Their love was a beacon of hope and joy for everyone who knew them. The couple eagerly awaited the arrival of their first child, a baby girl who was set to complete their perfect little family.
“Amaka, you’re going to be fine, I’m right here with you, I love you so much,” Daniel said, his voice full of both anxiety and affection.
Amaka smiled weakly, squeezing his hand. “I love you too, Daniel. Our little girl is almost here.”, She said with a faint smile as she was wheeled to the labor room.
Hours passed, and Amaka’s labor became complicated. The doctors decided that an emergency cesarean section was necessary.
Daniel’s heart pounded with fear, but he stayed strong for Amaka.
The doctor approached them, his expression serious.
“Mr. Daniel, your wife needs a C-section. There are some complications, and she’s losing a lot of blood.”
Daniel’s voice shook as he replied, ” No doctor C-section is dangerous, I can’t risk that, are there no other way out of this”
“I’m sorry, Mr Daniel, this is the only way out, and my kind advice, if you truly love your wife and also want the safety of your daughter, do this for them”, he tapped him on the shoulder and headed to his office.
“No, no my wife is safe In Jesus name, she would deliver like the Hebrew women because my Bible said so”, emeka groaned in pain rushed out and returned with some prayer team to help pray for the wife.
The prayer team without hesitation, quicked off with immediate effect their voice so loud, calling down the fire, in their midst was Mr Daniel crying helplessly with the hope that there would be a miracle.
The prayers became intensive as their voice echoed in between the walls inconveniencing others.
“What do they think they are doing?”, A nurse asked her colleague.
“Praying of course, the man seems to be a believer or do you have any problem with that?”, She asked.
“Not exactly, I might not be a strong believer but am sure of a passage in the Bible that says and I quote, (Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God, James 2:17-20) see my dear I think he should have at least listened to the doctor, authorize the C-section and then invite the whole church over here for prayers, you and I know how complicated that woman’s condition is”, she replied.
“Yes, you are right, God have mercy”, she declared with a heavy sign of relief.
Immediately another nurse rushed in panting, “Mr Daniel your wife is dying she’s losing strength and blood, the doctor wants to see you now” she broke the news and returned back to the ward.
“Jesus Christ, No, no, nothing will happen to my wife”, he lamented until he got to the doctors office.
Yes doctor, what’s situation of things?” He asked
“Worst , it is getting worser by the second, Mr Daniel give us this approval please, do this for your wife and most importantly for your unborn baby please am begging you”, the doctor reacted
“Doctor we have handed over everything to God already, nothing will happen to my wife, I assure you”
“Am sorry, Mr Daniel if nothing is done in few hours we might lose them, their live are in your hands now not God”, he thundered
“Nothing of such will happen, do whatever you need to do to save them. Take my blood, take whatever you need but as for the C-section no, am sorry I can’t agree to such.”
“Then you are don’t believe in God, you are scared of loosing her to the surgery forgetting that we can either safe any of them from this impending doom or possibly the both, but you see this stupid action of yours, it won’t only cost you their lives but your happiness, if you don’t sign this agreement now then take your wife elsewhere I don’t attend and tolerate insensitive and unfortunate people here”, he thundered.
Mr Daniel had mixed feelings afterwards, with tears in his eyes to took the pen and approved, “it is done now doctor, I’m sorry please do everything to save my family”.
Immediately the doctor and his team, swinged into action as they were now more determined than ever.
Amaka was wheeled into surgery room, Daniel watched helplessly. He prayed, hoping for a miracle. He donated blood, desperate to save his beloved wife and their unborn child.
A nurse tried to comfort him, saying, “You’re very brave, Mr. Daniel. Your blood and prayers might just save her.”
“Please, let them be okay,” Daniel whispered, his voice breaking.
Hours felt like an eternity. Finally, a doctor approached Daniel, his face grave.
“Mr. Daniel, if only you had approved of this earlier enough, we should be telling a different story, I’m sorry. He paused
We did everything we could, but Amaka… she didn’t make it, neither did the baby. I’m so so sorry, please accept my deepest condolences,” the doctor said, his voice heavy with regret.
Daniel’s world shattered. The love of his life, his precious Amaka, was gone. And with her, their unborn daughter. He fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
“No! This can’t be happening. Amaka, please come back. Please…” Daniel cried, his voice filled with unimaginable pain.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Daniel was a shadow of his former self. He refused to remarry, swearing to love Amaka till the end of time. He spent countless hours looking at their pictures, reliving the memories they had shared.
