Dear Sadiq Abacha,
I do not know you personally, but I admire your filial bravery—however misguided—in defending the honour of your father, the late General Sani Abacha. This in itself is not a problem; it is an obligation—in this cultural construct of ours—for children to rise to the defence of their parents, no matter what infamy or perfidy the said parent might have dabbled in.
The problem I have with your letter, however, arises from two issues: (i) your disparaging of Wole Soyinka, who—despite your referral to an anecdotal opinion that calls him as “a common writer”—is a great father figure, and a source of inspiration, to a fair number of us young Nigerians; and (ii) your attempt to revise Nigerian history and substitute our national experience with your personal opinions.
Therefore, it is necessary that we who are either Wole Soyinka’s “socio-political” children, or who are ordinary Nigerians who experienced life under your father’s reign speak out urgently against your amnesiac article, lest some future historian stumble across the misguided missive, and confuse the self-aggrandized opinions of your family for the perceptions of Nigerians in general.
Your letter started with logical principles, which is a splendid common ground for us. So let us go with the facts: General Sani Abacha was a dictator. He came into power and wielded it for 5 years in a manner hitherto unprecedented in Nigerian history. Facts: uncomfortable for your family, but true all the same.
Now, for my personal interpretations: between 1993 and 1998 inclusive, when your dada was in power, I was a boy of 9 to 14 years and quite capable of making observations about my political and cultural environment. Those years have been the worst years of my material life as a Nigerian citizen. Here are a few recollections: I recollect waking up several mornings to scrape sawdust from carpentry mills, lugging the bags a long distance home, just to fuel our “Abacha stoves” because kerosene was not affordable—under your father. I recollect cowering under the cover of darkness, with family and neighbours, listening to radio stations—banned by your father. I recollect my government teacher apologetically and fearfully explaining constitutional government to us—because free speech was a crime under your father’s government. Most of all, I remember how the news of your father’s death drove me—and my colleagues at school—to a wild excitement, and we burst into the street in delirious celebration. Nobody prompted us, but even as 13 and 14 year olds, we understood the link between the death of Abacha and the hope of freedom for the ordinary man.
These are all sorry tales, of course. Such interpretations would not have occured to the wealthy and the privileged under your father’s government, but they were a part of the everyday life of a common teenager under that government. The economics were bad, but the politics were worse. And I am not referring to Alfred Rewane, Kudirat Abiola and the scores killed by the order of your father. Political killings are almost a part of every political system, and most of those were just newspaper stories to us. In fact, I didn’t get to read most of the atrocities until long after your father died. So, these stories did not inform the dread I personally felt under your father’s regime. And this was true for my entire family and our neighbours.
Instead, the worry over our own existence was a more pressing issue. Your father, Sani Abacha was in Aso Rock, but his brutality was felt right in our sitting room. We were not into politics and we didn’t vocally oppose Abacha, yet we just knew we were not safe from him. You see, unlike any dictatorship before or after it—your father’s government personally and directly threatened the life and freedoms of the average Nigerian. Your father threatened me. And if your father had not died, I am confident that I would not be alive or free today.
Think of that for a while.
Now, let’s come to Wole Soyinka. First: you can never eradicate the infamy of your father’s legacy by trying to point out the failings of another Nigerian. Remember what you said: A is A. Abacha is Abacha. And no length of finger pointing will wash away the odious feeling the name of Abacha strikes up in the mind of the average Nigerian. Second: Don’t—as they musician said—get it twisted: Wole Soyinka did not antagonize your father just because he was a military man—Wole Soyinka was against your father’s inhumanity. Your father was intolerant of criticism beyond belief. Your father made military men look bad. Your father’s behaviour was so bad it went back in time and soiled the reputation of every military man before him. Your father, finally, made Nigerians swear never—ever—to tolerate the military again. Soyinka may have worked with the military before—but your father ensured that he will never work with the military again. Do you see? Three: Evil comes in many forms: there is no qualification by degree. There is no “good” evil thing. Sani Abacha, Boko Haram, Hitler, slavery—they all fit into the same category of misfortunes. Soyinka is right: Abacha was just as bad as Boko Haram is—deal with it. Four: Soyinka has been kind enough to limit his criticism to the unenviable awards this inept government has given your father. But, you see, in a saner political system, we wouldn’t just ignore your father, we would have gone one step further and expunged the Abacha name from all public records. Wiped without a trace. Abacha would forever be a cautionary tale against the excesses of political power. In a saner political system.
Abacha was brutal—and Soyinka was one of those individuals who gave us inspiration in those dark days. He was part of the team that founded the underground radio station to counter your father’s activities. Let me rephrase in pop culture language: Wole Soyinka was the James Bond to your father’s KGB. Most of the influential people either kept quiet or sang the praises of your father to stave his wrath. But a few like Soyinka spoke, wrote and even went militant against Abacha. But at the end, even Soyinka who never ran from a fight had to run from your father. That was how terrible things were. And now you want Soyinka to join the praise singers of your father? I’m not certain Soyinka has grown old enough to forget how he escaped your father,slipping across the border in disguise. You will have to wait awhile to get that praise from him.
