Word: nigeria
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Kudirat Abiola was no ordinary mother. For the two years before her death, she campaigned tirelessly for the release of her husband Chief Moshood Abiola from solitary confinement in a Nigerian prison. His crime: declaring himself Nigeria's President in 1994 after leading the vote in the June 1993 elections. Instead, the country's military leader, General Sani Abacha, who had seized power shortly after the nullified elections, imprisoned Abiola and, quite possibly, ordered Kudirat's execution...
Whether she is at work or at home, Abiola's thoughts are always with Nigeria. For all but 10 of the 38 years since the nation gained independence from Britain, the country has been under military rule. And despite Nigeria's oil wealth, most of the citizens remain in poverty. By the estimates of a 1991 government audit, $12 billion in oil revenues is simply unaccounted for--probably doled out to military leaders and elites. For his part, Abacha routinely imprisoned or executed his political opposition, including the writer and minority-rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was hanged...
...groups and historical tensions stretching back centuries, is largely a victim of internal strife. But Abiola criticizes the U.S. government and international corporations that have continued their oil operations for failing to speak strongly against human-rights abuses. "The U.S. has always made vague statements about wanting democracy in Nigeria," she says. "But what does that mean? At the very least, the U.S. government has to demand the release of the political prisoners." Foremost among them, of course, is her father. She hasn't seen him in nearly four years, but she hopes that when he is released he will...
...Nigeria's suffering seems far away from the home Hafsat shares with her siblings. It's furnished sparely, but with artistic flair. The living room holds futons with patterned slipcovers; and the walls have awards given posthumously to their mother. Each night Hafsat quizzes Hadi, 11, and Mumuni, 13, about whether they've done their homework. Khafila, a witty and irreverent 19-year-old, is studying to be an opera singer at Catholic University; and Moriam, who just turned 18, is at home for the summer from Connecticut College. Hafsat's daily routine is more stable than anyone could have...
President Clinton may be a careless man, but he does not deserve all this torture and humiliation, especially from a hypocritical and sinful society. IFEANYI T. OGBONNA Port Harcourt, Nigeria...