge oil revenues that accrued to Nigeria and an 18 billion dollar debt relief granted to the country in 2003.
Nigerians should emulate the people of Bayelsa State by celebrating great achievers like the late General Abacha. The legacies of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) are still standing and they instantly evoke the nostalgic memories of the late military ruler. No one can deny the fact that Nigeria had witnessed a major step towards improving the country’s poor infrastructure under the PTF intervention programme. For the first time, our railway system was taking a new shape after many years of neglect; our hospitals were no longer consulting clinics but places for saving lives. Ordinary Nigerians had access to safer and cheaper drugs, thanks to the defunct PTF. Yet, despite these remarkable improvements in the conditions of our roads, hospitals, schools and other aspects of social service, the former Obasanjo administration unwisely scrapped the PTF on the grounds that it was operating like a government within a government. With just 30 billion naira allocation throughout its entire existence, the PTF achieved unprecedented results.
In 2001, 350 billion naira was allocated to the Federal Ministry of Works under Chief Tony Anenih. But to the shock of most Nigerians, conditions of federal roads deteriorated rapidly to a point Obasanjo himself admitted that he was ashamed of the conditions of federal roads.
Despite the passage of time, even Abacha’s enemies cannot wipe away his performance record. The National Hospital, Abuja and the Gwarinpa Housing Estate remain some of the evidences of Abacha’s impressive legacies. The best public relations is good performance. Therefore, the posthumous honour awarded the late General Abacha by the people of Bayelsa State is well deserved. Recognising and rewarding good performance is one of the ways to encourage leaders to emulate others. On the 10th anniversary of the creation of Bayelsa State, the Bayelsa people demonstrated gratitude to a leader that touched their lives for good. Love him or loath him, no one can erase Abacha’s legacy. As far as the Bayelsa people are concerned where Abacha came from was not important; what matters was his contribution to the development of their state.
Henshaw-Jack lives at No. 201 Victoria Island, Lagos. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Remembering the Abacha that Bayelsa knew
Category: Comments Written by James Henshaw-Jack Hits: 1205
It is impossible to obliterate the record of good performance. Neither the passage of time, nor the hatred of enemies can destroy the memory of a leader with an outstanding performance record. The late General Sani Abacha falls into the category of leaders whose outstanding records will live after them. The epic failures of the Obasanjo years frequently evoke the memory of the late military head of state, General Abacha. Despite his vilification by enemies who failed to match his record, General Abacha cannot be forgotten so easily because we are daily confronted with enduring evidence of his performance in office.
Recently, the people of Bayelsa State posthumously honoured the late General Abacha along with several other public figures who contributed to the development of Bayelsa State. In particular, the people of Bayelsa State argue that they are eternally grateful to General Abacha for making their dream of having a state of their own become a reality. The struggle for the creation of Bayelsa State was long and persistent, occasionally accompanied by despair, but the people never gave up the agitation. The emergence of General Abacha as military Head of State in November 1993 was the beginning of a new dawn of hope for the people of Bayelsa State.Before General Abacha became Head of State, the people of Bayelsa State almost gave up the hope of ever having a state of their own. However, in 1996, the late General Abacha finally came to their rescue by creating Bayelsa State. To many Bayelsa people, it was a pleasant surprise that their dream finally came to fruition; thanks to Abacha’s bold decision to create the state. General Abacha was decisive; he had the capacity to tread where others were too timid to act. State creation is one of the toughest decisions to ever take, but Abacha didn’t hesitate to create Bayelsa State, despite the fears of some people that their dream would be dashed just as other previous administrations did so.
In fact, the true test of a courageous leader is the ability to make or take difficult decisions. General Abacha was never wanting in this regard and his dynamism is one of the best records in the political leadership of Nigeria. State creation is usually intended to accelerate development, especially where size and population make governance too unwieldy. Whatever the misgivings anyone could ever have about the creation of Bayesla State by the late General Abacha, such doubts have now paled into insignificance. The scale of development since the state was created more than 10 years ago is such that even Abacha’s most hardened enemies may be compelled to silently admire his foresight.
Substance is more important than form. Nigerians can appreciate good performance regardless of the background of their leaders. General Abacha was a military ruler, but his performance record could not be beaten by the so-called democratic administration of former President Obasanjo. Within only five years, General Abacha had achieved what the former President Obasanjo’s regime could not achieve in eight years, despite huge oil revenues that accrued to Nigeria and an 18 billion dollar debt relief granted to the country in 2003.
Nigerians should emulate the people of Bayelsa State by celebrating great achievers like the late General Abacha. The legacies of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) are still standing and they instantly evoke the nostalgic memories of the late military ruler. No one can deny the fact that Nigeria had witnessed a major step towards improving the country’s poor infrastructure under the PTF intervention programme. For the first time, our railway system was taking a new shape after many years of neglect; our hospitals were no longer consulting clinics but places for saving lives. Ordinary Nigerians had access to safer and cheaper drugs, thanks to the defunct PTF. Yet, despite these remarkable improvements in the conditions of our roads, hospitals, schools and other aspects of social service, the former Obasanjo administration unwisely scrapped the PTF on the grounds that it was operating like a government within a government. With just 30 billion naira allocation throughout its entire existence, the PTF achieved unprecedented results.
In 2001, 350 billion naira was allocated to the Federal Ministry of Works under Chief Tony Anenih. But to the shock of most Nigerians, conditions of federal roads deteriorated rapidly to a point Obasanjo himself admitted that he was ashamed of the conditions of federal roads.
Despite the passage of time, even Abacha’s enemies cannot wipe away his performance record. The National Hospital, Abuja and the Gwarinpa Housing Estate remain some of the evidences of Abacha’s impressive legacies. The best public relations is good performance. Therefore, the posthumous honour awarded the late General Abacha by the people of Bayelsa State is well deserved. Recognising and rewarding good performance is one of the ways to encourage leaders to emulate others. On the 10th anniversary of the creation of Bayelsa State, the Bayelsa people demonstrated gratitude to a leader that touched their lives for good. Love him or loath him, no one can erase Abacha’s legacy. As far as the Bayelsa people are concerned where Abacha came from was not important; what matters was his contribution to the development of their state.
Henshaw-Jack lives at No. 201 Victoria Island, Lagos. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.