Gen. Sani Abacha Was A God-Sent Messiah To Ijaw Nation: The Story Of My Encounter With Mrs. Sani Abacha And Major Hamza AL-Mustapha 

State creation exercise in the post-independence Nigeria which was a detour from regionalism, is also the work of Ijaw people. It started with the creation of twelve (12) states, including Rivers State in 1967.

Overtime, successive military regimes created more states without creating any homogeneous state for Ijaw people.

Ijaws embarked on several protests, some were very violent, yet nothing was done due to the strong grand conspiracies against Ijaw people.

The enemies of Ijaw Nation argued that if Ijaws are giving a homogeneous Ijaw State that will give Ijaws political identity and a vocal voice, that Ijaws will not allow the federal government and International Oil Companies (IOCs) to continue to explore and exploit abundant natural resources in Ijaw land.

But General Sani Abacha never subscribed to such satanic, exploitative, and retrogressive arguments.

Abacha was vehemently opposed to the divisive, deceptive, destructive, and distractive concept of WAZOBIA. He saw no reason why a country with over 350 tribes and ethnic groups that were hitherto independent empires, emirates, nations and kingdoms before the amalgamation of Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914 could be reduced to Hausa-Fulanis, Yoruba and Igbo hegemonies.

In a bid to give political identity and vocal voices to the other 347 tribes outside WAZOBIA, Abacha decided to divide Nigeria into six (6) geopolitical zones. The above is the reason why we have North East, North West, North Central, South South, South East, and South West, respectively.

On 1st October, 1996 against all odds and advice, General Sani Abacha went ahead to create six (6) states including Bayelsa State.

The creation of Bayelsa State did not only give political identity to Bayelsans, it gave a vocal voice to Ijaw people and also opened up the area for socio-economic and political rapid development.

Young people who were born after the creation of Bayelsa State may not appreciate the level of development that has taken place in a state that had only one tiny bad one-lane road that ran through from Mbiama to down Yenagoa.

I have watched movies that depict General Sani Abacha as devil incarnate. I have also read countless materials that portray him as the worst military dictator that Nigeria and the African continent has produced.

But the above is not true. It was manipulated by the Western countries and their internal collaborators in Nigeria, the same way they are presenting Col. M. Gadaffi of Libya. What they brainwash Nigerians and present as Abacha Loot are Nigeria’s foreign reserve. The same way they are doing to Libyans.

General Sani Abacha was compassionate about minorities, poor, weak, and vulnerable people.

Let us imagine how Ijaw Nation could have been today without Bayelsa State.

Since 1956 when crude oil and gas were discovered in the whole of West Africa in Ijaw land precisely at Oloibiri-Otabagi in present-day Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa, Ijaw Nation has continued to carry the economic burden of the Nigerian state without commensurate rewards for her immeasurable sacrifices.

MY ENCOUNTER WITH GENERAL SANI ABACHA FAMILY

As a young man, I was wallowing in ignorance based on the negative things that I was told/fed about General Sani Abacha.

However, at i point, I decided to embark on a research about the personality of Abacha and his achievements.

The above quest took me to the Abacha family house at Nasarawa GRA in the ancient City of Kano.

I met with Her Excellency, Hajia Marian Abacha and her wonderful children including the famous Mohammed Abacha.

While there i told them my mission, particularly the book i was writing about the late former Head of State.

After our fruitful engagement, Her Excellency arranged for me to go to Lagos to meet with the great Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, the former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to General Sani Abacha.

Her Excellency believed that Mustapha as the CSO of her husband had more official information about her husband.

That was how, I moved to visit Major Hamza Al-Mustapha at Kirikiri Maximum Prison.

Before leaving Kano for Lagos, Her Excellency gave me the phone number of Alhaji Nasiru, the elder brother of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha. So, on arrival, it was Nasiru that facilitated my access to the Prison after I submitted four (4) passport photographs according to Prison security protocols.

When i was ushered into the visitors’ room, I was very excited to meet the famous Major Hamza Al-Mustapha. My experience with him was memorable and historic. He is a very intelligent person.

The salient issues that i got among the key information he gave me that i will never forget were;

1. He said, the opposition against creation of Bayelsa State was too much. Bayelsa State was not among the list of states that were recommended by the boundary adjustment and state creation committee to be created on 1st October, 1996. But when the committee members submitted their reports and left on the eve of the state creation exercise, General Sani Abacha used Biro/Pen to write Bayelsa State. So, he took the committee members unaware. Mustapha asked me to challenge anyone with a contrary opinion to request the original manuscript that was used for the Broadcast from NTA Headquarters Abuja to clear all doubt.

2. He said I was the second Ijaw man that had visited him since his incarceration after the visit of Alhaji Asari Dokubo.

3. He told me the story of how General Sani Abacha appointed an Ijaw man, Brigadier General Cletus Emein the military Governor of Niger State. He said Abacha never knew Emein, neither did Emein lobbied. He said Abacha insisted that an Ijaw man must be appointed a military administrator then. Cletus Emein was the highest ranking Ijaw officer that was within the rank to be appointed a military governor. He asked me to verify the above information from General Cletus Emein.

That journey and efforts led to the publication of the book ‘GENERAL SANI ABACHA AND THE CONTEMPORARY IJAW NATION (2010)’.

Thereafter, I started the General Sani Abacha Memorial Lecture campaign in Bayelsa State.

Few years later, then Gov. Henry Seriake Dickson invited the General Sani Abacha family to celebrate them.

I was not informed or invited. It was one of the bodyguards of the late General that called to inform me that they were in Bayelsa State, but I was in Abuja, so I couldn’t meet up. I would have joined the Abacha family if I had gotten a prior notice.

Today being 8th June 2026 is exactly 28 years that General Sani Abacha died in active service.

He may be a demon incarnate or whatever to other tribes but to the Ijaw Nation, he remains a God-sent messiah.

His sacrifice gave Ijaw people Vice President and President of Nigeria in the person of President Goodluck Jonathan GCON, GCFR.

His sacrifice has given Ijaw people many Governors beginning with the military administrators who governed Bayelsa State.

His sacrifice has given Bayelsa State many Ministers, Senators and members of the National Assembly.

His sacrifice has given Bayelsans many members of the State House of Assembly and Commissioners.

His sacrifice has given Bayelsans several federal government appointments and employment opportunities.

His sacrifice has given Bayelsa State several higher institutions.

We can go on and on to highlight the advantages of the creation of Bayelsa State including the fact that his sacrifice has put Bayelsa State on the World Map.

It is my suggestion that June 8 should be declared a public holiday to celebrate the man that gave Bayelsans a political identity and a vocal voice.

The Bayelsa State House of Assembly through an Executive Bill should enact a Law that will make every June 8 a Public Holiday.

Some persons may not like General Sani Abacha but for Ijaw people, he should be deified. Let us not judge him based on the opinion of others.

– Most Senior Comrade Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli