tola9ja:
Hmmm….love. That thing they call love ehn. The most powerful force in the Universe (leave nuclear bombs out of this okay? lol). Millions of Nigerians are familiar with the story of the legendary man called MKO Abiola but not as much are familiar with a most enchanting story of love and courage of his childhood love and sweetheart, the gracious Alhaja Ayinba Simbiat Atinuke Abiola nee Soaga. Their love was so strong that even when MKO could not resist the charm of other ladies, her place in the household and in his heart was never threatened. As the Yorubas would say, orisha obinrin jekin pe meji ko denu (no woman truly wants a rival), Simbiat was a woman who also exhibited her own jealousy but it was her undying love for her husband for decades, courage and maturity that stood her out. will take you on fast and spry ride through the life and times of Nigeria’s most popular Simbiat.

The Early Days and Love Life

The late Alhaja Chief (Mrs.) Simbiat Atinuke Abiola was born into the wealthy family of Rafiu Isola Soaga and Rabiatu Soaga of the prominent Soaga family in Gbagura, Abeokuta, Ogun State in 1938. Both Simbi and Moshood met at the Arabic Quranic school as secondary school youngsters in 1954 and fell in love. MKO Abiola on his own was from a thoroughly poor background and by the time her family got to know about the relationship, they insisted she could not marry someone of such a lowly status as MKO Abiola. However, she insisted that she had made her choice and no one would change it. She clung to MKO Abiola and MKO himself repeatedly admitted that if not for her courage and devotion, he stood no chance of marrying her.

Simbiat Abiola attended the same secondary school with foremost female political activist, Titi Ajanaku


The Jealous Simbiat

Like every other woman on the surface of the planet, the late Simbiat had her own fiery streak of jealousy. Thus, she did not find it really funny or particularly amusing when MKO made moves to marry a young lady named Miss Kudirat Olayinka Adeyemi (later Alhaja Kudirat Abiola). It was towards the end of 1972 and Abiola was already swimming in millions. While Simbiat was still by his side, he fell flatly for Kudirat’s charm. That year, Kudirat was working as a sales clerk at the Adebowale Electrical Industries Limited and one fateful day at the Lagos Trade Fair, she was coordinating the company’s exhibition stand and that was where MKO sighted the pretty lady. According to him, it was love at first sight. But MKO knew Simbiat would not find the idea funny at all.

So what did MKO do? He went straight to the late Dr. Lateef Adegbite, a lawyer and later the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs who was then based in Ibadan as a State Commissioner with the defunct Western State under Brigadier Oluwole Rotimi. Abiola was visibly excited as he explained his burning love for the young Kudirat. He laid his mind bare and narrated that he was so crazily in love that he could not even wait to propose marriage to her. Adegbite was amazed and amused at the same time. He urged MKO to calm down first and even let the young girl (she was in her early 20s) attend the university and bag a degree first. Adegbite also rang it to MKO’s ears the shege he would face in the hands of his first love and wife, Simbiat Atinuke.

But MKO was an incorrigibly stubborn and energetic man. Once he set his mind on any goal, he pursues it with the vigour of a Spanish bull. He told Adegbite that he was ready to face all challenges and that he was quite confident that he would get Simbiat’s support. He also stated that as for Kudi’s university degree, there was no need for that anymore. He then threw in a saying: inkan tan wa lo si Sokoto, nbe lapo sokoto (meaning why travel all the way to Sokoto when what you are looking for can be found in your sokoto (trousers)) insisting that why would someone like Kudirat need to work if she was married to him? He went on to say that Kudirat would not have to lift a hand in her life to work and he would take very good care of her, make her happy and that she would never regret the decision.

As Adegbite listened raptly to the lover boy, he knew his hands were tied and that he was in trouble. That was because Simbiat was a distant cousin of Adegbite who did not know how he would handle the whole case should Simbiat get to know of his involvement. Adegbite, a man who believed in a male’s right to polygamy according to the laws of Islam was however in a dilemma. He advised MKO to take more time to reflect deeply on the issue. Later sha, Alhaja Simbiat got to know of the sizzling relationship with Kudirat and all of MKO’s plans to even wed her. As expected, she was disappointed, heartbroken and firmly opposed the relationship. When she learnt that Adegbite was even involved in the whole matter, she was further hurt as she felt Adegbite should have at least protected her interest as his cousin by persuading MKO not to go ahead with the romantic nonsense that had taken over his head. But Abiola would not be perturbed. Like a man possessed, he went off to Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, to the family compound of Kudirat to ask of her lovely hand in marriage. Simbiat was despondent and heartsick. Her childhood love, husband of over 10 years and the father of her five children had transformed into something else.

