By Hugo Odiogor, Deputy Politics Editor

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.