Now, back to you. You have a deluded sense of your father’s role in the progress of Nigeria’s history. Nigeria has managed to be where it is today, not because of leaders like your father—but in spite of leaders like your father. This is a testament to the Nigerian spirit of resilience, and our unwavering optimism in a better future. You owe every Nigerian an apology for daring to attribute this to the leadership of Abacha. Those “achievements” you believe were accomplished under your father were simply all the things he had to do to keep milking the economy, and thereby perpetuate himself in power—they benefited Nigeria only if, by Nigeria, you meant your family and your cronies.
Your tone is that of a white master who justifies his oppression because he clothed and fed his black slaves. That is what your father did. The fact that we choose not to regurgitate, and reflect on that socially traumatic period doesn’t mean we accept it as your entitlement. We have not forgotten, and we will never forget. Sani Abacha raped Nigeria. Your father raped us. Your father raped us and then pressed some change into our hands. And he then tried to marry us forcefully, too. You may think all this is well and good—but then you’ve never been raped before.
But we now live under a democracy—the kind your father denied us—and so you are free to talk. And so you are free to insult the people who ensured that your father had sleepless nights. Had the revolution your father rightly deserved happened, you—and the rest of your family—would have been lined against a wall, before you could pen one article, and shot.
And we would probably have cheered.
But we live under a democracy now—a system of government where even the scions of former oppressors can talk, and write freely, about the benefits of dictatorship. That’s a democracy. A concept your father wouldn’t have understood.
Regards,
Ayo Sogunro
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Ayo Sogunro is the author of The Wonderful Life of Senator Boniface and other Sorry Tales. A lawyer by profession, he also indulges in socio-legal philosophy on this blog. Interact with him on Twitter via @ayosogunro.
____________________________________
Get “Sorry Tales” on Amazon/Kindle:
Or if you’re in Nigeria, on Addiba and Konga too!
Ayo Sogunro 
Spot on!
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What has he spotted on? Black man has a fundamental problem especially Nigerians, who are dotted with sheepish thoughts and senses. For people to shower eulogies on Ayo on this senseless, superficial and a heap of crap called open letter is quite laughable. I was singing Ayo’s type of song until I became a free thinker. The fundamental problem we all have in Nigeria is lack of the ability to compare histories and decipher political mysteries. Abacha was painted black by the West and unfortunately we gullible Nigerians bought that bogus pill which still sells to the present. If we Nigerians have eyes, it would have by now dawn on our senses that Abacha remains the most thoughtful and smartest leader since after Shagari. I do not want to give too much info before my book is out, but I will like to give a simple task to all the commentators here in this forum to take a time with an unbiased and independent minds to study and compare histories from Buhari/Idiagbon, Babagida, Abacha, Abdusalami, through Obasanjo to Jonathan, then come back and then come back read the Ayo’s and decide how logical it sounds.
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Forgive my typos. Wrote from my little device thus the typographical errors.
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Forgive my typos. Wrote from my little device thus the typographical errors.
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I am not saying that Abacha is any good but in a heap of lunatic leaders in Nigeria after Shagari era I have not found anyone comparatively better than Abacha. Dictatorial leadership get worse after Abacha. He is a better evil if we are limited in choice.
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@Alex Uzo, just like Ayo wrote, a lot of us were teenagers then, and we know the things we saw and ran from. Ayo, or the rest of us, might not know what the West did, or how they try to ruin Abacha’s name, or whatever else. But we know, I know, what it felt like living in Abuja then, to be on a ‘secret curfew’, being a young girl of 14 – 17 then. If you stayed out beyond 6pm, you will definitely have yourself to blame, that is if you came back alive, and that is if God helps you. Seeing a bus painted all white or all black while waiting for a taxi or any other form of transportation sends everyone, girls and young women especially, running in every direction in a bid to save themselves. What are you talking about? I had friends and acquaintances who were abducted by faceless so-called ‘SSS’, who we all later learned had nothing to do with the organisation, raped beyond repair, some were found after some days, thrown in the bushes, dead to their bones, body parts missing. Whether it was Abacha or not that was responsible, i do not care. It was under his regime, those people worked for him, were paid by him. At that age, and living under that dread, how would it have concerned me what the West were saying or selling about him. What i knew then was, just as Ayo said, my family and I were not safe, being politically minded or not. Those are days I never want to relive, think about, or wish on anyone.
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We are going to ignore this your comment and waka pass. Just be satisfied with this little attention i bestowed on you.
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…u asked what Ayo spotted on but Nigerians should ask you WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO SPOT ON…is it your book you are trying to market in advance?…have you not killed that book and any book that may come from you in advance?…my friend if u think you are smart u have just cut your own nose by half!…my suggestion?…throw your manuscripts into the dustbin!…
…the attempt by Sadiq to befriend GEJ is EVIL and most regrettable…i pray it will not add to GEJ’s credibility problems in the south-west….
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@ AYO SOGUNRO….. I REALLY THINK YOU SHOULD READ SADIQ ABACHA’S LETTER ONCE MORE SO YOU COULD UNDERSTAND IT MUCH BETTER… I THINK THIS IS JUST A PUBLICITY STUNT TO SELL YOUR BOOK…. PLEASE LOOK FOR A BETTER WAY TO DO IT.
