oyinda.:

thnx
so MKO is a "modern day" aare. he was an ambassador.
what criteria defined the past ones? what are the profiles of the past ones.
to me generalissimo doesn't seem to be a fitting word for MKO. although it might have been for the past chiefs.

I would nominate wole soyinka as a yoruba ambassador. what do you think?

Interesting, i was actually thinking of Wole Soyinka as well. Although, during those Abacah years, he went on self exile, a sign of cowardice IMHO. the Aare, even the modern day one, must not show cowardice, no matter what. That said, he fought them the best way he knew how . According to the folklore as recounted by Yoruba elders, the Aare Ona Kakanfo is expected to die a warrior in the defense of his nation in order to prove himself in the eyes of both the divine and the mortal as having been worthy of his title. And that is one of the reasons, Abiola refused to accept the conditions of his release from prison. Irrespective of how you want to look at it, Abiola was the 'modern day' 'war general' of his people.


I would have personally preferred Gani Fawehinmi or Bola Ige, but they are no more. Gani never ran from the military. He faced them, and despite the inhumane treatment meted out to him, he never wavered in his convictions, that to me is bravery, same can be said of the Cicero as well.

At present, not sure who deserves it. Politically, Tinubu would have been the right person, but his personal life and rise to fame are not things to write home about. Beside his recent political achievement, he is, in other spheres of his life, a disaster.

Apart from Akintola and Abiola, the past Aare Onakakanfo since about
over 500 years ago were: Kokoro gangna of Iwoye, Oyatope of Iwoye,
Oyabi of Ajase, Adeta of Jabata, Oku of Jabata, Afonja l'aiya l'oko
of ilorin, Toyeye of Ogbomoso, Edun of Gbogun, Amepo of Abemo, Kurumi
of Ijaye, Ojo Aburumaku of Ogbomoso (son of Toyeje) and Latosisa of
Ibadan, the last of the ancient Kakanfos. After Latosisa, Chief
Ladoke Akintola was appointed the Kakanfo. He died in tragic
circumstances during the January 15 coup. Since the death of Abiola,
no one has been appointed as the Kakanfo by the Alaafin and in a way,
the delay in appointing the Kakanfo in the past and even now, has
always added to the myth that surrounds the title

And you my friend would agree with me that there is no way in hell I possibly would know, or have at my disposal, the profiles of the past Aares. They were crowned when oral tradition, as against written record, was the order of the day

OAM4J:

I would have ignored your post, but because this is one of the most interesting/informative threads on NL, i do no want to leave it unchallenged.

The few questions I have for you are:

What is more important to the Yorubas? Presidency or Progress and developments

When did you see real and meaningful progress in Yorubaland? Under AG, UPN and AD or under PDP?

N[b]ow, do you still query our claim of being more super-intelligent than others?[/b]

NAh. . . I think you guys are the best

olabukola:

I really don't see anybody that merit that tittle now even MKO did not merit it.
One thing am confused about is must it be Alafin that will select who to confer the tittle to?

Is Alafin More powerful than Oni?

I dont think, it has got anything to do with power or influence

I think it is a matter of tradition. And, from time immemorial, the Alaafin has always chosen the Aare!

oyinda.:

you are not answering my question.  
i put "war general" in quotation for a reason. no one said MKO was in the army.
what were mko's achievements that qualify him to be a yoruba leader aside from philantrophy? I'm just trying to know more about what these people did that made them worthy of this great title.

IMHO, at the scale at which Abiola carried out his philantrophy, it was more than justified to make him the 'modern day' Aare.
Also, Abiola championed the cause of the Yoruba race; he was a worthy ambassador of the Yoruba people. You'd need to look at his resume to understand what he did, how he made it big against all odd, and why he is held in such high esteem. Not to talk of his character. He was an embodiment of 'omoluabi' through and through.

More than that, for a more complete answer to your question, you'd have to ask the Alaafin. He alone knows why Abiola, more than anyone else, was the most deserving of the title.