Holding a photo of them on their wedding day, Daniel whispered, “We were so happy, Amaka. Why did this have to happen? I miss you so much.”
Every Sunday, he visited her grave, bringing fresh flowers and talking to her as if she were still with him.
Kneeling at her grave, he spoke softly, “Amaka, my love, I promised I’d never let you go. I’ll love you forever. I can’t move on. You were my everything, my love, my jewel, I would have prevented this but my fear got hold on my faith, I’m sorry I had to let you go through this pain”
Amaka sat beside her graveside overwhelmed in tears as she listened to her husband Mr Daniel, the bond of their love was so strong that to the extent that he kept his words and promises to his wife Five years passed, and Daniel’s pain remained as raw as the day he lost her. One night, he had a vivid dream. Amaka appeared before him, radiant and serene.
“Daniel, my love. It’s time to let go,” she said gently, her voice like a balm to his wounded heart.
Tears streamed down Daniel’s face as he reached out to her. “Amaka? Is it really you?”
“Yes, it’s me,” she replied, her eyes full of love and understanding. “You’ve mourned me long enough. It’s time for you to live again.”
“But I promised to love you forever. I can’t just forget you,” Daniel said, his voice trembling.
Amaka smiled softly, “You don’t have to forget me. I’ll always be a part of you. But you deserve happiness, Daniel. Our daughter would want you to be happy too.”
Daniel nodded slowly, understanding dawning in his eyes. “I’ll try, Amaka. For you, and for our daughter.”
The dream faded, but the message remained clear. Amaka wanted him to move on, to find joy again. Daniel woke up with a sense of peace he hadn’t felt in years.
He knew it was time to let go, to live again, while always keeping Amaka in his heart.
Gen. Diya was crossed examined at the Human Rights Violation Commission (HRVIC) on the coup plan 1997 to overthrow Gen. Sanni Abacha, He bluntly denied the fact that he was part of the plan but he admitted he knew about the plan. He further explained that he was afraid of being killed by the Coup Master Planner if he revealed the plan.
Gen. Diya Oladipo then was appointed as Chief of Defense Staff. He was appointed Chief of General Staff in 1993 and Vice Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council in 1994. In 1997 Diya and dissident soldiers in the military allegedly planned to overthrow the regime of Sani Abacha. The alleged coup was uncovered by forces loyal to Abacha, and Diya and his cohorts were jailed. Diya was tried in a military tribunal, and was given the death penalty. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Nigeria has seen the rise and fall of many military regimes since she became a sovereign state in 1960 and this, at every turn, has altered the direction of the country.
A second coup since independence which happened on July 29, 1966, would see to the brutal death of Nigeria’s Supreme Commander, General J.T.C Aguiyi-Ironsi (the nation’s 1st military head of state) and his friend, Lieutenant Colonel Francis Adekunle Fajuyi, who was the sitting and 1st Military Governor of the Western Region…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Aguiyi-Ironsi was a guest at the Government House, Ibadan, as he came to hold a meeting with traditional rulers in the Western region. Ironsi arrived Ibadan the previous day and unknowingly, he met his death during the counter-coup which is generally believed to be a retaliation to the January 15th 1966 coup in which prominent Northerners in power were killed.
The Northerners were believed to hold a grudge since the first coup as they lost leaders including Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (Nigerian Prime Minister) and Sir Ahmadu Bello (Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of the Northern Region). They tagged it an ‘Igbo Coup’ as no Eastern casualty was recorded in both the military and public service as even the West lost Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola in the coup. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
This counter-coup of July 29, 1966, led by General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma was tagged the bloodiest coup by many in the history of Nigeria. Ironsi and Fajuyi’s death which still remains a controversial debate among historians because how they were killed isn’t clear but both bodies were found in a bush in outskirts of Ibadan. Read a comprehensive account of how Aguiyi-Ironsi was killed here.
Aside from the Head of State and Western Military governor, many other casualties were recorded in the army and most killed or maimed were Easterners, particularly Igbos. This will be one of the many reasons the country would go into a civil war the following year as the Eastern region tried seceding.
54 years after, we remember this gruesome act done in the Brown Roof City and how much has happened or changed since then.
General Sani Abacha is perhaps Nigeria’s most enigmatic head of state. He reigned from 1993 until his death in 1998. General Abacha was born in Kano state, northern Nigeria on September 20, 1943. He hails from Kanuri in Borno state.