MKO insisted that Adegbite and other close friends follow him to Kudi’s place in a show of solidarity to ask for her hand in marriage. Adegbite was confused. Inasmuch as he wanted the best for Abiola too, he was also conscious of his relationship with Simbiat and her feelings. He then advised MKO not to go ahead with the nikkah (marriage celebration) without the express approval of Alhaja Simbiat who was clearly not excited with the way things were turning out.

When MKO and his band of giggling friends arrived Kudi’s family home in Ijebu-Ode, they were all shocked. Kudirat’s mother emphatically stated it was impossible for her daughter to become MKO’s wife unless one condition was fulfilled: get Simbiat’s approval and willingness to take her in as a junior wife. MKO was boxed into a corner and he knew that would be one of the most challenging tasks in his life. He did not tell Adegbite of this new development. However, he managed to get Simbiat’s support and approval. How he was able to do that, no one knows. MKO and Kudirat got married in 1973. At that point, Simbiat’s courage as a woman kicked in and she eventually succumbed all in a bid to make her childhood love happy and contented. She graciously agreed to welcome Kudirat into the MKO household. And in the years to come, before her tragic death, she would remain the stabilizing factor in the MKO family. She was referred to as Mummy by everyone and no one dared disrespect her. Even MKO would even respect her more but some quirky events happened as she would later tease her husband and his new wives…lol! (MKO later married Adebisi Olawunmi Oshin in 1974 and Doyinsola (Doyin) Aboaba in 1981. Simbiat, Kudirat, Adebisi and Doyin were to be his first four wives in line with Muslim tradition. Many were to follow).

On the eve of the nikkah between MKO and Kudirat, Adebgite was off to Ijebu-Ode to receive MKO’s groom train coming from Lagos. But as he was going to Kudi’s family house, the venue of the event, he saw Alhaja Simbiat by the door, waiting to be welcomed inside. Adegbite was smitten by a combination of conscience and trepidation. Instantly, he turned and left, afraid that Simbiat would be bitter with him and even accuse him of encouraging MKO to pick another wife.

The nikkah would later proceed as planned with Simbiat accepting Kudirat and promising to take care of and cater to her welfare as a junior wife.

Interesting Things About Simbiat Abiola

-She was fondly referred to as Ayinba.

-Contrary to what many believe, she gave her full support to MKO’s political ambition. She was in total agreement with his plan to become the Chairman of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). Simbiat generally agreed with her husband on almost all issues but differed on the topic of polygamy, which is quite understandable.

-The late Simbiat Atinuke Abiola was a businesswoman and politician. In 1979, she ran for the position of a Senator in Ogun State (Gbagura Senatorial District) on the platform of the NPN but was defeated by Chief Kunle Oyero. The MKO family would cite electoral fraud as nothing was recorded for her even in her own ward where her family voted. The final score was 54,137 votes by Oyero of the UPN to her own 20,289 votes.

-Holding many prestigious titles, she was the Otun Iyalode of Egbaland. She was also the Yeye Tayese, Iya Egbe UMC and many more. In her own right, she was one of the wealthiest businesswomen in Nigeria.

-Like her husband, she was also a great philanthropist and was particularly focused on the welfare and emancipation of women, education and training of girls, youth and the children.

-The late Alhaja Simbiat was fully involved in her husband’s businesses and played a very large role in the growth of Abiola’s business empire. She was the Vice President of Concord Group of newspapers, where she saw to the setting up and maintenance of the publications and later, other ventures like the Wonder Bakery. One of a kind in Nigeria, the Wonder Baking Company opened in 1980 in Lagos and by 1981, it had employed over 140 people. Marketing under the brand name of Mother’s Pride, they made use of the same Wonder Bread recipe used in the United States and the United Kingdom. The factory gulped a sum of N2.5 million (value as at that time). (The Advance of African Capital: The Growth of Nigerian Private Enterprise by Tom G. Forrest)

–According to Dr. Moshood Fayemiwo, the Samuel Doe of Liberia’s money that caused trouble between MKO and IBB (Doe’s friend) was paid into the Swiss account of Simbiat Abiola.

-The former wife of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and mother of Gbenga, Busola, Enitan, Segun and Iyabo Obasanjo, Mrs. Oluremi Obasanjo wrote in her book, Bitter-Sweet: My Life with Obasanjo, that at a time in 1981, Obasanjo so maltreated her that she was penniless and broke to the extent that she could not pay the school fees of her children and to get financial help and assistance, had to approach Simbiat Atinuke Abiola who prayed that God would help. At another point when Mrs. Obasanjo was slammed in a police jail, it was Simbiat who came with her elder sister to bail her out. Mrs. Obasanjo refused to be bailed and she spent the night in a police detention, as a guest of mosquitoes.