Money cause of Fela’s spiteful songs
*’Today, people are protecting victory without votes’
* Speaks about his life at 50
* His plans for NGO to replicate June 12 voting culture
*’The trouble between my father and Fela’
* Speaks about his life at 50
* His plans for NGO to replicate June 12 voting culture
*’The trouble between my father and Fela’
But for Mr. Dele Momodu, the session would not have held. Even then, there were terms of engagement: Mike Effiong, Editor, OVATION magazine, had to extract a commitment that the session would hold but there would be no verbatim reproduction. And because Kola Abiola, first son of the late Bashorun MKO Abiola, undisputed winner of the June 12, 1993 election rarely speaks out, it was an opportunity – not withstanding the conditions. Details of this session would be reproduced in OVATION magazine, published by Momodu, this month. The panelists included Femi Adeshina, Sun; Segun Adeniyi, ThisDay,; Felix Ogbuejiofor Abugu, The Guardian; Mobolaji Sanusi, The Nation; Steve Ayorinde, Mirror; Uncle Momodu himself and Effiong.
However, granted the liberty to do anything with the session, Sunday Vanguard presents what transpired at the Ikoyi office of the younger Abiola who turns 50 today.
You would find a man whose thinking has been shaped by the globular persona that his father was. He is passionate about his father, June 12, the need for Nigerians to develop a culture which places primacy on ‘Nigerianness’ and not on clans or tribes; a man who once escaped death in Kaduna as a result of ethno-religious crisis (over THISDAY), the humbling experience of burying a daughter, a mother, a father and a wife. Just like his father, he stammers in a way that gives accentuation to his utterances. This is the Kola you never knew. This is just a fraction of the full interview to be published in OVATION.
However, granted the liberty to do anything with the session, Sunday Vanguard presents what transpired at the Ikoyi office of the younger Abiola who turns 50 today.
You would find a man whose thinking has been shaped by the globular persona that his father was. He is passionate about his father, June 12, the need for Nigerians to develop a culture which places primacy on ‘Nigerianness’ and not on clans or tribes; a man who once escaped death in Kaduna as a result of ethno-religious crisis (over THISDAY), the humbling experience of burying a daughter, a mother, a father and a wife. Just like his father, he stammers in a way that gives accentuation to his utterances. This is the Kola you never knew. This is just a fraction of the full interview to be published in OVATION.
By Jide Ajani
Kola ni! Kola ni!! (It is Kola! It is Kola!!) That was what saved his life.
Before the rioters descended on his car, a shout of Kola ni rented the air. It was during the religious riots in Kaduna over an article in ThisDay newspaper.
Seen as blasphemous, hundreds of angry youths took to the streets to protest the publication. Kola Abiola, first son of the late Bashorun MKO Abiola, undisputed winner of the June 12, 1993, was caught in this riot.
The rioters were killing innocent people and burning houses and “I was caught in it. It was just a voice that shouted Kola ni! Kola ni!!
That was what saved my life and I thank the Almighty for that.
That was what saved my life and I thank the Almighty for that.
Just ahead of him, another set of rioters stopped his car. He wound down the glass and he was immediately recognized by the rioters. But this time, he was ordered to, at least, park the car.
“I parked there with them and we watched”, he said. No harm came upon him.
Kola Abiola
For Kola, who turns 50 today (some would not believe that the same Kola of yesterday is already 50years old), he became an adult much too early in life and, therefore, the multitude of responsibilities he had to shoulder taught him a number of lessons.
How would he celebrate? Or how has he been celebrating his birthday?
Surprise: He goes mountain climbing – yes, mountain climbing. The loss of his daughter, Labake, led to that.
“I was thinking some time ago before she passed away and we were sitting together watching television and discussing what I could do for my birthday and she said, why not try mountain climbing?” So, when she passed away, Kola took to mountain climbing at least once every year at about the time of his birthday. He has done Kilimanjaro and is set to do it again as you read this piece – that is after the pilgrimage of Umra, lesser Hajj.
He would have made a move to conquer Everest; but expert climbers advised otherwise because of bad weather. He plans to do it at some point.
