Maryam abacha biography
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Maryam Abacha
First Lady of Nigeria (1993–1998)
Maryam Abacha ((Listenⓘ); born 4 March 1949) is the widow of Sani Abacha, Nigeria's military ruler from 1993 to 1998.[1]
Early life and career
[edit]In 1999, Maryam Abacha said that her husband acted in the good will of Nigeria; an official of the Nigerian government said that Maryam Abacha said that to convince the government to grant her a reprieve, as the president, Olusegun Obasanjo, had been jailed by Sani Abacha.[2] After the death of her husband, Maryam was caught while attempting to leave Nigeria with 38 suitcases filled with cash.[3] As of 2000 Maryam Abacha remained in Nigeria and continued to proclaim the innocence of her husband despite several human right abuses attributed to him.[4] She resides in Kano state, Nigeria.[5]
Maryam and Sani Abacha had three daughters and seven sons.[6] Maryam Abacha's eldest surviving son is Mohammed Abacha.[7]
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Following is an abridged profile of Former Nigerian First Lady Dr. Mrs. Maryam Sani Abacha. It is an extraction from the original work by John Adache, in which he eloquently chronicled some of the major focal programs and activities of Mrs. Abacha’s tenure as First Lady, which are unarguably the most exceptional contributions ever by a Nigerian First Lady to Nigeria’s social and economic progress
Her Excellency, Maryam Sani Abacha was born Maryam Jiddah in Kaduna on the 4th of March 1947 to Sheikh Mohammad Jiddah and Nana Ya Guumsu Nasara, a Kanuri Princess of Bornu Emirate whose father was of German Origin. Tracing her genealogical tree from the patrilineal lineage, Maryam is a direct descendent of Sheikh Ibrahim Wadaima, an Arabian who settled in Kanem Bornu around the 16th and 17th centuries. The Wadaima family is one of the known six great founding families of modern Bornu. Under the leadership of Sheikh Lawal El-Nur, of whom Sheikh Jiddah, Maryam’s father is
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She married General Abacha in 1965.
Her nickname while in office was ‘The Crusading First Lady’ for her role in the first summit of Africa’s First Ladies in 1997.
While the First Lady, she popularized the use of 'Aso Oke'.
She raised the idea of the National Hospital for Women and Children (NHWC) and later saw to its establishment. The institution is now known as National Hospital, Abuja. As First Lady, she raised money and built the hospital within 10 months, which was later commissioned by General Abdulsalami Abubakar on May 21, 1999, a week to handover.
Shortly after the sudden death of her husband, General Sani Abacha in June 1998, the government of General Abdulsalami Abubakar placed her, her oldest surviving son, Mohammed, Ismaila Gwarzo who was the former National säkerhet Adviser and oth