In this piece, TOLUWANI ENIOLA examines the calls for the immortalisation of the late June 12 hero, Chief MKO Abiola
Exactly 17 years ago, Nigerians were greeted with the shocking news of the death of the June 12 hero, the late businessman, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, who contested and won the 1993 presidential election on the platform of the Social Democratic Party.
Continue..
Today, many lovers of democracy would take stock of the life and times of Abiola, who was arrested by the late maximum ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha, for declaring himself the winner of the 1993 presidential election after it was annulled by Abacha’s predecessor, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.
The nonsensical annulment of the June 12 election by iron-fisted Babangida would be remembered as one of the greatest failures of military rule in the country. The annulment threw the nation into an upheaval and subsequently became Abiola’s major albatross. June 12 has since become an important date in the annals of Nigeria’s history.
One attribute of Abiola which endeared him to his supporters, even after his death, was his courage. It will be recalled that in defending his victory, Abiola defied the orders of the then military government, on June 11, 1994, when he declared a Government of National Unity at Epetedo in Lagos.
In a speech titled “Enough is Enough,” he said, “As of now, from this moment, a new Government of National Unity is in power throughout the length and breath of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, led by me, Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola, as President and Commander-in-Chief. The National Assembly is hereby reconvened. All dismissed governors are reinstated. The state Assemblies are reconstituted, as are all local government councils.”
After declaring himself President, Abiola was declared wanted. He was accused of treason and arrested on the orders of the fascist military President, Abacha, who sent 200 police vehicles to bring him into custody. Abiola, who was detained in solitary confinement for four years, had a Bible, a Qur’an and 14 guards as companions. The sole condition attached to his release was that he renounced his mandate, which he declined.
The Epetedo declaration was the genesis of years of democratic struggle by Abiola’s family and civil society groups who fought to reclaim his mandate. The expectations that followed the struggle were, however, dashed when the news of Abiola’s death filtered in.
Dr. Ore Falomo, who was a personal physician and confidant of Abiola, in an interview in 2013, captured the mood before Abiola’s death.
He said, “About two weeks to Abiola’s death, military Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, had started to send out word that Abiola might be released. So, the whole town started to rejoice. I don’t know how that one was done. They even got to me and said my trips to Abuja would soon end. I knew the government was not going to try him. Chief Rotimi Williams (SAN) had already told us that they did not have any evidence against him.
“There was no point going to court. As far as I knew, Abiola knew that they would not allow him to come out just like that since they would not take him to court. Every time, they were asking him to denounce his mandate and prepare himself for another election, but he refused. During my last visit, I told him I heard the rumour that Abubakar would release him but I did not want him to believe the rumour until there was concrete evidence.”
Falomo, who saw Abiola two weeks before he died recalled his last moments with him.
He said, “As soon as they opened the door and Abiola saw me, he came towards me and we hugged. We sat and unlike before, none of the guards waited to listen to our discussion. We spoke Yoruba all the time. They objected to it at first but, later on, they agreed. That day he was behaving like he was in the spirit. I told him there was a rumour that he had been killed. He said, ‘I know that I’m dead. They have dug the grave. They have put me in the grave except that they have not closed me up.’ I asked, ‘What happened? Have they injured you or injected you?’ He said no, but that he just knew.”
Abiola, unfortunately, died at the age of 60 on July 7, 1998 during the regime of Abubakar. Had he not died, he would have been 77 years today and probably one of the most influential politicians around.
Seventeen years down the line, Abiola’s death has continued to generate controversies. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a kinsman of Abiola; and the late President Umaru Yar’Adua had ignored calls for the immortalisation of the late businessman. Former President Goodluck Jonathan, obviously bowing to pressures, had on May 29, 2012, announced the renaming of the University of Lagos to Moshood Abiola University of Lagos, to honour Abiola.
Anger and protests, however, greeted the decision of President Jonathan. A few minutes after Jonathan announced the renaming of the institution in his Democracy Day speech, students of the university trooped onto the streets in protest of the new name though they made it clear that they had nothing against the person of the late Abiola. They described the renaming as “provocative and unpopular.”
But the Abiola family had hailed the government for renaming UNILAG after their dead patriarch. Abiola’s first child, Lola Abiola-Edewor; and Hafsat Abiola-Costello, said that the Federal Government should be commended for recognising the contribution of the late politician to the return of democracy in Nigeria.
Abiola-Edewor, a two-term member of the House of Representatives, condemned the protest by some UNILAG students against the decision by the Federal Government to name the institution after her late father.
Abiola-Costello on her part said the honour bestowed on her late father through the renaming of UNILAG was long overdue. “It was the right step in the right direction. It is long overdue but most importantly, government should tackle poverty in the land,” she added. The renaming, however, failed as the varsity’s alumni body and management dragged the Federal Government to court.
In honouring Abiola, many have also expressed the opinion that the positive lessons of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which laid the foundation for today’s democracy, should have earned it the status of being celebrated as Democracy Day.
