Maryam Abacha

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix =

| name = Maryam Abacha

| honorific_suffix =

| image = File:Mrs. Maryam Sani Abacha (First Lady Federal Republic of Nigeria 1993 - 1998).jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| order =

| office = First Lady of Nigeria

| term_label = In role

| term_start = 17 November 1993

| term_end = 8 June 1998

| 1blankname = {{nowrap|Head of State}}

| 1namedata = Sani Abacha

| predecessor = Margaret Shonekan

| successor = Fati Lami Abubakar

| birth_name = Maryam Jidah

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1947|03|04}}

| birth_place = Kaduna, Northern Region, British Nigeria (now Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria)

| residence = Kano

| death_date =

| death_place =

| parents = {{plainlist|

Mahammad Jidah (father)
Nana Jiddah (mother)

}}

| spouse = Sani Abacha

| children = 10

}}

Maryam Abacha ({{Pronunciation|Ha-Maryam Abacha.ogg|Listen|(|help=no}}; born 4 March 1947) is the widow of Sani Abacha, Nigeria's military ruler from 1993 to 1998.{{Cite web |last=admin2 |date=2022-10-18 |title=PROFILE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF DR MRS. MARYAM SANI ABACHA |url=https://theparliamentdiary.com/profile-and-achievements-of-dr-mrs-maryam-sani-abacha/ |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=The Parliament Diary |language=en-US}}{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/lost-billions-156291 |title=The Lost Billions |website=newsweek.com|date=3 December 2000|accessdate=10 April 2022}}

Early life and career

In 1999, Maryam Abacha said that her husband acted in the good will of Nigeria. A Nigerian government official said that Maryam Abacha said that to convince the government to grant her a reprieve, as the president, Olusegun Obasanjo, had been jailed by Sani Abacha.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/349120.stm |title=BBC News - Africa - Abacha widow breaks her silence|accessdate=26 September 2014}} After the death of her husband, Maryam was caught while attempting to leave Nigeria with 38 suitcases filled with cash.{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/lost-billions-156291 |title=The Lost Billions |website=newsweek.com|date=3 December 2000|accessdate=10 April 2022}} As of 2000, Maryam Abacha remained in Nigeria and continued to proclaim the innocence of her husband despite several human right abuses attributed to him.[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7261033_ITM Access my library] {{dead link|date=December 2023}} She resides in Kano state, Nigeria.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/oct/04/uk.world |title=Britons hired by the Abachas|website=TheGuardian.com|date=4 October 2001|accessdate=4 October 2001}}

Maryam and Sani Abacha had three daughters and seven sons.{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/resources/newsmakers/world/africa/abacha.html |title=CNN: Newsmaker Profiles |website=CNN |accessdate=26 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040408102654/http://www.cnn.com/resources/newsmakers/world/africa/abacha.html |archivedate=8 April 2004 }} Maryam Abacha's eldest surviving son is Mohammed Abacha.{{cite news |first=Hari Sharan |last=Chhabra |title=After Mobutu, it's Abacha |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001217/world.htm#6 |work=The Tribune |date=2000-12-17}}

Maryam Abacha founded National Hospital Abuja (originally known as the National Hospital For Women And Children) and established the African First Ladies Peace Mission.{{Cite web |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives |title=Archived copy |access-date=12 February 2009 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20111010010211/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives |archive-date=10 October 2011 |url-status=dead}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/05/15/060515fa_fact?currentPage=3|title=The Perfect Mark|date=15 May 2006|magazine=The New Yorker|accessdate=26 September 2014}}"International email scams score billions with offer of millions.," Fort Worth Star-Telegram{{cite news |title=E-Mail Offer Is Scheme to Defraud Visa Seekers |date=28 October 2004 |newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/28/nyregion/28visa.html }}{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-74129222.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019111508/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-74129222.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 October 2012|title=Imagine what the millions would do to our FDI numbers!, BUSINESS TIMES|accessdate=26 September 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.fool.com/investing/small-cap/2004/11/01/if-its-from-nigeria-hit-delete.aspx|title=If It's From Nigeria, Hit Delete|date=1 November 2004|accessdate=26 September 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kevinmaney/2005-04-05-file-sharing_x.htm|title=USATODAY.com - File-sharing war won't go away; it'll just go abroad|website=USA Today|accessdate=26 September 2014}}{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1025627421224338280?mod=googlewsj|title=Buy in to Spam to Get Rich Quick|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=3 July 2002|accessdate=26 September 2014}}

Bibliography

Kabir, Hajara Muhammad,. Northern women development. [Nigeria]. {{ISBN|978-978-906-469-4}}. {{OCLC|890820657}}.

References

External links

"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2160299.stm Obasanjo visit sparks Kano riot]." BBC.
{{Cite web |url=http://nigeriaworld.com/letters/1999/oct/182.html |title=An open letter to Mrs. Mariam Abacha |access-date=25 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991127104149/http://nigeriaworld.com/letters/1999/oct/182.html |archive-date=27 November 1999 |url-status=bot: unknown}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20061231052032/http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/womanofthesun/2004/mar/30/womanofthesun-mar30-001.htm Why I fought Abubakar Audu– Ex-Kogi commissioner, Hajiya ]

{{Succession box|title=First Lady of Nigeria|before=Margaret Shonekan|after=Fati Lami Abubakar|years=17 November 1993 – 8 June 1998}}

Category:Living people

Category:1949 births

Category:First ladies of Nigeria

Category:People from Kaduna State

Maryam

Category:20th-century Nigerian women

Category:Nigerian Shuwa Arabs