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Alex Uzo You are very Dull. Very dull. You even have the guts to come here and try to gain traffic for your book by talking rubbish that makes yo duller. The fact that you can still try to support someone who was a threat to free speech and his deluded son is even more pathetic. You’re Lucky I have seen this just too late you don’t deserve to even have a book (which I know only you and your family will read because they will be forced to). What we are doing here is putting a misguided son-of-a-rich man in his crevice not comparing abacha and the other military regimes use your head…
I just think youre downright unintelligent “you called abacha thoughtful”
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Forgive my typos. Wrote from my little device thus the typographical errors.
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No apologies necessary. We Nigerians know that it is only an ALEX UZO, the man with a small device and a vacant head could try to see Abacha as divine leader. But one question for you and the Abacha’s, if it be your father’s way in Nigeria, would you have been bold enough to criticize an elder stateman? Under your wicked father’s regime, freedom of speech or criticism is punishable by death. The current government should have used your father’s measure and the whole of Nigeria would have jubilated your execution. Only a moron like Jonathan would have given your miserably heartless father – Abacha, a national honor.
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Thank you for not doing a sweeping “your-letter-is-rubbish” but rather, responding to him line by line, punch for punch.
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I will find you, wherever you are…and buy you a beer.
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God bless Ayo Sogunro. These kids of past dictators owing to our trite sense of history think they can continue writing rubbish? Thanks for putting that brat in his place.
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See, guy, you’re a big head, and I’m saying this because I know you personally. But most of your writings are ingenious. You take the thoughts of every brilliant Nigerian mind; every mind devoid of ethnic or misguided sentiments and you just type them into existence. Thank you Ayo!
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Nothing left to say. Nothing.
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Reblogged this on THE GREEN CRUSADER.
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Reblogged this on ayanzbreeze.
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Thanks for this Ayo… Thanks for reminding that BOY of his family history
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Nice write-up, God bless you.
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See, you head is there.
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Am sure he has short memory or no memory at all for spewing out jargons and trying to rewrite history to favour his unpopular dictator of a father.
Is it the abacha stove using sawdust we queue to get or the diesel we have to add potash to to use it as kerosene and manage the heavy smoke.
Is it the palpable fear that can be felt or
the political killing of dissenting voice? Abacha era is an era best imagined than lived in.
For the poor young man information, abacha terror reign I wish none of my enemies to live in.
Thanks Ayo for putting the young man where he belong.
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One beer for my head too,you killed it bro!
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Reblogged this on vociferation's Blog.
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Oh THANK YOU!!! God bless you! Thank YOU.. All I can say is thank you for this response.. How can we forget the terror of Abacha days because a delusioned son of his thinks an award ceremony that was a joke going behind the backs of Nigeria to ‘honour’ his father deems him worthy of it.. Tufia!
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“….you—and the rest of your family—would have been lined against a wall, before you could pen one article, and shot.
And we would probably have cheered.”
*clap* *clap* *clap* *clap* *clap*….standing ovation!!!
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You killed it Ayo you really did, especially the family being lined up and shot part. Can you imagine the scums having the guts to get on the news after being spared their lifes? Such ingrates. Matter of fact if the tyrant were to resurrect I would personally put a bounty too irresistible for even musu (pussy cat) or whatever she’s called because betrayal and inhumanity runs in that lineage. Scums
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God bless you!!! I don’t think I need to reply Sadiq Abacha’s letter because you just did justice to it. God bless you…….
Sadiq Abacha………God punish you and your father.
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You’ve hit the ball out the park! Inliedrbce!
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Thank you so much! I couldn’t believe his nerve.
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YES!!! I could hug you!!
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This is not a rejoinder… This is THE rejoinder. Gott Lieb!!
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thanks so much. u av said it all. wud av hugged d hell out of u if u were arnd me. O tan na w’oro, o de ti gbo. someone dat sud be covering his face arnd. May be he’s nt aware that his surname *Abacha* bring tears to many heart and sorrow to many souls.
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Wept like a baby while reading this and i’m still sobbing. Thank you Ayo Sogunro, thank you.
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“Your tone is that of a white master who justifies
his oppression because he clothed and fed his
black slaves.”
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u deserve a medal amazing piece.
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Reblogged this on Summons.
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Wow! Wow! I duff my heart bro. You killed it!!! You hold no punches. I like you. For this I can give you my sister to marry, I’m not kidding.
God bless you.
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Thank you Ayo Sogunro, Thank you!
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Reblogged this on ThinkCHANGE.
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Ayo Sogunro abi? I mark your name down because you my friend, speak the truth. You have said ALL that Nigeria needs to say about this issue. God bless you.
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Splendid write up.
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Reblogged this on Adejokeiyabadan's Blog and commented:
What a very apt response!!!!!
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There was a time, around 1997 my mum locked me in the house for saying that abacha was a big fool for fear of millitary men taking me away, he lived in aso rock but we felt his reign of terror right in our sitting rooms- best line ever. Thank you ayo for putting that dude in his place.
