Gumsu Fatima Abacha has slammed Nobel Laureate, Professor
Wole Soyinka over the comments he made about her father, late military
dictator, Sani bacha.
"Wole soyinka oya na!!! Over to you!! Wicked old hawk .... your hate for my father shall kill you. Olori buruku mad cow" she wrote on Facebook.
Recall that the acclaimed playwright told President Buhari
that he cannot honour MKO Abiola in one breath and admire his tormentor
Sani Abacha in the same breath.
Soyinka, who spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at the national
honours investiture for heroes of democracy, said that although he
understood Buhari’s official loyalty to Abacha, it shouldn’t take
preeminence over the preservation of democracy.
“Dear Mr. President, you cannot honour Abiola in one breath and admire his tormentor in the same breath. So, as we have the Hall of Heroes in one hand, we also have the Hall of Shame as a lesson to future generations,” he said.
Gumsu Abacha also shared a post by one Ajayi Temitope. Read below:
Where I Disagree with Professor Soyinka
I love Professor Wole Soyinka. Who would not love such an
extraordinarily ubiquitous and prodigious man. He is one of God's
special gifts to Nigeria.
He made an impassioned speech two days ago at the June 12
event in Abuja. That was the essential WS on song. Where I disagree with
Prof. was at the point he said President Buhari can not honour MKO
while at the same time be loyal or love his tormentor. A veiled
reference to what Buhari said or didnt say about Late Gen. Sani Abacha.
Does Buhari have a right to love anyone he chooses to love?
That is if he truly loves or loyal to Abacha. And is there anything
wrong if he loved Abacha. Only few people possibly know the story of
Abacha's kindness to Buhari.
To deny Buhari the right to love anyone he chooses to love
is to 'thingify' him ( apology to Professor Benedict Ibitokun). We would
simply be reducing PMB to a robot or an inanimate object without
feelings and emotions.
Aja N. Aja will remember the encounter with Mallam Yau
Darazo, longtime associate of PMB and one his very close aides in
September 2014 during the campaign. Darazo told us some details about
the relationship between Buhari and Abacha.
After Buhari's overthrow in 1985 he was detained for 3years
by IBB. He was released almost into penury. He had to take into
subsistence farming to support himself and his family with goodwill from
his friends.
His benefits as a Two-Star General were not paid. His
pension not paid by the Military. When Abacha became Head of State some
of their mutual friends went to Abacha to tell him about the living
condition of Buhari and the injustice of not paying his benefits and
pension. Abacha was, reportedly, shocked to hear such and the level of
deprivation. Abacha called Buhari, appealled and also apologized to him.
Abacha then approved the benefits and other special package
for Buhari. Being a decent man, Buhari used his situation to also tell
Abacha about the dire financial condition of Gen. Gowon and former
President Shagari. He urged Abacha to do whatever he will do to cover
the two former leaders.
That was the beginning of what we have today as Benefits to
former Presidents which had been enacted into law by the National
Assembly. Abacha approved the benefits to cover Buhari, Gowon, Shonekan
and Shagari.
When Abacha eventually appointed him as Executive Chairman
of PTF he didn't take any salary because he said it would be unethical
to draw benefits from two sources from same Federal Govt.
General Abdulsalami continued same practice for former
leaders as approved by Late Abacha. President Obasanjo saw value in it
and also continued until it was taken beyond just a Presidential
magnanimity. It was taken to NASS as an Executive Bill and passed into
law.
Given this relationship, it will be unfair to expect
President Buhari to hate or publicly speak ill of Abacha regardless.
What he said about Abacha was taken out of context. He simply said there
were concrete things Abacha did with Nigeria's money despite of his
abysmally poor Human Rights records.
It is also not true that Buhari didn't speak against June
12 annulment. He did. He actually said MKO must be allowed to enjoy his
mandate. Senator Shehu Sani, who was the arrowhead of pro-democracy
movement from the Northern axis alluded to same fact.
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