Ochi_Agha:

Y[b]ou do know most people will think you did not succeed in the UK[/b]. That is why you are running back home. Unless you are retiring, I would stay in the UK and try to make it there.

So what?

You make it somewhere

If Yankee does not work, Nigeria might

I hate when people prefer to live as 2nd class citizens abroad, instead of going back home to play their part, and who knows he might strike it big in Nigeria.

Hakeem Bello Osagie, despite his Ivy league education and numerous job offers abroad, went back home. Isnt he doing just fine?

oyinda.:

lol generalissim has been changed to generalissimo. ok. but how was MKO a "war general" of the yoruba nation?  
I saw him first and foremost as a successful and wealthy yoruba businessman and later candidate for presidency. not really a yoruba cultural leader or general for that matter. I get your point if you talk about the chieftancy system in Nigeria where ethnic groups bestow titles upon the more wealthy members who have given back by performing some philantrophic service for the community. But i don't see how he was a yoruba leader. Can you talk about some of his accomplishments as a "general"?

In the true sense of it MKO was not a war general and was never a military officer. You have to put things in context. It is a symbolic title, more or less in the modern era, a social institution, usually given to a worthy son of the land who has championed the wellbeing of his people, and has striven to improve, the social, political, and general well being/status of the Yoruba race.

It is the highest chieftancy title, given by the Alaafin ( just as how the Queen confers worthy British citizens ,and deserving citizens of the commonwealth with national titles) available to commoners amongst the Yoruba, and has only been conferred by the tribe 14 times in its history. This in effect renders the recipient the ceremonial War Viceroy of all of his people, Yorubaland.  It has got nothing to do with money nor does it awardship depend on someones's business acumen.

oyinda.:

I skimmed it. lol takes less than a minute
message of the essay: who is the next MKO?

Very simplistic and wrong

The Aare Ona kakanfo, to me, is greater than individuals or personality. It is a highly reputable and respectable 'institution' in Yorubaland!

Jarus:

Candidates: Obasanjo, Tinubu

Are you serious?

Did you even read the article?

The Alaafin seems to not like the Obasanjo candidacy for reasons that seem, to me, germane. Obasanjo has never represented the Yoruba race like past Aares.

And dont get me started on Tinubu. The Aare has to be a COMPLETE Omoluabi. And, we all know that Tinubu is the antithesis to what Omoluabi signifies.

oyinda.:

interesting essay format. but what does generalissim mean first of all?

Generalissimo or Generalissimus is a military rank of the highest degree. In Yorubaland, it is called the Aare Ona Kakanfo, the  highest honour that can be bestowed on a true son of the land.

