Paying tribute to the one and only M.K.O Abiola

M.K.O Abiola was a popular Nigerian from the yoruba ethnic group and he was known in his lifetime as an aristocrat, successful businessman, publisher, social activist, politician and most of all a philantrophist who supported the causes of human needs and social development. Even in death, Abiola's legacy speaks for itself and it is a pity that his businesses have not lived on and just like every other Nigerian entity, they die in their prime and have never succeeded a generation but I sincerely hope this jinx will not affect the new generation businesses and corporations.

M.K.O Abiola is mostly known by my generation as the man who won the 1993 Presidential elections in two-thirds of the states in Nigeria and even won the election in his opponent's (Bashir Tofa) state. That election has been declared by both national and international observer's as the freest and fairest election that has been conducted in  Nigeria. However, as fate and my countryman Gen. Ibrahim Babangida will have it, he annulled the election and in other series of events, Gen. Sani Abacha took over government and imprisoned Abiola on grounds of treason. Whilst Abiola was detained, the international community lobbied the Nigerian government for his release, and his release was premised on a condition that Abiola should renounce his mandate which he refused to do. Consequently, Abiola died on suspicious grounds while in prison on the day he was due to be released.

It is a great idea to honour and seek to immortalise such a man who had the morals to stand, and died for what he believed, in a society where we have gone bankrupt in character and morals. However, the problem with this strategy is that neither the day he won the elections nor the day he died has ever been declared as a public holiday by the federal government. The federal government has also not erected a statue in honour of M.K.O as done in honour of Martin Luther King (Jr) by the United States government. Every year, Martin Luther King is honoured and celebrated by his countrymen for his service to the nation and in my opinion, this is what the Nigerian government needs to do.

Renaming a great university like The University of Lagos after him will only, set back the only university that can rightly be tagged "The only pride of Nigeria". It is not only sufficient to say that the university has succeeded to build its name, brand, goodwill and standards, but it has given Nigeria its greatest products. Renaming the university will only set it like a 100 years back and I honestly hope that the legislators will not amend the Act seeking to change the name of the university.     


Moreover, let us not forget that there is already an educational institution in the south-west named after this icon of social activism. Also, there is M.K.O Abiola Park/Gardens and M.K.O Abiola Stadium in the south-west. It therefore brings to my mind that renaming a south-west university after Abiola seems to relegate the man to being an icon for the south-westerners only to the exclusion of other parts of the country to whose mandate the man believed and held onto till his death.


I believe that since it is 'Democracy' we are celebrating, then the voice of the masses should matter and this renaming...ish will be boycotted and laid to rest.

p.s. Mr President, we are waiting on you to tackle other substantial issues which affect our livelihood and live the mundane things alone. The dead will bury the dead.

Ciao,

Love you all.

Tola Elesho