Sani Abacha

Biographical record

Title

General

Surname

Abacha

First Name

Sani

Gender

Male

Source of Publication

Newswatch Who's Who (1st Edition)

Date of Birth

September 20, 1943

Status

Died

Date of Death

June 8,1998

State of Origin

Borno State

Place of Birth

Kano, Kano State, Nigeria

Father's Status

N/A

Mother's Status

N/A

Marital Status

Married

Name of Spouse

Maryam Abacha

Number of Children (Male)

7

Number of Children ( Female)

3

Names of Children

Ibrahim Abacha
Mohammed Abacha
Abba Sani Abacha
Mahmud Sani Abacha
Sadiq Abacha
Zainab Abacha
Fatima Gumsu Sani Abacha
Rakiya Abacha
Abdullahi Abacha
Mustapha Abacha

Profession

Soldier,Fmr President and C-in-C of the Fed. Republc of Nigeria (1993-1998)

Education Level

Tertiary

Schools Attended with Dates

City Senior Primary School, Kano State. Provincial Secondary School (now Government College), Kano State, 1957-62. Nigerian Military Training College, Kaduna, 1962-63. Defence Officers' Cadet Training College, Aldershot, UK, Jan.—Nov. 1963. School of Infantry MONS, 1964. Passed Staff College (psc), 1976.

Membership of Professional Bodies/Professional Qualifications

Member, National Institute (mni), 1981;

Previous Appointments

Commissioned Second Lieutenant, Nigerian Army, 1963;
Promoted Lieutenant 1966;
Captain 1967; served as
Platoon and Battalion Commander, NA;
Commander, Training Department, 2nd Infantry Division, NA;
Promoted Major 1969 and
Lieutenant Colonel, April 1972;
General Staff Officer Grade II, 2nd Infantry Division, NA, HQ Sector;
Battery Commander, Brigade Commander and assistant Quartermaster- General, 2nd Division, NA;
General Staff Officer Grade I, Nigerian Army School of Infantry;
Commanding Officer, 2nd Infantry Brigade, NA, former Director, Army Training Unit, NA; Commander, 9th Mechanised Brigade, NA;
Promoted Colonel 1975 and
Brigadier 1980;
General Officer Commanding, 2nd Mechanised Division, NA, 1984-85;
Promoted Major-General 1984;
Army Chief of Staff and member, Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC), August 1985; Lieutenant-General, October 1987;

Have you ever been a member of any political party?

N/A

Outstanding Achievements

His administration oversaw ECOMOG military successes in West Africa that raised Nigeria's military profile. The Federal Government revealed that Mr. Abacha oversaw an increase in the country’s foreign exchange reserves from $494 million in 1993 to $9.6 billion by the middle of 1997; and reduced the external debt of Nigeria from $36 billion in 1993 to $27 billion in 1997.
The government noted that Mr. Abacha had brought all the controversial privatisation programs of the Babangida administration to a halt, reduced an inflation rate of 54 per cent inherited from the Ibrahim Babangida administration to 8.5 per cent between 1993 and 1998, while the nation’s primary commodity, oil, was at an average of $9 per barrel. Mr. Abacha’s administration was also credited with creating the most ‘comprehensive and realistic blueprint’ for Nigeria’s development through Vision 2010 committee chaired by his predecessor, Ernest Shonekan.

Hobbies

Squash, Lawn tennis, Billiards;