Former US Secretary State and Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff of the American Armed Forces, General Colin Powell (rtd), has revealed that on the night the late General Sani Abacha was to overthrow the Interim National Government (ING), headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan, he was informed at 2 a.m. Powel said he had protested against the decision, but was ignored by the late head of state.

Powell, who had supervised American involvement in 28 conflicts around the world including the Panama intervention, and Persian Gulf Operation Desert Storm, also noted that Nigerians do not trust their leaders.

He said many do not consider the current Nigeria democracy as that of the people.

Powell made these remarks in his speech during the breakfast meeting organised by Tell Communications Limited (publishers of Tell Magazine) to mark Nigeria’s 10 years of unbroken democracy (May 1999 – May 2009).

“I have watched as someone who sees and believes in the great potential of Nigeria as an economic power and a political leader in the region and the world- as someone who wants to see that potential realised,” said Powell.

“Yes, I have seen the turmoil”, he added. “Shortly after I retired from the Army in 1993, I began getting letters from Sani Abacha, telling me of the problems in Nigeria,” he told the audience.

“His letters were disturbing, and foreboding,” he added.

He continued: “Then, late one night, around 2 a.m, I got a phone call from him at my home that the situation, in his view had become so bad that he had to act.

Said he: “I pleaded with him not to, that America and the world would not understand and would react badly. He did not listen, and you know the rest of that story.”

Powell said in 1999 he was part of the election monitoring team in Nigeria and had a profound experience.

He regretted that by all independent accounts he had seen the irregularities and corruption seen in subsequent elections is deeply troubling, adding that there is a real danger, that the will of the people is not being determined, but instead is being manipulated and pushed aside in the quest for power.

Vice-President Dr Goodluck Jonathan who also spoke at the event where he represented President Umar Yar’Adua said the government was committed towards ensuring that the votes of Nigerians count in all future elections.


Jonathan stated that part of what the nation was celebrating was the successful transition of one civilian government to another.

According to him: “ This is the first time the nation’s parliament has been in place for 10 years although the judiciary and executive existed throughout the period of military rule.”

He further observed that Nigerian politicians had a tendency of challenging results of elections whenever they lost, noting that there was need for stability if the nation’s democracy would grow. The Vice-President enjoined the mass media to be more balanced in its reporting of political events in the country.

Said he : “ It is not in all cases that the ruling party is on the wrong side during political developments in the country” .

He cited the fraudulent manner in which state independent electoral commissions conduct local government polls in different states of the country where parties in power always swept the polls. He however regretted that the trend never attracted the attention of the media which only preferred bashing the Independent Electoral Commission ( INEC).

Said he: “ If we cannot correct the rot at the lowest level, then it would be cumbersome to do same at the top” .

Also, speaking at the event was Justice George Oguntade, a Judge of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, who described the existence of the current 36 states structure as a drain pipe to the economy, and advocated that some states be merged.

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i thought it was common knowledge the Brits and Yankees usually knew of coup developments.

Civil rule isn't as effective as full democracy, but still far better than military rule.

Let's hope we remain under civil rule uninterrupted for the duration of our existence.

I wonder if that's some sort of confession of Guilt! The guy for stop Abacha na!

Nigerian do not trust their leaders he said ! that is an understatement,who will trust leaders who impoverish her citizen they are not even qualified to be leaders they are rulers.

dont you think that its an indictment on colin powell?

indictment ? have you seen any of the leaders denying such fact ?