He passed out of the Nigerian Military Training Centre in Kaduna where he proceeded to Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, England before being commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in 1963.
He is held by some as Nigeria’s most successful coup plotter. When he was still a Second Lieutenant with the 3rd Battalion in Kaduna, he took part in the July 1966 Nigerian counter-coup from the conceptual stage. He could well have been a participant in the Lagos or Abeokuta phases of the coup the previous January as well…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Abacha fought for Nigeria in the country’s civil war against Biafran secessionists continuing to rise through the army ranks.
He was instrumental in the 1983 Nigerian coup d’état which brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power as well as the August 1985 coup which removed him from power. He announced the coup which removed the government of Shehu Shagari.
When General Ibrahim Babangida was named President of Nigeria in 1985, Abacha was named Chief of Army Staff. He was appointed Minister of Defence in 1990. With Babangida’s resignation, an interim government headed by civilian President, Ernest Shonekan was formed.
Sani Abacha became the first Nigerian soldier to attain the rank of a full General without skipping a single rank in 1993. In the same year, he moved for the ultimate.
Shonekan resigned and transferred power to Sani Abacha in a move widely believed to be another bloodless coup. In September 1994, he issued a decree that placed his government above the jurisdiction of the courts, effectively giving him absolute power. Another decree gave him the right to detain anyone for up to three months without trial.
Abacha is noted for helping restore peace and democracy to Sierra Leone and Liberia after the civil wars.
On his administration of the Nigerian state proper, he established The Petroleum Trust Fund aimed to address major economic issues facing the country at the time. Between 25-100km of urban road in major cities such as Kano, Gusau, Benin, Funtua, Zaria, Enugu, Kaduna, Aba, Lagos, Lokoja, and Port Harcourt was planned to be constructed each. A N27.3bn contract was awarded for road rehabilitation in the first quarter of 1996.
There was a restructuring of major insurance companies that supported SMEs across the entire country.
Abacha mandated the PTF to publicise its accounts as it was the second-largest public corporation at the time. In 1997, the account of PTF showed that it disbursed N24.3bn on roads, N21.2bn on security, N7.8bn on health, and N3bn on other projects. Other disbursements include N2.2bn on water supply, N936m on food supply and N476m on education. It realized a total of N1.049bn from various investment activities.
It’s curious the sums which emerged after his death that he stashed in overseas accounts as the Abacha administration became the first to record unprecedented economic achievements overseeing an increase in the country’s foreign exchange reserves from $494 million in 1993 to $9.6 billion by the middle of 1997. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
He also reduced the external debt of Nigeria from $36 billion in 1993 to $27 billion by 1997. His Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund is also hailed for infrastructural projects and interventionist programmes in education, water and health.
His wife is credited with setting up the National Hospital in Abuja viewed as Nigeria’s foremost national hospital, which was initially set up as a hospital for women and children before its upgrade.
Nonetheless, Abacha was ruthless with groups he considered hostile to his administration between 1993 and 1998. There was a crackdown on the civil rights groups, media and pro-democracy groups.
It was also under him that Nigeria became a perpetual importer of petroleum products as the refineries packed up. The emergence of the ‘foul fuel’ which damaged car engines and released a repugnant smell was in his time.
General Sani Abacha earned the title ‘Thug of the Year’ from Time magazine in 1995 after the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa. Abacha developed the habit of working only at night. Availing himself to be seen publicly rarely while being averse to granting interviews.
The events of his death on June 8, 1998, at the presidential villa in Abuja are murky and while the official account is that he suffered a heart attack, other accounts say he was in the company of two Indian sex workers flown in from Dubai when he died. He was buried on the same day, according to Muslim tradition, without an autopsy. This fueled speculation that he may have been murdered by political rivals via poison.
Foreign diplomats, including United States Intelligence analysts, believed that his drink or fruit (apple) was laced with a poisonous substance while in the company of prostitutes.
Abacha was married to Maryam Abacha with whom he had had seven sons and three daughters.
In March 2014, the United States Department of Justice revealed that it had frozen more than $458 million believed to have been illegally obtained by Abacha and other corrupt officials.
On 7 August 2014, the United States Department of Justice announced the largest forfeiture in its history: the return of $480 million to the Nigerian government.
Stashed sums in other accounts have been discovered with the Nigerian government working to have the funds returned.