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Hmmmmmmmmmmm, in my dialect there is a saying that, ‘you will be short of words when you have someone defending or speaking positively on your behalf’. Ayo Sogunro, am short of words because you have said it all. Abacha is a name that still and will continue to connote evil and despot to all Nigerians. I was in the University as at the time the news filtered into town that Abacha had died. My dear, there was more than enough ‘gyrations’ within and outside school. It was a carnival of some sort as people (literate and illiterate; young and old; male and female; just name it) jubilantly danced from one end of town to another celebrating the death of Abacha (need I say their freedom).
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this is the first time i am ever commenting on a blog..i just had to and i have i word for this article #EPIC
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God bless u is all I have to say
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Wow!!!!! I can’t but take a bow Ayo…. I love this…
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The future we were told of as kids is now, kids grow but the memories live on. You simply reminded him, we are not disillusional. I was in secondary school then, even as a boarder the news of his death brought joy (who rejoices over death but we did). Ayo the world hasn’t heard of you yet, we need people who can stand up to the truth even with facts, you just did that. WELL DONE!!!
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I am just grateful that I am not the recipient of this letter. Thank you God!
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Pingback: “Abacha was Brutal” |A Reply to Sadiq Abacha’s Open Letter | Change And Revolution
Reblogged this on Fairy Godsister's Blog and commented:
I haven’t reblogged anyone in a long while, but I had to keep a record of this.
Like I said on Twitter, with Ayo’s response, this mass is ended. Let us all go in peace and serve the Lord.
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I read Prof Wole Soyinka’s letter, read Sadiq’s letter and was going to put pen to paper when I saw a balancing letter-your response. Thank you! I think Sadiq should read ‘this house has fallen’ by karl Maier. While I do not blame him from his myopic point of view- at least he would have been drowning in wealth at that point and never witnessed what Nigerians did in the hands of his father, I wished he took time to study books written on the actions and inactions of his father.
Ayo, I have just found someone who makes twitter worth the effort,more grace! It is just painful that those whose decisions affect the lives of millions in Nigeria,do not read and would probably not see this.
Nonetheless,we would not keep writing,talking or reading believing that one day, we shall overcome.
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Buy that Abacha boy a copy of album released by Orlando Owoh when Abacha died. ” Lojo ti mo gbo’ku Abacha l’abule wa, mo muti muti, mo fee to sile” The day I heard of Abacha’s death in my village, I got drunk I nearly pee on my bed. Thank you Ayo. THis will teach him how to keep quiet next time.
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Hmmmmmn! These words “We have not forgotten, and we will never forget. Sani Abacha raped Nigeria. Your father raped us. Your father raped us and then pressed some change into our hands. And he then tried to marry us forcefully, too. You may think all this is well and good—but then you’ve never been raped before.” God bless Ayo’s pen eternally.
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THANK YOU!!! I should frame this & hang it on my living room wall. THIS is a rejoinder & it is perfection.
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I remember the day Abacha died, just like yesterday. It is very fresh in my memory although I was 9 years old. I was in JSS 1 in “Egbado High School.” There was rumor about the dictators death, yet no one had the guts to whisper it until we confirmed it from BBC. The joy we had was synonymous to that of the Israelite when the wall of Jericho fell down flat. Now how dare Sadiq Abacha try to defend his father.
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This is an awesome article. Thanks Ayo for setting the record straight once again.
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Nice blow Bros but Baba u do old oo….
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Thank you very much for the write up … you deserve a drink.
subscribing to your blog now, once again thanks.
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Serves Soyinka right. Would mandela go about preaching messages of discourse? Let our leaders go back and learn what true leadership is all about. Nonsense.
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Oga whats wrong with you???? Are you okay?
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don’t mind him…. I’m sure he’s major mustapha
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I love you. GOD bless you for this write up. I’m tracking the abachas now on twitter and tell them the bitter truth in short sentences.
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Pingback: I KNEW SOMEONE WOULD, AYO SOGUNRO HAS; A RESPONSE TO SADIQ ABACHA….. | Jide-Salu.com
I have a man crush on whoever wrote this
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I remember d day we heard rumours of abacha’s death at school, even as children we all came out rejoicing and d air smelt of freedom. When I got home my father locked us inside the house as according to him, it might just be a set up and we stayed put until it was announced by NTA at 9pm. Abacha was a terror and the dark memories of his evil cannot be wiped out even in our children’s generation to the fourth! Thank you Ayo.
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straight to the point, no mincing of words, precise. Ayo Sogunro is the shit!!!!!!!!!!!!! even the presidents open letter dint move me as much as this one did. #duffshat
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God bless you ayosogunro… It is well with you… I never know there could be a brave son who would never see the mistakes of his father but defend his bad deeds rather than apologizing on behalf of the deceased…. I was a kid then.. But i read and heard the brutish stories of abacha
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Thank you for trashing this dementialed boy called sadiq.
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Awwwww Ayo… oh Ayo. This is just superb! Now I regret that I didn’t hug you when we met. This should just nail Sadiq and the future Abachas coming to rape our senses with stupid letters ever again
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Awesome you should think of sotiehmng like that
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Reblogged this on Hollasheni's Blog.
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das right!
