Professor Sadiq Suleiman Wali was General Sani Abacha’s
personal doctor. Professor Wali describes Abacha as “a quiet person, calm
person. He could be really firm on some issues, but normally he didn’t talk
much”.
Professor Wali has served as physician to the three previous
Nigerian heads of state after being reluctantly recruited to that role in the
early 1980-s. He considered himself politically neutral and lived outside the
sprawling heavily guarded presidential complex known as Aso Rock in the capital
Abuja. But he was a fixture in the presidential entourage.
Professor Wali says Abacha’s health was OK just before his
death. “Abacha was generally healthy though he had some health issues, he
was treated, he’s responded [to that treatment] very well. He didn’t have any
heart-related diseases at that time.”
On the 7 of June, 1998 Wali’d been with Abacha, as he
hosted the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and all seemed well. The next
morning General Sani Abacha was due to fly to the OAU summit being held in
Burkina-Faso and professor Wali was due to go with him.
Professor Wali recounts that “around 6 am I had a phone
call from his security officers, and they said, “please come, come to the
villa, come urgently!” Before I even could get ready, they came and
picked me. I had no idea what it all was about.”
The car carrying the doctor sped towards the presidential
villa through a special entrance – a shortcut which only the president was
allowed to use.
The doctor realised something was seriously wrong.
“I arrived then I saw chief security there and he said
“doctor come in, please, come in!” We all rushed and I just saw the president.
There was another doctor who came earlier, resuscitating him. Abacha was in the
sitting room. He was on the couch. He was in his normal work clothes. I didn’t
panic. I’ve seen a lot of serious problems before in my practice, but to affect
him was very tough, definitely. I joined and we did as much as we could to
resuscitate him. But I realised that he was dead because he was fuming. We just
continued resuscitation and even injected some things, but it didn’t work.”
After 40 minutes trying to resuscitate the stricken general,
Professor Wali said General Abacha had died. “I said, sorry – there’s
nothing we can do”.
There was no immediate public announcement, in
a country prone to coups, Abacha’s head of security first increased the
guard around the presidential complex and then called the heads of the armed
forces to gather to decide on his replacement.
“Immediately the security officer took over, and he
invited all the service chiefs to come to Abuja, by then most of them were
based in Lagos.” says doctor Wali.
When the service chiefs arrived, some of them asked to see
the body to pay their respect to their former leader.
“They wanted to
make sure, that he is dead. And some of them were crying” – tells Wali.
Professor informed the family of what have happened.
Obviously, the sudden death of an apparently healthy head of state raised a few
questions.
Professor Wali was determined that there should be an
autopsy to find out what caused the sudden heart attack. After much deliberating,
the family declined, preferring the quick burial in line with Islamic
tradition. But the doctor was determined to find some clues as to what have
happened.
“I still try to take some samples of blood and urine and
hair and things like that, just thinking for the future chemical tests,”
Professor Wali said, adding that “it’s very difficult to say [whether he
died of natural causes]. What I can see. The blood test we did, has shown some
raised cardiac enzymes [proteins that are released into the blood by dying
heart muscles].That’s why we thought maybe it was cardiac attack.”
Every Nigerian has his own theory about what happened to
General Abacha. There are rumours that he has been poisoned, or that he spent a
night entertaining young ladies. Professor Wali conmented on those rumours that
“when I entered [Abacha’s premises], there were no ladies. It might be true
but I did not see them. Concerning the poison, as I said no post-mortem has
been done, so I couldn’t assure whether he was poisoned or it was a heart
attack.”
Pregnant glowing Nollywood diva, Stephanie Okereke-Linus, veteran actress, Shola
Shobowale were among the top guests at the opening of Vlisco store at
Ikeja Mall, Lagos state on Saturday, July 18, 2015.
Out and about Iyabo Ojo is slaying in black tee,denim ripped jeans,A black Celine bag and ofcourse Louboutins.
She is an American former fashion model and fashion designer. She took over Baby Phat after Russell Simmon
