In an address on his second anniversary of seizing power, Nigeria's military ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha, on Friday accused the West of waging a smear campaign against Africa's most populous nation.
Abacha said Nigeria would not be "cajoled nor intimidated" into changing its behavior "just to satisfy the whims of foreign interests."He also urged Nigerians to reject stereotypes imposed on their country, among which he counted tolerance of human rights abusers, drug traffickers and fraud.
"Nigerians are proud, self-respecting and hard-working people. I ask you, therefore, to accept the current wave of smear campaign as a national challenge," Abacha said.
His address was part of a public relations campaign staged to try to counter the international reverberations of the executions last week of nine minority rights activists, including Ken Saro-Wiwa, a former newspaper columnist and playwright.
He and his associates had maintained they were framed in the trial, in which they were charged with inciting the slayings of four pro-government tribal leaders.
World powers had warned Nigeria not to proceed with the executions and to allow the activists a chance to appeal, but Nigeria defied them. In response, several countries withdrew their ambassadors; the United States, Britain and the European Union imposed sanctions, and the Commonwealth suspended Nigeria's membership. Nigeria also called home its envoys.
"We are no doubt confident and proud that we have achieved a lot and cannot, therefore, be stampeded into taking measures which are not in our nation's higher interests," said Abacha, wearing a military uniform and dark sunglasses.
Sanctions on oil, which accounts for about 80 percent of the Nigerian government's revenues, are seen as the only way to influence the country's leaders.