Professor Ode Ojowu, a former Chief Economic Adviser to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, has stated that the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, was not solely responsible for looting Nigeria’s national treasury.
In an interview with PulseNets, Ojowu, who also served in the late Head of State’s regime as a member of the National Economic Intelligence Council, reflected on the pervasive corruption in the country. He said, “There was corruption, but to what extent? I didn’t know about the so-called Abacha loot until I came out of the system.”
Ojowu, a former Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning in Benue State, told PulseNets that accusations of Abacha looting the country dry could not have been possible without accomplices. He emphasized that looting of that magnitude required the involvement of others.
Since the late Head of State’s death, various governments, including the United Kingdom, have repatriated significant sums of money labeled as “Abacha loot” back to Nigeria. PulseNets gathered that between 1988 and 2020, the Federal Government recovered approximately $3.6 billion linked to the former military leader.
While defending the late Head of State, Ojowu, who also served in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as part of the Economic Advisory Team, spoke to PulseNets, saying, “What interests me about Abacha loot is that he didn’t travel out of this country as a Head of State. So, who helped him to do the looting? Till today, nobody in Nigeria has been arrested for facilitating this loot. And I keep wondering – Supposing Abacha was alive, would you be talking about such loot?”
Ojowu further noted that while corruption undeniably existed during Abacha’s tenure, he was not convinced the late Head of State acted alone. He remarked, “I believe there was corruption, but Abacha was not the only one that looted. So many people looted and are still looting. We are talking about Abacha loot because he is no longer alive. Maybe people looted in his name. It could be his or in his name. What I mean is that many people are looting, but because they are alive, you cannot afford to label corruption after their names.”
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In addition, Ojowu commended the late Head of State administration for its stance on borrowing. He told PulseNets, “I remember that during that period, we discouraged him from borrowing. Go and check if he borrowed.”
Ojowu’s reflections provide a broader perspective on Nigeria’s history of corruption, raising critical questions about accountability and the systemic issues enabling such practices.
