During the Abacha regime, Nigeria was in words and actions the true African leader. Throughout his time as head of state, Abacha never travelled outside Africa, perhaps to give effect to Nigeria’s Africa-centred foreign policy. The World Council of Mayors was hosted here in Abuja for the first and only time. Pope John Paul II was here on state visit. Nigeria was president of the UN Security Council during Abacha when the obnoxious apartheid policy of the minority white regime in South Africa was dismantled.

For the first time in the history of Africa also, Abacha reversed a coup d’état and re-installed the overthrown democratically elected President Tejan Kabbah in Sierra Leone, when Nigeria’s General Maxwell Khobe successfully flushed out the Paul Koroma junta there. Nobody joked with Nigeria. Nigeria was well respected by all.