Yesterday & Today: This week in June 1996 trying to keep democracy alive in Nigeria
This week in June 1996, the country was mourning the horrible assassination of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, MKO’s second wife whom he married 23 years prior.
After the brutal daytime killing of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola in Lagos on June 4, 1996, the writing was on the wall that the then-military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha planned to maintain a firm grip on power for an indefinite period if not for his death two years later.
It all started with Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (fondly called M.K.O. Abiola, or just MKO) Abiola, the winner of the 1993 Presidential Election in Nigeria and General Abacha’s predecessor annulling the results. Ibrahim Babaginda who initially laid the groundwork for a return to civilian rule once again, said the election outcome was rigged, hence the many problems that Nigerians later found themselves up to date.
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Perhaps, if MKO had been allowed to play out what should have been his destiny by becoming the President of Nigeria, the quality of life of most citizens if not all would be far better than what it is today. His campaign for the Presidency in 1993 might be thought to have been reenacted during President Bola Tinubu’s streaks of tours across to gain country-wide support.
MKO Abiola’s poster bore the tag HOPE 93’ FAREWELL TO POVERTY, while Bola Tinubu’s recent campaign was the Renewed Hope, which continues to resonate in his policies, pointing to the enormous influence the baby boomers Abiolas have on Nigeria’s democratic history.
This week in June 1996, the country was mourning the horrible assassination of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, MKO’s second wife whom he married 23 years prior.
A death squad made up of Sergeant Barnabas Jabila (a.k.a Rogers), Mohammed Abdul (a.k.a Katako) and Aminu Mohammed had taken her out on 4 June 1996 in the Oregun area of Ikeja in Lagos, making the obstacle to democracy firming up its root in Nigeria very much real.
09.06.96
Ever since General Sani Abacha took over in 1993, the year Chief Abiola should have been made president, dissenting voices in the country needed to be careful but that did not stop the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) from taking form on May 15, 1994. When Kudirat Abiola was killed two years later, NADECO offered leadership on ways to mourn her and make her sacrifices for her husband and country count for something. On Sunday, 9 June 1996, prayers should be offered in all churches throughout Nigeria for the repose of the soul of Kudirat Abiola, reads a P.M News report that year. That message was from NADECO steering those who silently nurture democratic values.
12.06.96
This day is a Wednesday and it is marking the day incarcerated Chief M.K.O won the presidential election three years before this moment. Now, it is also eight days since his wife Alhaja Kudirat was assassinated while being chauffeured through Ikeja by her driver who also got killed. Under the stern General Abacha dictatorship, no June 12 sentiment was allowed, which is why NADECO only recommended that Nigerians should observe a minute of silence by noon to commemorate the events; market women should wear a mood of introspection and keep a minor lid on sales for the day, as unions and associations rock a black band as a sign of solidarity.
14.06.96
On Friday, 14th June, prayers should be offered in all Mosques throughout the nation for the same purpose read more rites and guidance coming from the National Democratic Coalition. Alhaja Kudirat Abiola was renowned for demanding her husband’s release from prison. This motive checked completely with NADECO’s mission of a democratic Nigeria the way the founding fathers imagined it when the country came into existence as an independent nation in 1960. The P.M. Newspaper edition that covered this sequence also had on its spread the story of former German SS Major Karl Haas attempting suicide or an escape to avoid testifying against Nazi war criminal Erich Priebke. Rounding off its message to the 1996 Nigerians was NADECO saying: We wish to let our long-suffering compatriots know that [the organisation] and other groups in the Nigerian opposition are in the process of reassessing the struggle and its tools and we will reach out as soon as this process is complete and that will be soon.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