Several years after the demise of late M.K.O Abiola, the last Aare
Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, the Alaafin of Oyo Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and
his cabinet chiefs are searching for another man who is bold, revered
and dignified enough to put on the armoured title. Deputy Editor
Adewale Adeoye reports
Who will be the next 'war general' of the Yoruba nation? This appears
a topical issue among a large section of people of the SouthWest as
it is among the Oyo Mesi, an age long traditional cabinet associated
with the Yoruba and which primordial western scholars who visited the
old Oyo Empire in time past, once equated with the British House of
Lords.
Faced by a sharp political divide, cultural and moral meltdown and a
growing public disrespect for a largely isolated leadership, the
appointment of another Aare Ona Kakanfo may heal wounds among the
Yoruba people, a prominent traditional ruler in Ogun state who does
not wish to be named told our correspondent penultimate week. He
stated that since the exit of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo the
Yoruba people have been denied as an intelligent, qualitative and
versatile leadership.'
The position of the Aare Onakakanfo is crucial in Yoruba tradition
and in recent times has become famous in her politics, with key
leaders making stealthy lobby to pick the position seen as the most
powerful of all traditional titles in the Yoruba enclave.
Royal sources hinted that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had
secretly fought to secure the title but lost, despite on several
occasions inviting the Alaafin for 'breakfast' over the matter, at
Aso Rock, the seat of power in Abuja.
The former President's move had been greeted with a mixture of
scepticism and outright condemnation in some quarters. Some critics
cite his usual mood swings, gritty mannerism and contempt for
anything that has to do with his roots. 'Obasanjo never deserved the
title. After eight years in office, the only legacy in Yorubaland for
that period is his private University and library. He did nothing for
the Yoruba people. He abandoned the Lagos-Ibadan, Ilorin-Ibadan and
Lagos-Abeokuta highways. He came to power through those who used him
to sustain a draconian political tradition' an official of Afenifere
a pan-Yoruba concern, told The Nation arguing that Yoruba people
would have resisted his becoming the Kakanfo.
Now that it is unlikely Obasanjo will ever be the Kakanfo, who else
will the Alaafin pick and of what significance is the title? In a
chat with this correspondent few years ago, the Alaafin had said that
he was, by virtue of his calling, 'spiritually and materially bound'
to defend the interest of the entire Yoruba people adding that it was
customary that as soon as anyone becomes the Alaafin he would be
taken to a sacred temple where he would vow never to betray the
Yoruba people.
Mr Segun Akabasorun, Vice Chairman of Kosofe Local Government Area in
Lagos whose roots are from Oyo town told The Nation that the choice
of Kakanfo by the Alaafin is usually 'informed by the dignity of the
personality, courage, commitment to Yoruba culture, morality and
dignity of the human person. The person should be someone who had
made others, who had empowered people and who commands the respect of
the generality of the people of the SouthWest.'
In time of old, the Oyo Mesi had often chosen an Aare at a time of
social or (and) political turmoil or threat of war from foes, with
the hope that such a choice would reenergise the race and reunite
floundering spiritual and physical strength.
Sources hinted The Nation mid last week that the revered Alaafin of
Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi who by divine choice is conferred with the
right to bestow such a title, is in a frantic search for a new Aare
Onakakanfo, an ancient and traditional title usually conferred on the
most courageous, fearless and dignified Yoruba person.
'It is true that the Alaafin is interested in picking the next Aare
Onakakanfo. It is time we have such a person. I'm sure the Oyo
cabinet and the Yoruba people in general recognise the need for the
Aare Onakakanfo more than anything' Chief Biodun Sowumi, the Otun Are
of Oyo told The Nation in a chat last week.
Chief Sowumi said the title is not for sale but that it would be
conferred 'in not too distant period' on a distinguished Yoruba
leader who stands for courage, dignity, strength of character and
commitment to the most cherished egalitarian custom of the people.
The last Aare Onakakanfo was the late Chief M.K.O Abiola who died in
mysterious circumstances on June 7, 1998 having been prevented from
assuming the post of the president of Nigeria despite having won the
June 12, 1993 election. Before him, the late Chief Ladoke Akintola,
former Premier of the old Western Region, was conferred with the
title of Kakanfo based on his ability to communicate with a rare
skill, his dogged passion for anything Yoruba and his demonstrated
love for pious character that speak volumes about ancient Yoruba
powers and spirituality, royal sources claim.
The enthusiasm to see another Aare in not too distant future is not
restricted to the royals, as expectations are also high among many
Yoruba people who know about the significance of the post. 'We are
watching with keen interest. This is the time to pick a new Aare
Onakakanfo. The Yoruba nation is in a state of social and political
stupor. The race is declining morally and culturally. The political
space is polluted. The heritage of the glorious years has been lost.
We really need a new Aare Ona Kakanfo that will command respect',
Jubril Ogundimu of the Yoruba Amnesty told The Nation. Late last week
his group forwarded a letter to the Alaafin urging him to pick the
Kakanfo. Though such letters are not compelling, except that it may
remind the King that his vast subjects have the right to poke their
noses into customary matters that affect their essence and being.