“It is my own way of setting the blocks in my head. I work seven days a week. For the one or two weeks while I mountain climb, I switch off; though I call to let people know how far I’ve gone and for them to know that I’m still alive. I read a lot and I reflect a lot. I would shut down for the one or two weeks and that is my own way of coming to terms with my self! You know, having buried a mother, a father, a daughter and a wife, I’ve gone through a lot”, the younger Abiola said.
Kola spoke passionately about his father. While some have rock stars and footballers as idols and heroes, he says, “my hero, after God, is my father. He molded me. He shaped me”.
Talking about the all important June 12 presidential election that was annulled, Kola insists that “the true spirit of June 12 got lost because it was exploited”.
He added: “We started with an election, June 12 presidential election, where people voted and a candidate emerged with a mandate and he was denied his mandate; next was an election of compromise to appease a section of the country. Now, where has that led us?”
He said he learnt some lessons as far back as the 1980s when his mum attempted to get a legislative seat through an election. Kola said in an election where his mum voted and where family members voted for her, the results of the election showed that she had no votes recorded against her name even at the polling booth where she voted.
According to him, “what that taught me was that in an election, you needed to protect the votes. I learnt that because what that meant was that my mother didn’t even vote for herself because she got no votes in the polling booth where she voted. So I learnt that the first thing was to protect your votes.
“For the June 12, 1993 election, we protected our votes because with the plans we put in place using the ‘090’ telephone numbers, the Thurayas (a satellite communication telephone system) and the technology we deployed, we protected the votes very well and we had the results and that was why the figures could not be changed. But we had no plans to protect the mandate. That was our mistake”.
That election was the very first time in Nigeria’s history that a presidential ticket of Muslim/Muslim was elected.
This led the panelists into the issue of zoning.
To Kola, “the days of zoning are numbered.
“Zoning is wrong but an internal arrangement in a political party where that exists, then, it should be allowed to thrive. Internal democracy is the key in any political party; the best should be allowed to emerge even in that arrangement. Some people don’t pick forms for an election and they emerge as candidates and go on to win. What this breeds is a situation where you have people claiming a mandate that has no votes. “That is the situation today, mandates without votes”.
He made reference to something instructive. That it was actually Bashorun Abiola’s emergence as the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, which created the first basis for the junking of zoning. All the other important political positions had been taken up apart from the presidency; and the core North was not given any of the already shared positions, thereby reserving that office of president for that zone. But because Abiola was already a national figure, a leader and a very popular one at that, he emerged the SDP candidate, defeating Babagana Kingibe.
Abiola won; but was never allowed to rule.
To Kola, “what my father’s election and the circumstances that followed have proved is that Nigeria has not become what it was set out to be”, and that some people believed that they were the ones in whose hands Nigeria’s destiny should be.
Let us accept the will of Allah. He paid the ultimate price”.
When asked the reason for his cozying to Babangida who annulled the election just as his brother participated effectively in the wedding of Ernest Shonekan’s son, at a time some people were in the trenches working to actualize the June 12 mandate, Kola simply said the history of the Abiola family had no place for sentiments. In fact, in the particular case of his brother who played the role of best-man to Shonekan’s son, Kola explained that “the relationship between the two guys pre-dated whatever issues their fathers had”.
On the vexed issue of the renaming of University of Lagos, UNILAG, to Moshood Abiola University, MAU, Kola said it was a slap on his father’s face.
“Murtala Mohammed Airport was named after the late General Murtala Muhammed when the airport in Kano could have been named after him at that time. Abuja Airport was named after Azikiwe. Race Course was named Tafawa Balewa Square here in Lagos.
The reason for all these is because these were national figures. I have no issues with naming UNILAG after my father but my problem is the approach. Why name the school first and then send the bill to the congress? It showed that it was not well thought out. If it was well thought out, it would have been understood. Look at the South West states that have adopted June 12 as Democracy Day, institutions in Ogun State have been named after him; so when you now change the name of UNILAG, the essence is lost. We either give him due credit or not give him at all. He fought a national battle and he’s a national figure,” he concluded.
As a younger Abiola, what legacy does he plan to leave behind?
He said he is working on a non-governmental organization which would attempt to recreate the June 12 voting culture.
Asked how he plans to do this, Kola said he learnt a lot from his mother, Alhaja Simbiat Abiola.
“One thing she always made us understand is that in whatever position we found ourselves, we should not forget where we were coming from.
