Former First Lady, Maryam Abacha, has said that she is used to the unpleasant things Nigerians say about her late husband and military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, who died on June 8, 1998.
In a recent interview with BBC Hausa, the former first lady also said that being at the Villa was just part of her usual life experience because even before marrying General Abacha, she had lived in different parts of Nigeria with her father who was a career civil servant..
In her words, “I am used to all the negative things Nigerians have been saying about my husband, and that is a normal thing with politicians. We are human beings, people will always say different things. Good and bad.
“Look at what’s happening in Kano, and even at the national level. So people will always talk. But when we were ruling, nobody was saying anything. Nobody talked. So that’s governance. Every government comes with its own pecks,” she said.
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Speaking further, Mrs Abacha said, “I don’t miss anything about the Villa. Because, you know, as a wife of a military man, we had been in different places. My dad was a career civil servant. So even before marrying Abacha, I had been used to staying in different parts of Nigeria.
“So even while with Abacha, we were always relocating to different places. So for me being at the Villa was just part of my usual life experience. Of course there was the prestige that comes with being a wife of the head of state, but there were also challenges.
You know, despite that the military aren’t politicians in the real sense, being in the Villa was part of politics. So, there were challenges we faced, just like every other government. But actually, I’ve never missed the Villa.” she said
