Ever since she lost her husband, Gen. Sani Abacha in 1998, Hajia Mariam Abacha has led a quiet life, unfazed by the avalanche of public criticisms of the tenure of the former military head of state, who presided over one of the most turbulent times in Nigeria’s political history.
After performing one of the unenviable tasks of evacuating her family out of the seat of power on the death of their bread winner, and the spirited battle she waged to save her son, Mohammed, from Obasanjo’s vengeful mission, the matriarch of the Abacha family has simply returned to Kano and settled to a quiet life after power.

Nigerians caught a glance of Hajia Mariam Abacha in May when she joined the other first ladies to condole Turai Yar’ Adua who faced a similar fate of taking her husband home, after his fruitless struggle to stay alive. Sunday, July 4, 2010 was therefore a moment to remember as Hajia Abacha and her family received a gathering of Christians from southern Kaduna, who live in Kano and came to offer their support as well as campaign for the success of Mohammed Abacha in the forth coming governorship contest.
The former first lady, who spoke in Hausa language, told the crowd that she was not surprised by the close relationship her family had maintained with the Christian community, adding that the Abacha family had over the years savoured the relationship of other Nigerians irrespective of the “ethno religious divide.” She said the head of her domestic staff is a Christian who enjoys freedom of worship in a Muslim family. She said apart from learning from Christians on her staff the teachings and values of the Christian faith, they are regarded as relations and members of the extended family. “You are my relations, the head of my domestic staff is a Christian from Kaduna, we allow freedom of worship and from him we have come to learn a lot on Christians values”, Mrs. Abacha stressed.

Mariam Abacha stated that his late husband’s belief in the unity of the country was evident in his appointment of Christian military officers as governors in the Muslim dominated northern states, and the appointment of Muslim officers as governors in the Christian populated south.
She told the gathering how General Abacha influenced the stay of execution of death sentence passed by a tribunal on the former Rivers State governor, Major General Zamani Lekwot and his kinsmen over the Zango Kataf crisis in 1992.
Seven members of the Kataf ethnic group, including Lekwot, had been sentenced to death for murder in connection with religious riots in northern Nigeria, leaving them with no right of appeal against the convictions.

Mariam Abacha explained that the gesture by the late general was propelled by his ‘humane spirit of forgiveness’.
The former first lady stated that the late head of state supported the unity of Nigeria especially the cordial relationship between the Christian Kataf and their Muslim brothers who had for years lived peacefully together.

‘We voted for Nigerian unity, one people one nation, these what my late spouse lived and died for, and we are promoting the legacy for its attendant benefits in a multicultural society’, Mrs. Abacha stressed.
In a speech earlier, leader of the southern Kaduna people resident in Kano, Mr. Ayuba Dangana, described the late General Abacha ‘as a friend and a relation’ whose administration elevated the people to the forefront of Kaduna politics.

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