According to wiki;
Moshood Abiola
Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, CFR (24 August 1937 – 7 July 1998), often referred to as M. K. O. Abiola, was a popular Nigerian Yoruba businessman, publisher, politician and aristocrat of the Yoruba Egba clan. He ran for the presidency in 1993,
and is widely regarded as the presumed winner of the inconclusive
election since no official final results were announced. He died in
1998, after being denied victory when the entire election results were
dubiously annulled by the preceding military president Ibrahim Babangida because of alleged evidence that they were corrupt and unfair.
Early life
His name, Kashimawo, means "
Let us wait and see".
Moshood Abiola was his father's twenty-third child but the first of his
father's children to survive infancy, hence the name 'Kashimawo'. It
was not until he was 15 years old that he was properly named Moshood, by
his parents.
MKO showed entrepreneurial talents at a very young age, at the age of
nine he started his first business selling firewood. He would wake up
at dawn to go to the forest and gather firewood, which he would then
cart back to town and sell before going to school, to support his old
father and his siblings. He later founded a band at age fifteen where he
would perform at various ceremonies in exchange for food. He eventually
became famous enough to start demanding payment for his performances
and used the money to support his family and his secondary education at
the Baptist Boys High School Abeokuta, where he excelled. He was the
editor of the school magazine
The Trumpeter,
Olusegun Obasanjo was deputy editor. At the age of 19 he joined the
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons ostensibly because of its stronger pan-Nigerian origin compared with the
Obafemi Awolowo-led
Action Group.
Career
In 1956 Moshood Abiola started his professional life as a bank clerk with
Barclays Bank in
Ibadan,
South-West Nigeria. After two years, he joined the Western Region
Finance Corporation as an executive accounts officer, before leaving for
Glasgow, Scotland, to pursue his higher education. From
Glasgow University he received a first class degree in accountancy,
and he also gained a distinction from the
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. On his return to Nigeria, Abiola worked as a senior accountant at the
University of Lagos Teaching Hospital, then went on to
Pfizer, before joining the
ITT Corporation,
where he later rose to the position of Vice-President, Africa and
Middle-East, of the entire corporation, which was headquartered in the
United States. As a result, Abiola spent a lot of his time (and made
most of his money) in the United States, whilst retaining the post of
chairman of the corporation's Nigerian subsidiary. In addition to his
duties throughout the Middle-East and Africa, Abiola invested heavily in
Nigeria and West Africa. He set up Abiola Farms, Abiola Bookshops,
Radio Communications Nigeria, Wonder Bakeries, Concord Press, Concord
Airlines, Summit Oil International Ltd, Africa Ocean Lines, Habib Bank,
Decca W.A. Ltd, and Abiola football club. In addition to these, he also
managed to perform his duties as Chairman of the
G15 business council, President of the
Nigerian Stock Exchange, Patron of the
Kwame Nkrumah Foundation, Patron of the
WEB Du Bois foundation, trustee of the
Martin Luther King Foundation, and director of the
International Press Institute.
Personal life
Moshood Abiola married many wives;
[10][1] notable among them are Simibiat Atinuke Shoaga in 1960,
[1] Kudirat Olayinka Adeyemi in 1973, Adebisi Olawunmi Oshin in 1974,
[2] Doyinsola (Doyin) Abiola Aboaba in 1981, Modupe Onitiri-Abiola
[4][1] and
Remi Abiola. He fathered many children.
[3][2]
Philanthropy
Moshood Abiola with H.E. Pankratiy, Metropolitan of Stara Zagora and
head of the Department for Ecumenical relations of the Bulgarian
Orthodox church
Moshood Abiola sprang to national and international prominence as a result of his philanthropic activities. The
Congressional Black Caucus of the United States of America issued the following tribute to Moshood Abiola:
Because of this man, there is both cause for hope and certainty that
the agony and protests of those who suffer injustice shall give way to
peace and human dignity. The children of the world shall know the great
work of this extraordinary leader and his fervent mission to right
wrong, to do justice, and to serve mankind. The enemies which imperil
the future of generations to come: poverty, ignorance, disease, hunger,
and racism have each seen effects of the valiant work of Chief Abiola.
Through him and others like him, never again will freedom rest in the
domain of the few. We, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus
salute him this day as a hero in the global pursuit to preserve the
history and the legacy of the African diaspora.
From 1972 until his death Moshood Abiola had been conferred with 197
traditional titles by 68 different communities in Nigeria, in response
to the fact that his financial assistance resulted in the construction
of 63 secondary schools, 121 mosques and churches, 41 libraries, 21
water projects in 24 states of Nigeria, and was grand patron to 149
societies or associations in Nigeria. In this way Abiola reached out and
won admiration across the multifarious ethnic and religious divides in
Nigeria. In addition to his work in Nigeria, Moshood Abiola was a
dedicated supporter of the Southern African Liberation movements from
the 1970s and he sponsored the campaign to win
reparations for slavery
and colonialism in Africa and the diaspora. Chief Abiola, personally
rallied every African head of state, and every head of state in the
black diaspora to ensure that Africans would speak with one voice on the
issues.
