allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Gen. Abacha And Justice for Niger Delta (Page 1 of 1)

A nation infected by prejudice will naturally be blinkered from reason and objectivity and consequently ignore the genuine achievements of its leaders. With the inauguration of committees on the review of the 1999 constitution by both the Senate and the House of Representatives, it is relevant to examine the place of the late Gen. Sani Abacha administration to produce a fairer revenue allocation formula for the people of the Niger Delta.

Despite efforts by his enemies to belittle his achievements or vilify his memory, the late Gen. Sani Abacha deserves more credit than his implacable critics are ready to acknowledge, even if grudgingly. Before Gen. Abacha came into office, revenue allocation to the oil-producing areas didn't go beyond five percent. When he established the National Constitutional Conference (1994-1995), he was concerned with how to tackle issues that threaten our nationhood. Revenue allocation was, therefore, one of the dominant matters deliberated upon by the delegates.

The conference successfully arrived at 13 percent allocation to the Niger Delta on the principle of derivation. Unfortunately, Gen. Abacha's critics played down these significant achievements in tackling one of the most contentious issues of Nigeria's nationhood. His enemies had allowed sentiments to blur their reason and sense of objectivity. Instead, they appeared more concerned about Gen. Abacha's alleged ambition to rule for life than his genuine achievements.

In fact, the retention of the 13 percent allocation to the oil-producing areas by successive administrations is an attestation to the significant contributions of the Abacha Administration to introduce a more equitable formula for sharing national revenue. Perhaps because of the controversy that followed the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, the leader of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), many Niger Delta people overlooked Gen. Abacha's genuine concern for the oil-producing areas.

Even though the Abacha Administration didn't give the oil-producing areas the maximum of their expectations, he set a standard for a much fairer deal for the people of the Niger Delta than any previous administration ever did. The current fresh attempts by the National Assembly to review the 1999 constitution, which was previously fatally infected by the third term agenda of former President Obasanjo, confirm the ever-growing significance of such exercise in our national life. In fact, an enduring federal structure depends largely on how the issue of revenue allocation is fairly handled.

However, while undertaking fresh efforts to tackle the issue once again, the genuine efforts of past leaders such as the late Gen. Abacha shouldn't be overlooked. It is not how long a leader stays in office that matters but how effectively and fairly he governs. Good leadership is not determined by mere length of tenure but by the capacity of a leader to tackle national issues decisively. Who can deny that the introduction of 13 percent allocation to the Niger Delta by the Abacha administration was a major step forward in finding a sustainable solution to the lingering question of revenue allocation to the area?

Within the five years he was destined and privileged to rule Nigeria, the late Gen. Abacha left no one in doubt about his commitment to the cause of the oil-producing areas. It is sad, however, that the achievements of the late Head of State in this regard have not been acknowledged by his critics because of prejudice, which infects objectivity. Are we kind to the memory of Gen. Abacha if we ignore his contributions in addressing one of the knotty issues of our unity? Why do we have the tendency of maintaining a prejudice an intensity that admits of no virtue?

In his memoirs, "The Years of Upheaval," former U. S. Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, recalls his conversation with late President Richard Nixon in his final days in office as the Watergate scandal was morally destroying his authority by the minutes. He told Nixon to his face the wisdom of taking the path of honour by resigning because of the verdict of history. However, sounding as stubborn as ever and overlooking the looming shadow of eventual collapse from power, Nixon told Kissinger that it depended on who wrote the history.

Therefore, if the verdict of history is written by our enemies, such history runs the risk of being deliberately distorted and replaced by prejudice. If Gen. Abacha's verdict of history is left in the hands of his hardened critics, then objective facts will suffer brutal suppression and mislead the judgement of future generation about his positive contributions on the Niger Delta question.

In his typical malicious fashion, former President Obasanjo had the habit of never acknowledging the positive achievements of past leaders. Bereft of humility, the former President was fond of vilifying past leaders but glorifying himself with narcissistic monotony. However, facts cannot be buried underground no matter how long. The late Gen. Abacha deserves more accolades than vilification and his Niger Delta revenue allocation of 13 percent derivation was the highest ever given to the oil-producing areas. Distorted history, written by his enemies, cannot blind Nigerians to his real achievements. And as the nation makes fresh attempts to review the constitution, Gen. Abacha's memory will haunt us throughout.

Yakubu Usman Kagoro is of B12, Anguwar Dosa, Kaduna

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