“One thing she always made us understand is that in whatever position we found ourselves, we should not forget where we were coming from.
“It is important in life because you must know where you are coming from.
“The efforts we put into the success of the June 12 election were not easy but we know exactly what we did.
“The efforts we put into the success of the June 12 election were not easy but we know exactly what we did.
“We can do it again because the way Nigeria is going is not sustainable. “We can not just continue like this.
“The situation we have now is such that people just emerge as candidates before they become leaders.
“That is not the proper thing.
“People evolve and they become leaders. It is after that that they are then called to serve and through political parties, they become candidates.
“The situation we have now is such that people just emerge as candidates before they become leaders.
“That is not the proper thing.
“People evolve and they become leaders. It is after that that they are then called to serve and through political parties, they become candidates.
“What we have today is a situation where people are picked to become candidates and when they get them into public office, we then expect them to become leaders. It would never work. That is not how it is done elsewhere where progress is being made. Candidates can not become leaders over night”, he said.
Continuing, Kola said the NGO would seek to work with people who mean well for Nigeria and those who want to begin to see Nigeria as their tribe and not to see their ethnic base as their tribe.
The NGO, he insists, would work to ensure the enthronement of a culture of nobility and integrity, such that a new culture of civic responsibility would be inculcated in Nigerians. That, he says, is one major thing that he has his eyes, heart and hands on.
Apart from this, would he seek political appointment?
Kola says he has had offers but believes that “the time is not ripe; neither am I thinking of contesting elections now”
Kola says he has had offers but believes that “the time is not ripe; neither am I thinking of contesting elections now”
Kola also spoke about his family and the extended Abiola household, the Will that is being executed, his relationship with his siblings; the possibility of bringing the Concord Group of Newspapers back to life and a host of other important issues.
But there were moments when the session became very hilarious.
For instance, when the issue of Fela Anikulapo Ransom-Kuti, the Afro-beat King, came up, it was laughter all round.
For instance, when the issue of Fela Anikulapo Ransom-Kuti, the Afro-beat King, came up, it was laughter all round.
In the case of Fela, an agreement was reached between a music label company in which MKO Abiola had a stake, and the music maestro. Funds were made available. Fela wanted the money paid to him in bulk. But Abiola insisted the funds would be released on a need to use basis. Fela didn’t want that. In the end, the bulk money was released to Fela. He took it to Kalakuta Republic, his abode at that time. During the fracas that ensued between soldiers and Fela’s household, soldiers came in, raided the house and carted away the money. Fela went back to Abiola for fresh funds but his request was turned down. And so the problem began between both Egba sons.
“At first”, Kola said, “Baba ’70 brought his men to block the gate at our residence and later came to pour faeces. (laughter followed). Meanwhile, Femi Kuti and I grew up in Surulere and we still remain the best of friends.
Another question: How much does the Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN, owe the Abiola business group – this was one of the reasons given by the military for not wanting to hand over power to MKO.
“People should not give excuses”, Kola began, “and to put an exact figure might be a bit difficult. But I think the money should be in excess of $350m (Three Hundred and Fifty Million Dollars)”.
As an MKO Abiola son, Kola exuded an uncommon intellect while the session lasted.
There are people you would interview and you come away with the impression that the session was worth it in terms of the intellectual capacity of your host, the wide range of issues discussed and the frankness and sincerity of expression of views. Kola met all these.
There are people you would interview and you come away with the impression that the session was worth it in terms of the intellectual capacity of your host, the wide range of issues discussed and the frankness and sincerity of expression of views. Kola met all these.
By the time the session ended, all of 140minutes were gone. A painting which Kola had made of the Nigerian flag was shown to his guests.
The painting depicted a green, white green that was fading; and more importantly, the flag was in tatters, sewn together with a thread; with some parts of the flag torn off – the torn part, Kola said, represented Bakassi Peninsula which Nigeria had lost to Cameroun. The instructive thing in all these was that the painting was done in 2006.
Asked that if he thought of Nigeria in that mould in 2006, what does he think of Nigeria today?
“Things are getting worse!”
THAT "POISONED "TEA M.K.O ABIOLA SHOULD NEVER HAVE DRANK !
Culled from the Vanguard
1 comment:
Damn!!! Looks soooo much like the Cashman himself!
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