Ogundimu said the Yoruba nation has been 'besieged by reactionary
social and political forces, who have introduced a new culture of
election rigging, 419, drug barons, yahooboys, corruption and the
decline of the spirituality of the people and all that the late Chief
Obafemi Awolowo stood for.' He said the worst is 'that people are
being taught that electoral violence and wealth by all means' are the
hallmark of life. He said with the 'factionalisation of the major
Yoruba leadership groups, a powerful Aare Onakanfo might make a lot
of difference by unifying the people.'
Sources claimed that the Alaafin would have picked one some three
years ago save the meddling of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
'He was so desperate to clinch the title. He invited the Alaafin on
several occasions for breakfast at the State House in Abuja. He
wanted to be the Aare Onakakanfo. He wanted to be the leader of the
Yoruba nation. When he could not lobby the Alaafin, he settled for
the position of Ebora Owu, a lesser title,' a trusted source told The
Nation.
Usually the position draws the respect and in many instances, fear. A
source close to the Alaafin said the Aare Onakakanfo is the highest
title that any Yoruba man can be bestowed upon. It is the equivalent
of a Field Marshal in the army. There is no other title any one can
get after the Kakanfo. It is the final honour any one could get.
Sources claimed that the title is usually picked after consultation
with certain sacred and celestial order, and that it involves the
presentation of several names passed on in some cases to the
'heavenly powers' to choose'. Though in years past, the title was
associated with the Oyo empire, its overwhelming impact on the entire
Yoruba nation cannot be denied. The Kakanfo had dominion over almost
all Yoruba territories at a time in the past extending to far away
Togo, Benin Republic and Ghana.
But what candour will the appointment of an Aare Ona Kakanfo bestow
on a population ruled by principalities of political parties? Dr Ayo
Afolabi of Covenant Group, a pan-Yoruba concern said the appointment
of Kakanfo has spiritual and cultural significance. 'It's like a
people without leadership. There should not be a vacuum. The
appointment of the Kakanfo will re-enact confidence. It will give the
Yoruba people a sense of pride. It will show that we once had an
institution that deserves to be respected. It will bring forth a
leadership that may likely bring together the contending ideologies
and unite the people.
But there is a school of thought. Will the Kakanfo ever resolve
differences that are based on contending forces of right and wrong
and good and evil, or cleavages fuelled by the desire of some
leadership to enslave and castrate the race? For instance, Aka
Basorun who is a member of the Action Congress, AC, says the division
among the Yoruba people is fuelled by the emergence of 'gluttonic
political forces bent on reducing to rubbles the long cherished
dignity of the people of the SouthWest' saying that reconciliation
with such forces 'is impossible.'
The title of Aare Ona Kakanfo was introduced hundreds of years ago to
the Yoruba country by King Ajagbo, who ruled over 700 years ago. The
introduction of the title was informed by the need to fortify the
ancient, pre-colonial army of the old Oyo Empire which at one time
could boast of over 100,000 horsemen. In recent times, the selection
seem to have been informed by other considerations the chief of which
is the acceptability of the leader among a large section of the
people of the South West and such a leader being accepted as worthy
Yoruba leadership by other nationalities in Nigeria. The selection
involves several rituals and there have been speculations that the
last two Kakanfos did not complete the ritual circles. Samuel Johnson
in his book treatise on the Kakanfo stated that the Kakanfos are
always shaved, but the hair on the inoculated part is allowed to grow
long, and when plaited, forms a tuft or sort of pigtail,' adding that
Kakanfos are generally 'very stubborn and obstinate. They have been
more or less troublesome, due to the effect of the ingredients they
were inoculated with. In war they carry no weapon but a weapon known
as the King's invincible staff.' At one time in the ancient times, a
Kakanfo, unable to witness war was said to have fomented a civil war
in Ogbomoso 'which he also repressed with vigour', just to prove his
might. It is generally understood that they are to give way to no one
not even to the King, their master. Hence, Kakanfos are never created
in the capital but in any other town in the Kingdom '
He said that the Kakanfo is akin to a field marshal and is conferred
upon the greatest soldier and tactician of the day. 'By virtue of his
office he is to go to war once in 3 years to whatever place the King
named, and dead or alive, to return home a victor, or be brought home
a corpse within three months'.
He noted that the Kakanfo usually has certain ensigns: The Ojijiko,
and a cap made of the red feathers of the parrots tail, with a
projection behind reaching as far down as the waist, an apron of
leopards skin, and a leopard skin to sit on always the Asiso or
pigtail and the Staff invincible.
Apart from Akintola and Abiola, the past Aare Onakakanfo since about
over 500 years ago were: Kokoro gangna of Iwoye, Oyatope of Iwoye,
Oyabi of Ajase, Adeta of Jabata, Oku of Jabata, Afonja l'aiya l'oko
of ilorin, Toyeye of Ogbomoso, Edun of Gbogun, Amepo of Abemo, Kurumi
of Ijaye, Ojo Aburumaku of Ogbomoso (son of Toyeje) and Latosisa of
Ibadan, the last of the ancient Kakanfos. After Latosisa, Chief
Ladoke Akintola was appointed the Kakanfo. He died in tragic
circumstances during the January 15 coup. Since the death of Abiola,
no one has been appointed as the Kakanfo by the Alaafin and in a way,
the delay in appointing the Kakanfo in the past and even now, has
always added to the myth that surrounds the titl