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Ayo Sogunro has done my generation good!May your pen ever be mightier than the lethal weapons of Abacha’s.Sadiq was trying to be brave,I perceived he defiantly refused his elder brother,Mohamed’s advice not to tread where the angels dread!Your father,the lunatic despot was an usurper.He deceived Abiola,kept him incommunicado,killed his business & assassinated his wife,Kudirat.Yes,your father killed Abiola,Abubakar merely buried him!You dare say your father restored democracy in Africa?Are you proud of that,Sadiq?Do u know what hypocrisy mean?Have u ever read ur father coup speech of Nov.17,1993?Your father abolished all democratic institutions,are you proud of that legacy?You talked abt exchange rate,was it the dual exchange rate your father decreed where Ibrahim & Mohammed turned emergency burea the change dealers?Did u read about Ogoni 9,are u proud of that bloody legacy too?Dear Sadiq,don’t tempt Nigerians tolerance,your father’s name connotes evil,betrayal,barbarism,corruption,sadism,un patriotism,looting,etc,it’s a fact of history that can’t be whitewashed by your foolish bravery.
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Thank u sooo much for putting that BOY where he belongs
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Ayo, Abacha Govt was better than IBB and Obasanjo so you are saying nonsense. What has wole soyinka done to the development of the nation. I an not from the north, I am an IGBO man, but hate tribal discrimation. U re jst an ethnic trabalistic fool.
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Please take SEVERAL SEATS!!!
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I am very sure you are from the north! stop pretending
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Richard Chukwu my friend go back to nursery school and learn hw to read and write. @ Ayo thank you Sir.
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You are blind and deaf. You don’t even deserve a comment.
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You see, I am nt surprised at ur comment, being an igbo man u should think dat way, nd if u schooled in d east, dat justfied ur thinking, I’m sure u were born in 1999. Derailed much.
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I told my grtamdonher how you helped. She said, “bake them a cake!”
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well spoken Ayo sogunro! This will definitely shut him up forever!
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Ayo. Ayo. Ayoooooo! Fantastic response. I had to read it aloud because you spoke my mind with even better words.
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please where can i see sadiq abacha’s letter?
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https://www.facebook.com/gumsusaniabacha?fref=ts Check his sister’s facebook page. The crazy children of a mad tyrant.
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I don’t blame the brat, it is the clueless government that decide to honour a thief and monster as a national hero. Thanks Ayo.
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Thank you very much Sogunro…
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Great inihtsg. Relieved I’m on the same side as you.
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Thanks for the advice u gave this son of devil. Let him come out and sing is father s praise in the open then he would realise how goliat fell in the hand of david. Omo osan ti nko ponpo ba iya e
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Gr8 u Ayo! That silly Abacha’s son deserves to b stoned/linched to death. He has the gut to speak rubbish of our most respectable Prof., Our role model.
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One word Ayo…. Fantastic!
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Eric Ayoola Like Hitler, Idi Amin Dada, Papa Doc Duvalier, Saddam Hussein, Augustus Pinochet, and so many other brutal dictators, Abacha was a despised human being whose negatives far out weighed any positive that you can think of. And Nigeria is one of the few countries in the world where people who should bury their heads in shame walk about strutting, huffing and puffing their chest. Abacha’s son is a direct beneficiary of the miseries of Nigerians, fed, educated, housed, financed by stolen money. He is the benefit of crime personified. And the one man who has done his best to give very important crooks and criminals a voice in Nigeria is Goodluck Jonathan, since by giving the undeserving Abacha an award the message that he is sending out, just as he sent out the message in pardoning the thieving Alams, is that crime pays if you are a very important thief. Sadiq Abacha is wrong on all counts and shows that he has imbibed all the bad traits of his father in failing to know that what is wrong is wrong. Abacha’s rule was bad for Nigeria. There was nothing good that he did that could not have been done without having to do all the bad things that he did. Do your have to be a kleptomaniac to stabilise the currency? Do you have to be a blood thirsty Boko Haram fore-runner to improve the foreign reserve? Do you need to turn Nigeria into a Parish state to create a few more states in the country? Do you need to foist assassinations and fear on to your own country to bring peace to other nations? Sanni Abacha and the rest of them can go to blazes and may their scion continue to rot in hell. Shameless thieves.
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Well written Ayo. i think the Abacha’s should go home with this piece you have nicely pen down, and learn history from it.
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Great repose sir, I have pointed out to another group of people discussing his letter in another forum, complaining that Abacha is dead so unable to defend himself. I have told them that death is no immunity to scrutiny and in the same way Hitler’s children would not justify the holocaust, then this non entity should shut him mouth. You put it in a far better way than I could ever dream do, I thank you.
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Cognitive ability and deep honesty which no one can deny you. We ‘Nigerians” are grateful to you
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If I was a child or even a grandchild of abacha, I would’ve changed my surname the day sani abacha died. Sadiq should be ashamed of his name. Nice one PaPa Ayo.
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Now thats what I call a brilliant response!! Thank you Ayo.
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This is so beautifully written. So accurate. I was so pained when I read Sadiq’s article because I knew Soyinka would not bother to respond. Thank you for responding for him. Thank you
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Hugs and kisses Ayo! You nailed it! Gbam!
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MY HERO!!!!
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Reblogged this on To Nigeria, My Country and commented:
It is always wonderful to note that Nigerians other than myself are choosing to write and speak up. This here, is a well-written response to Sadiq Abacha’s open letter. I have nothing more to add.