Remembrance of M.K.O. Abiola
Chief MKO Abiola's memory is celebrated in Nigeria and internationally. 12 June remains a public holiday in
Lagos and Ogun states. There are also remembrance events arranged across Nigeria. MKO Abiola was known for his charisma and for being a man of the people.
As a prominent social activist, democratic freedom fighter, and
successful business figure, the continuing support for MKO Abiola is
part of his legacy.
MKO Abiola Stadium and
Moshood Abiola Polytechnic were named in his honour. There were also calls for posthumous presidential recognition. A statue,
MKO Abiola Statue was also erected in his honour.
Despite his popularity or because of it, MKO Abiola occasionally
attracted criticism from political activists and detractors. Controversy
was caused by a song by Nigerian musician,
Fela Kuti.
Kuti was a charismatic multi-instrumentalist musician, composer and
human rights activist – famed for being the pioneer of Afrobeat music as
well as a controversial figure, due to his unusual lifestyle and
apparent drug use.
[18] It is believed that Kuti had entered into an acrimonious dispute relating to a contract with MKO Abiola's record label
[citation needed]. He used the abbreviation of
International Telephone & Telegraph (IT&T) in a song criticising big multinational corporations. The song,
ITT
accuses such companies of draining Africa's resources and makes
specific reference to MKO Abiola ("they start to steal money Like
Obasanjo and Abiola").
Awards and honours
Moshood Abiola was twice voted international businessman of the year
[citation needed],
and received numerous honorary doctorates from universities all over
the world. In 1987 he was bestowed with the golden key to the city of
Washington, D.C., and he was bestowed with awards from the
NAACP
and the King center in the USA, as well as the International Committee
on Education for Teaching in Paris, amongst many others. In Nigeria, the
Oloye Abiola was made the
Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland. It is the highest chieftaincy title available to commoners amongst the
Yoruba,
and has only been conferred by the tribe 14 times in its history. This
in effect rendered Abiola the ceremonial War Viceroy of all of his
tribespeople. According to the folklore of the tribe as recounted by the
Yoruba elders, the Aare Ona Kakanfo is expected to die a warrior in the
defence of his nation to prove himself in the eyes of both the divine
and the mortal as having been worthy of his title.
[20][21]
He was awarded the third highest national honour, the Commander of the Federal Republic posthumously in 1998.
Involvement in politics
Abiola's involvement in politics started early on in life when he joined the
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
(NCNC) at age 19. In 1979, the military government kept its word and
handed over power to the civilian. As Abiola was already involved in
politics, he joined the ruling
National Party of Nigeria
(NPN) in 1980 and was elected the state chairman of his party.
Re-election was done in 1983 and everything looked promising since the
re-elected president was from Abiola's party and based on the true
transition to power in 1979; Abiola was eligible to go for the post of
presidential candidate after the tenure of the re-elected president.
However, his hope to become the president was shortly dashed away for
the first time in 1983 when a military coup d'état swept away the
re-elected president of his party and ended civilian rule in the
country. After a decade of military rule, General Ibrahim Babangida came
under pressure to return democratic rule to Nigeria. After an aborted
initial primary, Abiola stood for the presidential nomination of the
Social Democratic Party (SDP) and beat Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe and
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to secure the presidential nomination of the SDP
ahead of the 12 June 1993 presidential elections. Abiola had managed to
work his way out of poverty through hard work and symbolised the
aspirations of many downtrodden Nigerians. His commitment to the plight
of ordinary Nigerians included establishing Abiola bookshops to provide
affordable, locally produced textbooks in the 1980s when imported
textbooks became out of the reach of ordinary Nigerians as the
naira was devalued. He also made available daily necessities such as rice and soap at affordable prices in the market.
Presidential elections
Moshood Abiola's Hope '93 political manifesto
For the
12 June 1993 presidential elections, Abiola's
running mate was
Baba Gana Kingibe. He overwhelmingly defeated his rival,
Bashir Tofa of the
National Republican Convention.
The election was declared Nigeria's freest and fairest presidential
election by national and international observers, with Abiola even
winning in his Northern opponent's home state. Abiola won at the
national capital, Abuja, the military polling stations, and over
two-thirds of Nigerian states. The reason why the election was so
historic, was because men of Northern descent had largely dominated
Nigeria's political landscape since independence. The fact that Moshood
Abiola (a Southern Muslim) was able to secure a national mandate freely
and fairly remains unprecedented in Nigeria's history. However, the
election was annulled by
Ibrahim Babangida, a political crisis that ensued which led to General
Sani Abacha seizing power later that year. During preparations for the 2011 Nigerian Presidential elections there were calls from several quarters to remember MKO Abiola.
Imprisonment
Moshood Abiola leaving a Black Maria van under heavy armed guard
In 1994 Moshood Abiola declared himself the lawful president of
Nigeria in the Epetedo area of Lagos island, an area mainly populated by
(Yoruba) Lagos Indigenes. He had recently returned from a trip to win
the support of the international community for his mandate. After
declaring himself president he was declared wanted and was accused of
treason and arrested on the orders of military President General
Sani Abacha, who sent 200 police vehicles to bring him into custody. MKO Abiola has been referred to as Nigeria's greatest statesman. His second wife
Alhaja Kudirat Abiola was assassinated in Lagos in 1996 after declaring public support for her husband.
