In a poignant and revealing conversation on Insight on Citizen 93.7 FM Abuja, Alhaji Jamiu Abiola, son of the late Chief MKO Abiola and Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, shared moving personal reflections and deep insights into the events surrounding the June 12, 1993, presidential election — widely acclaimed as Nigeria’s freest and fairest election — and the painful legacy it left on his family and the nation.
Speaking with host Lawrence Umoete, Jamiu recounted the harrowing journey of the Abiola family in the aftermath of the election annulment and during the military clampdown that followed. “It was like a hurricane,” he said, describing the family’s ordeal. “We carried the whole country on our shoulders… and survived persecution by a very brutal military elite.”
He revealed that the family was only allowed to see Chief MKO Abiola 24 hours before his death in July 1998, after 29 days of denied access. “He looked very ill… He had fever, and he said he had been dreaming of my late mother, Kudirat, and my late stepmother. He knew he was going to die,” Jamiu said.
Jamiu, now the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Linguistic and Foreign Matters, spoke of the anguish his mother, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, endured and her transformation into an icon of resistance. “She wasn’t originally political,” he said, “but witnessing the injustice firsthand drove her to become a formidable force against the Abacha regime.”
Her relentless activism, which included mobilizing unions and civil society, ultimately led to her assassination in 1996. “We kept warning her,” Jamiu said, “but she told me, ‘The worst thing that can happen is that I receive a bullet.’ And she did.”
On his relationship with his late father, Jamiu described Chief Abiola as a man deeply committed to philanthropy and national unity, noting that his generosity crossed ethnic and religious lines. “He gave because he cared, not because he expected anything in return,” Jamiu said. “That’s why Nigerians loved him.”
The program delved into Chief Abiola’s business acumen and how his fortune was depleted by the political struggle. “He spent over $250 million on the election and its aftermath,” Jamiu revealed, adding that litigation and family disagreements have stymied the revival of some of his companies.
Despite the family’s internal tensions, Jamiu expressed optimism about reconciliation. “It’s been crushing… but we’re still standing,” he said. He also dismissed the idea of a probe into his father’s death, stating, “We need to move past bitterness and focus on the unity June 12 represents.”
Asked if he would consider elective office, Jamiu replied, “Everything starts and ends with timing. If the time is right, I may step forward.”
On Nigeria’s future, he praised recent government initiatives such as the Ministry of Livestock and the push for food security, saying, “These are transformative steps. I am optimistic about the next five to ten years.”
The interview, which aired as part of the station’s commemoration of Democracy Day, offered a rare, intimate look at the family behind the martyrdom and a call for national unity built on the sacrifices of June 12.