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He died during my first semester in the University and while going back home in a danfo bus,the news broke.!!! See huge jubilation in the bus and all around,even though at that moment i thought it was too good to be true,never thought he would just die like that. Till i got home to confirm the story! Dude must be chilling in the hottest part of hell right now. Thank you Ayo,may God continue to give u the knowledge and strength to do more of this. I respect u from this day on.
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I lived near a Police Station back then, we did not have to wait till NTA or BBC told the world! The JUBILATION at the station got all of running to check out HWY? the Men-In-Black were rejoicing only to realise that the man from hell had gone down to the lake that burn with fire and brimstone!
It was a day we’ll never forget……..remembered the ABCHA (saw dust) stoves vividly now…uhmnnnnnnnnn
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I lived near a Police Station back then, we did not have to wait till NTA or BBC told the world! The JUBILATION at the station got all of us running to check out WHY? the Men-In-Black were rejoicing only to realise that the man from hell had gone down to the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone!
It was a day we’ll never forget……..remembered the ABCHA (saw dust) stoves vividly now…uhmnnnnnnnnn
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I walk from Ado-Ekiti to Otun-Ekiti under Abasha (Abacha). I never pray my children experience such reign of terror. Ayo said just a few of hid misdeed. How about Nigerians that disappeared on the street! How about those used to feed his satanic crocodile! The Sarowiwa saga! Only history will tell the number.
Thank u Ayo, more blessing.
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Thanks Ayo.
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I suspect Alex Uzo is Sadiq Abacha lol
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@ Alex Uzo that your book I will not buy neither any free thinking Nigerians will buy, infant the book will never sale. If u want to advantise your book, I think u should know a better place to do that. I wonder if u were not born at the time or u have lost your sense of reasons. Or is one of your stradegies to sell your book. Typical igbo man, always looking for avenue to do business… Abeg go joor. @ Ayo God bless u, keep up the good work.
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This. Is. Wow!
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Abacha is synonymous with wickedness where I come from. I am happy someone is finally standing up to this people cos it’s been like no one noticed, so they’ve continued like nothing was wrong. Schewm!
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Ayo, who created you must be rejoicing, who gave birth to you must be proud of you, who made you must be educated. You have just written out the minds of so many right thinking Nigerians who reaally wants change in all areas of lives. Abacha’s family are thoughtless.
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Alex Uzo, I personally think you’re talking crap. Abacha is everything Ayo described him as and if the article is getting eulogies, it deserves it. What kind of govt gives an award to Abacha, or to his memory, whatever that means.
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imagine if all of us who remember the mood we were in and the state of excitement the country was thrown into on the 8th of June 1998 wrote a letter to sadiq about that day, I bet he’ll go get anti depressants before the day was over. but ayo has done it all in one letter! such is the brilliance of this piece. my father was locked up while working for nitel those days by the brutal task force abacha set up to monitor those who had misgivings about the way things were done in nitel. thank God he survived. lord knows if he didn’t and I had to watch TV to see abacha being awarded a hero, I’d be beside myself with rage. Jonathan awarding him and IBB really baffled me. but that’s naija for you. someone who does a work of satire here will only end up a prophet because with these politicians we have, nothing is impossible. the revolution will come one day, let’s hope we all are on the right side when it does. peace.
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Reblogged this on Malcolm's Blog and commented:
This right here is the mother of all rejoinders. Read, reminisce and react!
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Reblogged this on Reality Personified and commented:
My Goodness! What a piece 🙂
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I SENSED SOMETHING GREAT COMING OUR WAYS .TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN SOYINKA IDEOLOGY ,TO THE GREAT FREEDOM FIGHTER AND TO US ALL THE CATALYST ALL OVER THE WORLD “LIBERTY” JUST ONEMORE STEP WILL TAKE OUR AWAY UNTIL WE ARE FREE INDEED
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I SENSED SOMETHING GREAT COMING OUR WAYS .TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN SOYINKA IDEOLOGY ,TO THE GREAT FREEDOM FIGHTER AND TO US ALL THE CATALYST ALL OVER THE WORLD “LIBERTY” JUST ONEMORE STEP WILL TAKE OUR FEAR AWAY, UNTIL WE ARE FREE INDEED.IF WE DONT WHO WILL?
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How old are you Sodiq, if you do not know that your father was a monster. Please tell him “bomode o ba gbo itan a gbo aroba, aroba si ni baba itan. Nobody can rewrite the history. Posterity will judge you and the entire family, if you remain unrepented of your father’s misrule.
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Reblogged this on gracerefined and commented:
Well said…. Let’s stop hiding behind veils and speak up… Truth is truth
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Well done and again I say well done Ayo.
Your pen is indeed mightier than Abacha’s cruel sword!
I salute you audacity n brilliant diction.
Kudos bro there is hope for Nigeria with youths like you.
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Honestly, after reading this piece, I feel Wole Soyinka and the likes can relax knowing we have other Voltrons who can speak on Nigeria’s behalf. It’s a good day for Democracy though not perfect but with time and voices like such we are bound for greatness. Nice
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Let’s fight the living and forget about the dead.
