Across Northern Nigeria In Seven Days (II)Across Northern Nigeria In Seven Days (II)
One thing we learnt with our encounter with Dr. (Mrs) Maryam Abacha was the fact that a good man, at the end, might be labeled bad. But then, the bad man becomes good at the end once history is rightly screwed. For one thing, Mrs Abacha remains the closest person to the late head of state, General Sani Abacha, who happened to be her husband.
She alone, as it were, was the only mind who actually watched and thus, can him at a close range. Tell us who the man was, in the most sincere manner.
God bless late M.K.O. Abiola. He died a hero (of democracy) God bless the soul of late Kudirat Abiola, she died a matyr (of democracy) God bless all those who died in that protracted struggle called June 12.
But, after you might have read Mrs Abacha's real political interview, ten years after her husband's death, you might be tempted to pray to God to bless Abacha without being sentimental for a second.
Truly, a cabal captured this country, feed heavily on it and never intend to let it go. Abacha and Abiola were victims of the cabal. And the head of that cabal is still much around. Mrs Abacha's explosive interview will reveal more.
Last week, we were to present some on our Saturday title, but due to some production hiccups, we couldn't. Hence we won’t disappoint this week.
Mrs Abacha Lanre Ijaola and myself some critical documents, which, if published, could cause many who still parade themselves as role models or “face of democracy” to be stoned on the street.
She consistently asked, “Hope you now know all the truth you wished to know?” to which I nodded my head in the affirmative.
She practically brought us a box filled with several documents on agreements; memoranda etc. between some powerful Nigerians and foreigners alike who never wanted her husband to raise the June 12 issue. Even MKO himself was said to have negotiated with Abacha initially.
The Mrs Abacha encounter was superb, revealing and shocking. We slept in Abuja on Friday, and made other moves in the night. General Samuel Ifeanyichukwu Momah, a former minister of science and technology under the regimes of General Abacha and Abdul Salami Abubakar, opened his Abuja home to Ben TV. General Momah who flew in from Enugu, where he went to attend an Ndigbo meeting, had a message for Igbos in diaspora and he never missed that great opportunity. Very humble unassuming enlightened sticks to his cultural background.
When I told him that Ben TV was in town that Friday, he told me he was in the east, but will be back in Abuja in the evening. Not minding his tight schedule, the General made himself available to us at 8pm. He talked straight and frank.
Well, General Momah, 66, as usual, spoke largely on the need for Nigeria to develop her own science and technology field like India did. He also spoke on Biafra and how the agitation has become an idealistic wrong.
The next day was Saturday. Myself and Ijaola busied ourselves with some expensive drinks in the lobby of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. We saw a lot, expecially that of service girls who, in the bid to give us our receipts, quickly dropped their phone numbers along. A gesture which suggests the hotel service girls are not earning well, and are damn ready to turn themselves into call girls in order to make more cash.
The moment also served as a popularity test ground for Lanre Ijaola who got a dose of recognition from some big boys who are already familiar with his face in London.
With him, I got to know that surely, television is powerful. And I will also salute the courage and dedication of my big egbon and professional colleague, Dr Alistair Soyode who has been able to build the brand, “Ben TV” to become black's most talked about TV station in the diaspora. The station which is on sky network with the name Ben Sky 194 has really become a household name not only in Europe but even in Nigeria, among the elites. Call it power of entrepreneurship.
Sunday, August 10 we left Abuja for Kaduna by road. It was two and a half hour journey. Our hosts in Kaduna were thorough in their hospitality arrangement right from Abuja, where our great friend and right man to the Abachas, Mr Odum Ossai, provided his driver and Lia car to take us to Kaduna. We were monitored by General Muhammadu Buhari's people who welcomed us into a special guest house on Sultan Road, Kaduna at 5pm.
The General's aides were so humane that we felt so much at home. We were later taken out for refreshment at food café, a popular eatery in town. Our next relaxation point was the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) club, on Rabbah road, Kaduna. Here you meet the cream of Kaduna men and women who are night crawlers.
It was there I met Chief Ini Akpabio, the Nanet Hotel boss. I walked up to him and we soon exchanged pleasantries. I brought him to our table. Ijaola soon took him up on some issues relating with the attitude of staff at his Nanet branch in Benue State. He humbly apologized and promised to do something about it.
We all talked, drank and gisted into the night. The Nanet Hotel boss left us with an agreement that we should meet him in Abuja on our way back to Lagos. We returned home late and I must say my passionate thanks to Mr Afeez of Kanyan Ruwa Farms who is also one of our hosts.
Next day was Monday 11th and our mood evoked a lot of seriousness. Of course we needed it as we were bound to meet one of Nigeria's most disciplined Generals, Muhammadu Buhari. I remember Lanre Ijaola always drumming it into my ears about the need to be cock sure with time and how we must not lose track of our fifteen strong and straight questions for the General. We did a couple of things before the 2:30pm agreed time with the General.
Although the General's aides picked us by 2pm, and we landed his Jabi Presidential Campaign Office in Kaduna GRA by 2:10pm, I had thought the General will not fully honour his 2:30pm (dot) agreement. But I was wrong. He did. At 2:25pm, he and a large retinue of his security details drove in.
He made for an expansive room inside the building before finally coming down for us. By this time we had discussed at length with some of his aides. The interview was straight and clear. Buhari in his characteristic drove in some points on national issues without fear or Favour. (We ran the interview on our last Saturday title)
There was heavy downpour after our encounter with General Buhari. We moved to our guest house from where we plotted our next place of visit. Kano was the place. While we were in Abuja, Lanre Ijaola had discussed with our special host Mr Ossai Odum, the need to visit Kano. According to him, there have been a deluge of requests from Diasporan viewers of Ben TV to go to Nigeria and capture some historical sites for their general knowledge cum investors interests. And four states of Nigeria which were prominently mentioned are Lagos, Cross Rivers, Abuja and Kano. Among all, Kano features with much zeal.
And Lanre Ijaola, felt it had to be done. Before we left Abuja, Ossai had called some prominent government officials to aid us into our Kano research plan so as to enable us get a durable access to the great historical sites like Gidan Dan Hausa, Gidan Makama, Dalla Hills etc. Although our efforts payed due to the act of some few great people who did few connections for us, but the out come of our Kano trip will be treated in my new series titled “WHAT IS WRONG IN BEING BLACK?”
We left Kaduna amidst a deadly hope that we will succeed in our Kano adventure. We met lots of tribulations on the road just like the Isrealites did on their way to Canaan Land. For instance, a heavy rain nearly messed our trip on the way to Kano. Our chattered golf car which lights was not bright became a victim of a terrible rain fall which came down like armagedon, in the dark, as we approached Kano. It was something like a flood. Ijaola, the London based Nigerian Journalist at a time panicked. Did we get to Kano? What happened, what about our great encounter with the scion of the Abacha family, Alhaji Mohammed Abacha?' What did he told us about his dad's death, who made what and how in Kano? Join me next week as I debut with the new series, “WHAT IS WRONG IN BEING BLACK” See you there!
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