The Sun News On-line

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Professor Tam David-West, says that there was no ground for comparison between the late maximum ruler, General Sani Abacha, and immediate past President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
David-West, who was reacting to recent upsurge in posthumous tributes being showered on the late military ruler, told Daily Sun in a telephone chat that Abacha was better than Obasanjo, who professed to be a moral preacher.

The renowned Professor of Virology, however, observed that Abacha, as he knew him, was a complex man who meant different things to different kinds of people in every stage of his life.

He said: “I take note of the avalanche of tributes, posthumously paid to General Sani Abacha on the 10th anniversary of his passing on. I am not condoning any proved sin of Abacha, but one thing I owe his memory is that Nigerians have addressed themselves to Abacha, the person.
“I have known him for over 25 years before he became the Head of State. That was in 1975 when I was commissioner for education in Rivers State, under General Zamani Lekwot as military governor of the state. Abacha was then the brigade commander in Port Harcourt.

“Those who were saying Abacha did not steal may not be wrong. They should know better. But comparing him (Abacha) with Obasanjo is not fair. Obasanjo, who posed as a moral preacher, is worst than Abacha. Abacha is better; he is an angel compared with Obasanjo. Whether he stole money or not, I don’t know. I am not in position to know. But, we have heard and seen what Obasanjo and his daughter did to Nigeria.”

According to David-West, Abacha was a misunderstood man because he was like a pack of cards with different characters and meaning to different people.

“He was a very strict man. For 24 years, I never saw Abacha take more than tea. But there are some people who saw him drinking Gulder at parties. So, what I am saying is that Abacha was a very misunderstood man. There were several Abachas like there are pack of cards. Every card has a character on it. Abacha is like a pack of cards. So, what you react to at a particular time depends on a particular card you see at the time,” David-West added.

He stated that while Abacha denied him ticket to go abroad in 1989 to treat his wounds, due to Abacha’s miserly posture, the same Abacha doled out $10 million to his former Minister of Finance, Chief Anthony Ani, when the latter complained to him that he was broke.