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reblogged on http://mile2herald.wordpress.com
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God bless u great son of d soil
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…we have re-posted many of the comments here on our blog at http://mile2herald.wordpress.com…thanks to all of you…
…those of us in the book industry know that alex uzo’s book is DOA and he has been advised to dump his manuscripts in the dustbin unless he can point to one head of state including Buhari whose death will bring up so much widespread joy across Nigeria like that of Abacha…
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Sir, I’m inspired. The anger and revulsion Mr Abacha’s letter caused is calmed by an articulate and pointed response. Thank you.
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Pingback: Son of Dead Nigerian Dictator Sani Abacha Defends Father’s Legacy · Global Voices
Correct retort! Abacha was a brutal leader. he was feared so much, that people were afraid to talk about him in their homes.I was disappointed to see the wedding of his son displayed on blogs esp the “esteemed” Bella Naija. I was equally disappointed that commenters were in awe of the ill gotten wealth displayed at the wedding.we need more people like you Ayo, not those that use their platform to flaunt tHe wealth of terrorists,murders and thieves!
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Ayo, thanks for putting the white master wannabe in his place. Can you imaginge the condecending tone? And to have the audacity to insult Prof. Soyinka? What guts?! Thank you for letting the clown know that Nigeria is still standing INSPITE of his father’s shameful attrocities!! Take a look at what is happening to Ghadafi’s children, thats what should be happening to all these bums whose parents traumatized us in this country!!!
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Ayo you are my hero.
I was only 17 when Abacha died.
I was privileged to have a satelite dish and was privy to the news of his death on CNN.
I can tell you that I jumped out of my house in Bodija, Ibadan and started telling all my friends in the neighborhood.
The rejoicing was phenomenal; like a giant party circus that spread all over the biggest city in West Africa like wild fire.
I personally felt the fresh air of freedom literally and the burden of fear that had become a part and parcel of our lives had been lifted.
Oh what joy we felt on that day and even beyond for weeks.
Sadiq has no idea what it felt like for us. He has made an utterance he will forever regret.
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Mr. Sogunro, I commend you for bravely standing up to defend the honour of a just man. Sadiq can’t and won’t understand all that your letter contains because he didn’t suffer what we -Nigerians- suffered during his father’s reign. I wish he could read this and maintain his cool by being silent and hope that we don’t pray for vegengance to be visited upon him and the rest of the Abacha’s household.
Thank you for this write up.
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Ode to the young scribe Sogunro…… If I was in Nigeria at the time of Abacha (the word abacha actually means rubbish in the language of the south westerners), I would have singlehandedly caused his earlier demise! Wouldn’t have the time nor patience to join the ranks of those singing songs of self pity over the deeds of an Arab immigrant such as that “rubbish minster”!!
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Brilliant!!! It is good to remind Sadiq Abacha that his counterpart- Saif Gadaffi is already behind bars- some of his siblings are deceased and some are in hiding. Sadiq should count his lucky stars that Nigerian Democracy is still young and trying to get it right. But get it right we will and a day of recompense shall come. He and his family will be called to face the law for the atrocities committed by their dada and under their dada’s regime.
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Ayo,ur life might be in danger.
D USA seized money on d same day you published an article
It took shine or sting out of d popularity of ur article.
U no d USA they can Draft anything and claim any date
Didn’t I hear they killed abacha.
There has to be a reason for their action
Watch OUT
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Why did boko haram bomb this day in the north?
Was it a disguise or diversion?
Is nduka obaigbena,owner of thisday a friend and lover to ibb?
Why did bush and Blair come visit nduka some time ago? Why not ‘better’ ex-heads?
Why hasn’t boko bombed ibb or buharis?
Why Are all rulers connected: jonathan,abacha,ibb,hausa,fulanis,buhari?
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Sadiq Abacha ….i pray that you and your unborn generation will be subjected to same evil your monster of a father subjected Nigerians to. Since you have the gut to stand up for that monster called sanni Abacha. ..i equally stand up for families that were destroyed by sanni abacha that you will die shamefully the next time you eat an apple. Sege banza
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I read this so called opened letter by a so called learned person in our dear country and i weep for our nation. How long shall we be misguided by sentiments.Did this myopic writer read Sadiq Abachas letter before writing this arrant rubbish?What baffles me most is also the number of blind comments from users hailing his write up.May we never have a crop of these blind citizenry mislead our dear nation.Those of u making comments here have probably not read Sadiq Abacha’s open letter.If Abacha’s regime affected your family negatively and you have a grudge then thats understandable;most people were.As a writer you ought to be balanced and objective when you table issues,dont bring in stupid sentiments based on the part of the country you are from.Thats the problem we have as yoruba folks,we open our mouth and say rubbish without thinking just because our brother is involved.Please lets all shut up and contribute to the development of our country with all these so called open letters.Lets not make a public show of our stupidity.
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The advice you gave in your last sentence, I wish you would take it.
