By Aisha Kassim Balarabe
On Monday, August 29, 2016, the National Association of Oduduwa Students conferred an Achievement Award on Nigeria’s former first lady, Mrs. Maryam Sani Abacha. Speaking on the occasion in Abuja, the President of the Association, Comrade Adekunle Michael Adeniyi, particularly mentioned the establishment of the National Hospital for Women and Children (now known as the National Hospital, Abuja) as one of Mrs. Abacha’s outstanding contributions to the development and progress of Nigeria and the welfare of the people. He also recalled the establishment of the Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP), which was dedicated to the alleviation of poverty in Nigeria as another important legacy for which Mariam Abacha deserves recognition.
Even Mrs. Abacha’s worst enemies cannot deny these legacies or records of genuine achievements. When awards are well deserved, we can validly defend it. Recognising genuine achievements, may spur public office holders to emulate those being recognized on account of their enviable records of enduring benefits to the people.
Before Maryam Abacha, many Nigerians had a low opinion of the office of First Ladies which they perceived as a conduit pipe to divert public resources for personal advantage. Mrs. Abacha however disarmed such negative assumptions, fed by pure prejudice. Today, years after her husband’s demise, the country is benefiting from a world class medical institution that she built – the National Hospital, Abuja.
The office of the first lady in Nigeria is controversial.
It is treated with suspicion and cynicism, if not outright hostility, by the citizens. Many Nigerians perceive the office as an avenue to siphon public funds for the promotion of personal vanity and prestige by the wives of the president and state governors. In fact, even where first ladies engage in worthy causes, the ever skeptical Nigerian public still perceives them as acting out of selfish motives.
However, I still believe that first ladies can neutralize public hostility if they sincerely commit themselves to leaving enduring legacies, something the people can see and appreciate. As observed by Steve Forbes, good performance is the best public relations.
The National Hospital stands tall as a shining example of a legacy that can neutralize hostile perception to the office of former first lady. Maryam Abacha has written her name in gold for taking the initiative to establish the Family Support Hospital (now renamed National Hospital, Abuja).
Although former President Olusegun Obasanjo changed its original name to spite the memory of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, and his family, there is nothing he can do to stop Nigerians from giving Mrs. Maryam Abacha the credit for building the National Hospital. No man, however powerful, can obliterate public memory of someone’s great deeds.
Even if you hate Mrs. Abacha like poison, you cannot deny the fact that her Family Support Programme and her Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP) are great legacies that cannot be diminished by hate and prejudice.
If a first lady could successfully mobilize donations and invest them in the promotion of public welfare, even critics might be tempted to re-assess their attitudes towards the office of first lady. Non-performance is the only factor that can increase public hostility towards first ladies. In the United States, former First Lady Hillary Clinton is widely respected for the social causes she promoted through her office as a first lady.
It is for the same reason Nigerians cannot easily forget Mrs. Maryam Abacha’s contributions to the welfare of Nigerians. The National Hospital is one of Nigeria’s centres of medical excellence and a world-class health institution. Even Mrs. Abacha’s worst enemy cannot take this credit from her.
In the words of the late American President Woodrow Wilson, the office is what the officer makes of it. Therefore, the relevance or irrelevance of the office of first lady depends on the conduct and sincerity of the occupant. If a first lady merely uses the office for personal glory, she will be forgotten as soon as her husband is out of power. Maryam Abacha has set a standard so high that fair-minded Nigerians would never forget her contributions for many years to come.
The Award by the National Association of Oduduwa Students is areminder of the fact that a legacy outlives its creator because it may be embedded in the hearts and minds of the beneficiaries
Balarabe , a social worker, wrote from No. 96,
Anguwar Rimi, Kaduna
[email protected]