Although Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Osun states have since declared June 12 a public holiday, some eminent Nigerians have been calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to recognise June 12 as a national holiday. Those championing this cause believe that this is the best way to honour the late philanthropist. Leading the pack are Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State; human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), a Professor of Law, Akin Oyebode; and a former Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Dele Alake.
Alake, who spoke during the 22nd celebration of the June 12, 1993 presidential annulment in Lagos, said there was nothing significant about May 29 which had been named Democracy Day apart from being the date the military gave back power to a civilian government in 1999. “While government could change every May 29, June 12 must be recognised as Democracy Day and a national holiday,” he said.
Since Abiola’s controversial death, many have also been clamouring for the late politician to be officially recognised as a President-elect, and that all the rights and privileges of a President should be accorded him. The Forum for Justice and Human Rights Defence had called for the recognition of the late Chief MKO Abiola as a former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The National Coordinator of the forum, Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, insisted that the best way to immortalise the late Abiola was for the Presidency to list his name among the former presidents of the country.
Falomo is of the opinion that the Federal Government not only needs to honour him but that it owes the late philanthropist a great deal.
Falomo in an interview he granted The Punch in 2013 had said, “Abiola was the one who paid for the kit, clothing, food of the Nigerian soldiers sent to Liberia. Babangida was telling him, buy this, buy that for us, we will pay you back. Babangida was trying to make Abiola so weak that when the election came, he would have no money left. But Abiola was doing it for a friend because he knew Babangida would claim glory for a successful outing in Liberia.
“Abdulsalami Abubakar promised Abiola’s family that he would ensure that the Federal Government paid what it owed Abiola. Go and find out if he or successive administrations fulfilled that promise till today. Abacha, of all people, paid part of the debt, before Abiola declared himself President.”
A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, had earlier in the year said that President Buhari reminded him of Abiola. Keyamo said like in 1993 when the generality of Nigerians saw the hope for a better life in Abiola, Buhari is today “the rallying point for the frustrated and teeming masses of our people.”
President Buhari last week promised that his administration would ensure that all cases of political assassination, intimidation and kidnappings in the country were thoroughly investigated. This, he said, would be done with a view to ensuring that the perpetrators are speedily brought to justice, irrespective of their political affiliations.
Despite his travails in politics and controversial death, the late politician’s legacies cannot be forgotten in a hurry. As Nigerians mark 17 years of his death today, will President Buhari reopen investigations on Abiola’s controversial death and recognise him as a president- elect?
Exactly 17 years ago, Nigerians were greeted with the shocking news of the death of the June 12 hero, the late businessman, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, who contested and won the 1993 presidential election on the platform of the Social Democratic Party.
Continue..
Today, many lovers of democracy would take stock of the life and times of Abiola, who was arrested by the late maximum ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha, for declaring himself the winner of the 1993 presidential election after it was annulled by Abacha’s predecessor, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.
The nonsensical annulment of the June 12 election by iron-fisted Babangida would be remembered as one of the greatest failures of military rule in the country. The annulment threw the nation into an upheaval and subsequently became Abiola’s major albatross. June 12 has since become an important date in the annals of Nigeria’s history.
One attribute of Abiola which endeared him to his supporters, even after his death, was his courage. It will be recalled that in defending his victory, Abiola defied the orders of the then military government, on June 11, 1994, when he declared a Government of National Unity at Epetedo in Lagos.
In a speech titled “Enough is Enough,” he said, “As of now, from this moment, a new Government of National Unity is in power throughout the length and breath of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, led by me, Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola, as President and Commander-in-Chief. The National Assembly is hereby reconvened. All dismissed governors are reinstated. The state Assemblies are reconstituted, as are all local government councils.”
After declaring himself President, Abiola was declared wanted. He was accused of treason and arrested on the orders of the fascist military President, Abacha, who sent 200 police vehicles to bring him into custody. Abiola, who was detained in solitary confinement for four years, had a Bible, a Qur’an and 14 guards as companions. The sole condition attached to his release was that he renounced his mandate, which he declined.
The Epetedo declaration was the genesis of years of democratic struggle by Abiola’s family and civil society groups who fought to reclaim his mandate. The expectations that followed the struggle were, however, dashed when the news of Abiola’s death filtered in.
Dr. Ore Falomo, who was a personal physician and confidant of Abiola, in an interview in 2013, captured the mood before Abiola’s death.
He said, “About two weeks to Abiola’s death, military Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, had started to send out word that Abiola might be released. So, the whole town started to rejoice. I don’t know how that one was done. They even got to me and said my trips to Abuja would soon end. I knew the government was not going to try him. Chief Rotimi Williams (SAN) had already told us that they did not have any evidence against him.
“There was no point going to court. As far as I knew, Abiola knew that they would not allow him to come out just like that since they would not take him to court. Every time, they were asking him to denounce his mandate and prepare himself for another election, but he refused. During my last visit, I told him I heard the rumour that Abubakar would release him but I did not want him to believe the rumour until there was concrete evidence.”