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The tears that dropped from the eyes of Jesus was not because of his sadness but because of the world. I’m not surprised at some unfortunate comments to Ayo’s post though blinkered which is quite understandable to correct and set the record straight against the denigration meted at Soyinka. Our thought has been enslaved by fickleness and insincerity. Democracy, even if crippled in terms of its responsibilities to the people, is more than a million times better than dictatorship. I’m highly disappointed in the comment of Mr Alex which parochial and utterly lacks good sense of judgement. Abacha administration killed all Nigerians. If your heart still breath, you are lucky. We all live in perpetual fear, no one dared rise and press public opinion or demand for a right and his regime was spurring to the archetype of Idi Amin of Uganda when God ‘voluntarily’ delivered us. Alex claimed the West painted him black, but we experienced his administration directly and we are giving what historians call ‘Primary Source’ of the information and what does the West who are ‘Secondary Source’ of it could do without the first source. Alex may be related to Al-Mustapha or some of the ministers under Abacha’s regime. No one can delude facts by dexterity of writings. This is a saner democracy, we can all bowl out our minds and exercise our right. We are alive again, we are happy albeit the leadership might not give much to us as we deserve, we are happy, we are free.
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Reblogged this on Ayodeji Lancaster and commented:
Nothing more to add. Ayo Sogunro has said it all…
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I was a student at Federal Government College Ilorin when the news of General Abacha’s death broke out. If I remember correctly, dinner that night was a buffet, the jubilation was so much they cancelled afternoon and night prep. I was still in JSS1 and probable didn’t know so much, that period I came to learn marked a new history for Nigeria.
Abacha, that name in Nigeria rings a lot of bells of sadness and fear, take it or leave it, that is the truth.
I hear some confused fellow mention the west, its shameful….we are always quick to blame the west for all of our problems and not look inwards to find a solution.
As a nation, its sad that we may not have been lucky to have the best of leaders, but it will be a fallacy to misconstrue General Abacha as one. an errant display of mental deadness.
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mey God bless you ayo …for those of you reading through his write up to point out errors and critisizing i belief you will learn to be brave and wise enough to blame and cause all this past Leaders and thieves who haa abuse and put this Nation in a crawling and difficult situation…but we will be out of this one day
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Reblogged this on Embakasi Reloaded.
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God bless you so much, Ayo!. For being our voice… u spoke all i wanted .God will repay them for all the hurts they made us pass through.
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Hey there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The
words in your post seem to be running off the screen in Opera.
I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do
with web browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to
let you know. The design and style look great though!
Hope you get the problem solved soon. Cheers
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Great article! This is the kind of info that are supposed to be shared around the net.
Disgrace on Google for not positioning this post upper!
Come on over and discuss with my website . Thanks =)
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Usually..these days of Instant messagin…wen an individual pens a good piece, I notice d comments cut across religious nd/or ethnic divides !! I observe ppl of diff ethnic/religion bearing either extollin d writer or disagreeing wt him !! Dis piece however is different !! I noticed most of d commenters who agree wt d columnist re of south western nigerian origin !! Also most of dem seem to remember d “Abacha days” as dark nd dangerous days, bt dey fail to give substantial reason Y !! Those dt hav tried to support dia agreement hav based dia reason on d incaceration nd/or execution of “revolutionaries” like Abiola,Ken Saro Wiwa…etc it is pertinent to note however dt Abiola is one of d south wests most illustrious sons…soo whoever denied dem of MKO wil most likely go down in their books as an enemy of progress, an evil man !! Having said dt..I wld like to say my own part of d Abacha days . I remember dem as stern, disciplined days. Where every1 was always on his toes(especially govt workers). I dnt of d other factors ,being only a kid den !! Bt from d records we see nd read these days , d pay wasnt much , bt pple survived, light wasnt stable , bt it wasnt as bad as it is now . Security was….hell nobody bothered abt security den coz, Nigeria was still a giant, we sent troops to maintain d peace in other African nations(ECOMOG tins) . Also I know 4 a fact dt road wer constructed by PTF , textbooks,mathsets,medicines, buses etc wer procured by d PTF !!
However, lets ask ourselves , where in dis world has any military dictatorship take place where som level of high handedness isnt practiced ??!! Dts wt makes it a dictatorship pple !! Wt of Obj who razed down Odi nd Zaki biam towns ?? Under Abacha not a single town was razed nd yet u say he is a monster ! Wt of GEJ ?? D no of pple dt die weekly due to d BH insurgency is more dan d whole number of deaths under Abacha !!
Abacha’s loot , it is said Abacha looted dis nations money..bt nobody seems to knw d exact amt..although some estimates hav put it at abt $5- 9 billion !! Lets say it was $50 billion !! Does dt compare to d type of theft dt is goin on 2day ???!!
Pple pls learn to argue wt reason , wt facts , nd sentiments aside !!
I wil like to state here however dt, I am not saying Abacha was a saint, he sinned as we all do, he may hav sinned mor than others. I think some of his actions were quite callous nd shldnt have taken place, nd for that I feel sorry 4 any1 who in any way suffered from dem. But some of his policies saved dis nation in more ways than one !! Even though not all of dem wer favourable. ……….my thoughts !!
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Reblogged this on kasaKOA and commented:
Lest we forget. It’s always important to voice out when people try to introduce the wrong narrative.
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Wonderful! *smiles*
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Auch!!!! Brilliant! I’m a lawyer too. My God I love those who write their mind without any fear nor favour
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I see a lot of interesting posts here, i know
writing posts is time consuming, but i know
unlimited source of content for your blog , just search in google – rewriter creates an unique article in a minute
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