“General Sani Abacha never governed the country; instead, he terrorized and bullied it. He had power, but it was all power,” Soyinka wrote in 1998, upon learning of Abacha’s passing while living in exile in Jerusalem for 26 years.In 1994, Soyinka fled into exile once more before General Sani Abacha sentenced him to death three years later.After Abacha’s passing, the sentence was eventually revoked, and he went back to Nigeria.After being charged with working with the Biafrans, Soyinka fled into hiding. In November 1994, Soyinka left Nigeria without warning, claiming that it was “retreating into the Dark Ages.” Abacha accused him of treason in absentia, a crime that carries a death sentence.
Q – What do you think about General Sani Abacha’s passing?
A- Straightforward response would be appropriate: it presents a chance for Nigeria’s military, civic society, and international community.
Q – To what end?
A: Accurate. must exert pressure on the armed forces, telling them to stop this foolishness. Enough of these illusory transition initiatives. They should not initiate or participate in a power struggle among themselves to determine who will assume the role of leader – that time has come to an end. As I just mentioned, Abacha terrorized and tormented the nation; he never held political power.
He could kill and capture hostages, but he lacked authority and influence. He was never able to rule the nation because the populace would not submit to a savage. They had had enough of military rule. Therefore, it is the military’s responsibility to acknowledge this and the responsibility of the world community to realize that we are fed up with the decay of what could be a magnificent civilization. Even after General Sani Abacha’s passing, release all political prisoners and establish a government of national unity led by the president-elect, who is currently rotting in prison, until the military accepts the United Democratic Front’s program, for which hundreds of lives have been lost.