Falomo, who saw Abiola two weeks before he died recalled his last moments with him.
He said, “As soon as they opened the door and Abiola saw me, he came towards me and we hugged. We sat and unlike before, none of the guards waited to listen to our discussion. We spoke Yoruba all the time. They objected to it at first but, later on, they agreed. That day he was behaving like he was in the spirit. I told him there was a rumour that he had been killed. He said, ‘I know that I’m dead. They have dug the grave. They have put me in the grave except that they have not closed me up.’ I asked, ‘What happened? Have they injured you or injected you?’ He said no, but that he just knew.”
Abiola, unfortunately, died at the age of 60 on July 7, 1998 during the regime of Abubakar. Had he not died, he would have been 77 years today and probably one of the most influential politicians around.
Seventeen years down the line, Abiola’s death has continued to generate controversies. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a kinsman of Abiola; and the late President Umaru Yar’Adua had ignored calls for the immortalisation of the late businessman. Former President Goodluck Jonathan, obviously bowing to pressures, had on May 29, 2012, announced the renaming of the University of Lagos to Moshood Abiola University of Lagos, to honour Abiola.
Anger and protests, however, greeted the decision of President Jonathan. A few minutes after Jonathan announced the renaming of the institution in his Democracy Day speech, students of the university trooped onto the streets in protest of the new name though they made it clear that they had nothing against the person of the late Abiola. They described the renaming as “provocative and unpopular.”
But the Abiola family had hailed the government for renaming UNILAG after their dead patriarch. Abiola’s first child, Lola Abiola-Edewor; and Hafsat Abiola-Costello, said that the Federal Government should be commended for recognising the contribution of the late politician to the return of democracy in Nigeria.
Abiola-Edewor, a two-term member of the House of Representatives, condemned the protest by some UNILAG students against the decision by the Federal Government to name the institution after her late father.
Abiola-Costello on her part said the honour bestowed on her late father through the renaming of UNILAG was long overdue. “It was the right step in the right direction. It is long overdue but most importantly, government should tackle poverty in the land,” she added. The renaming, however, failed as the varsity’s alumni body and management dragged the Federal Government to court.
In honouring Abiola, many have also expressed the opinion that the positive lessons of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which laid the foundation for today’s democracy, should have earned it the status of being celebrated as Democracy Day.
Although Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Osun states have since declared June 12 a public holiday, some eminent Nigerians have been calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to recognise June 12 as a national holiday. Those championing this cause believe that this is the best way to honour the late philanthropist. Leading the pack are Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State; human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), a Professor of Law, Akin Oyebode; and a former Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Dele Alake.
Alake, who spoke during the 22nd celebration of the June 12, 1993 presidential annulment in Lagos, said there was nothing significant about May 29 which had been named Democracy Day apart from being the date the military gave back power to a civilian government in 1999. “While government could change every May 29, June 12 must be recognised as Democracy Day and a national holiday,” he said.
Since Abiola’s controversial death, many have also been clamouring for the late politician to be officially recognised as a President-elect, and that all the rights and privileges of a President should be accorded him. The Forum for Justice and Human Rights Defence had called for the recognition of the late Chief MKO Abiola as a former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The National Coordinator of the forum, Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, insisted that the best way to immortalise the late Abiola was for the Presidency to list his name among the former presidents of the country.
Falomo is of the opinion that the Federal Government not only needs to honour him but that it owes the late philanthropist a great deal.
Falomo in an interview he granted The Punch in 2013 had said, “Abiola was the one who paid for the kit, clothing, food of the Nigerian soldiers sent to Liberia. Babangida was telling him, buy this, buy that for us, we will pay you back. Babangida was trying to make Abiola so weak that when the election came, he would have no money left. But Abiola was doing it for a friend because he knew Babangida would claim glory for a successful outing in Liberia.
“Abdulsalami Abubakar promised Abiola’s family that he would ensure that the Federal Government paid what it owed Abiola. Go and find out if he or successive administrations fulfilled that promise till today. Abacha, of all people, paid part of the debt, before Abiola declared himself President.”
A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, had earlier in the year said that President Buhari reminded him of Abiola. Keyamo said like in 1993 when the generality of Nigerians saw the hope for a better life in Abiola, Buhari is today “the rallying point for the frustrated and teeming masses of our people.”
President Buhari last week promised that his administration would ensure that all cases of political assassination, intimidation and kidnappings in the country were thoroughly investigated. This, he said, would be done with a view to ensuring that the perpetrators are speedily brought to justice, irrespective of their political affiliations.
Despite his travails in politics and controversial death, the late politician’s legacies cannot be forgotten in a hurry. As Nigerians mark 17 years of his death today, will President Buhari reopen investigations on Abiola’s controversial death and recognise him as a president- elect?
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