Moshood Abiola was detained for four years, largely in solitary confinement with a Bible,
Qur'an, and fourteen guards as companions. During that time,
Pope John Paul II, Archbishop
Desmond Tutu
and human rights activists from all over the world lobbied the Nigerian
government for his release. The sole condition attached to the release
of Chief Abiola was that he renounce his mandate, something that he
refused to do, although the military government offered to compensate
him and refund his extensive election expenses. For this reason Chief
Abiola became extremely troubled when Kofi Annan and Emeka Anyaoku
reported to the world that he had agreed to renounce his mandate after
they met with him to tell him that the world would not recognise a
five-year-old election.
Death
Abiola died under suspicious circumstances shortly after the death of
General Abacha. Moshood Abiola died on the day that he was due to be
released, on 7 July 1998.
While the official autopsy stated that Abiola died of natural causes,
Abacha's Chief Security Officer, al-Mustapha has alleged that Moshood
Abiola was in fact beaten to death. al-Mustapha, who was detained by the
Nigerian government, but later released, claims to have video and
audiotapes showing how Abiola was beaten to death. The final autopsy
report, which was produced by a group of international coroners has
never been publicly released.
Irrespective of the exact circumstances of his death, it is clear that
Chief Abiola received insufficient medical attention for his existing
health conditions.
As recounted at the time in a BBC interview with special envoy
Thomas R. Pickering, an American delegation, which included
Susan Rice, visited Abiola and during their meeting with him, Abiola fell ill,
] with what was presumed to be a heart attack which caused his death.
A clause in Abiola's will required that his heirs could prove that he
was their father. Over seventy people were able to show that Abiola was
their father using DNA tests. Seven children were descended from his
second wife,
Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.
On the 29/02/2016
Former President Thabo Mbeki gave his views on what happened.
President Mandela resisted all this until news came through that on
the very first day of the 1995 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
(CHOGM) held in New Zealand CHOGM, the Nigerian Government had executed
Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight of his Ogoni colleagues. He then immediately
joined others strongly to condemn the Abacha Government and approved the
suspension of Nigeria from the Commonwealth.
Thereafter, despite strong presentations about human rights, South
Africa's strenuous efforts to get SADC and the OAU to impose sanctions
against Nigeria produced a negative response throughout the Continent,
leaving South Africa isolated on this matter.
President Mandela had visited Nigeria in 1994 and engaged General Abacha on the matter of the release of Mr Abiola.
In July 1995 I led a small delegation of our Government to Nigeria to
meet General Abacha. This time our focus was on the two matters of
persuading General Abacha and his Government to release the Ogoni
leader, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and his co-accused, as well as to release
Generals Olusegun Obasanjo and Shehu Yar’ Adua, who were detained for
allegedly having been involved in a planned coup d'état.
We met General Abacha at 02.00 hrs (2 a.m.) at his offices. Having
heard us out, he told us that he would reflect on what we had said and
would respond to us before we left Nigeria.
A day or so later, then Chief of Defence Staff and effective Deputy
to Abacha, Lt Gen Oladipo Diya, invited us to lunch. During this lunch
he gave us General Abacha's response to the issues we had raised.
This response was that with regard to the matter of Ken Saro-Wiwa and
his co-accused, Gen Abacha could not intervene to stop a legal judicial
process which involved murder charges. However, if the accused were to
be found guilty and sentenced to death, he would use his prerogative as
Head of State to reprieve the accused so that they would not be
executed.
Gen Diya also reported that Gen Abacha had said that there was a
military tribunal which was considering the matter relating to Generals
Obasanjo and Yar’Adua. It was necessary that he should allow the
tribunal to complete its work. His view was that the tribunal would
recommend the release of the two Generals, failing which he would again
intervene to release them.
After asking Gen Diya to convey our thanks to Gen Abacha for the
commitments he had made, we suggested to him that it would be best that
the Nigerian Government makes the necessary announcements when the time
came, rather than that we should do this. Diya agreed to this and said
that Gen Abacha would issue the necessary orders at the appropriate
moments.
Our delegation still had a small challenge to address. We had
travelled from South Africa with a journalist. Treated by our Nigerian
hosts as a member of our delegation, she was present at the lunch where
Gen Diya gave us Gen Abacha's response.
She therefore had a real "scoop"! Together with her we agreed that if
she were to publish what we had been told by Gen Diya, the likelihood
was that not only would the Nigerians deny the story, but this would
also inevitably condemn Ken Saro-Wiwa and others and Generals Obasanjo
and Yar’Adua to death.
A principled person, she kept her word not to publish her "scoop",
convinced as all us were that Gen Abacha had made a commitment to
President Mandela and South Africa which he would honour.
It was with this knowledge that President Mandela left South Africa
to attend the New Zealand CHOGM meeting. When Ken Saro-Wiwa and others
were executed, President Mandela was truly surprised and genuinely
outraged that Gen Abacha could evidently so easily betray his solemn
undertaking in this regard.
