I am used to all the Negative things people say about my husband – Maryam Abacha

Maryam Abacha, the wife of the late military Head of State in Nigeria, General Sani Abacha, has revealed that she has grown accustomed to the negative comments made by Nigerians about her deceased husband, who passed away on June 8, 1998.

During a recent interview with BBC Hausa, the former first lady expressed that she no longer feels the absence of the Presidential Villa, where she resided during her husband’s time in office, after moving out following his death.

“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

“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 added