Abacha's service to Nigeria

In the four-and-a-half years that General Abacha headed the provisional council holding the reins of power, Nigerian unity has been preserved.

This must count as a success in a land in which, since independence was gained in 1960, 10 coups have taken place.

In the multiracial potpourri of Nigeria, anarchy may not be a reality, but it's still a permanent threat.

The attempts to contain secessionist and anarchic tendencies had a price and to a certain extent a nasty side.

Abacha didn't want to leave anything to chance and controlled the transition process to the last detail.

After Abacha's death, the fate of the transition process, the promised transfer of power to an elected president is in limbo.

-- Neue Zuericher Zeitung, Zurich