^^^^

You should have ignored him

Me thinks, he is high on TABA

Dan fodio ko, Dan fobo ni

dayokanu:

Papabrowne, You are very funny, Pentecostal what? In the SW? Look who are the people that attend RCCG? They are mainly middle class workers and executives.

If its by internet campaign and writing articles in Newspaper I would agree with you that the Pentecostal movement might have power in SW but in elections proper
How many of them vote during elections? FYI, Most of those who attend RCCG or watched Adeboye and GEJ drama at The redemption camp would be in their homes on election day, Sleeping and watching DSTV. They would even warn all their children not to step out on election day

Go and see the Agberos and those Lagos Island boys, The balogun market women, the Dugbe voters, the Danfo drivers in Ibadan, The illiterate pepper seller n Oyo How many of them care about Pentecost, LOL Soon you go change from pentecostal to rapture.

To the main intricacies of SW- What does the GEJ ticket hold for Yorubas? At best Number 5 man - Deputy Senate president(SS 1, NW 2, SE 3, NC 4th, SW 5th NE 6th), while The Buhari ticket guarantees Yoruba number 2 slot.

Its a no brainer. Do you think Yorubas would vote on a ticket that hold nothing for them? Tell me anytime in history that has happened

I am not sure Niger, Kogi and Nasarawa are majority Xtian states as you claimed, How many Xtians have been elected governors there Like Benue, Plateau.

Very well said!

Pornodude:

Thats what is called 'hitting the nail on the head'  . i wonder why that lagbaja guy said that. well, i guess its the way some pips was raised. lol

Coming from a 'pornodude'

Ymodulus:

gbam you have said it all. He is an animal

A thinking animal!

alj harem1:

lagbaja20,, are they not of the same dialect ,,,, pls i may be wrong

NO,

Modakekes speak the Oyo version of the language while Ifes speak a different dialect.

Ife dialect is unique and[b] isnt Oyo[/b]. Modakeke dialect sounds Oyo, I think.

alj harem1:

i repeat, nigeria does not need to split

all we need to do is address the issue and our differences,,,,,and talk about how to make it better

why should nigeria split when there will be new mini nigerians in our respective republics

i here others saying that oduda and biafra do you people actually think yorubas will treat igbos the same way

or do you think igbos will treat yorubas the same way when they still call themselves as [size=16pt]osu(outsider)[/size]

lets even say we form 250 nations,,,, do you know that even as small as ile-ife(oyo state yoruba) is about few square kilometre even to streets they have not yet agreed with each other

for example ife and modakeke war
this 2 group are just a street away from each other,,,they are yorubas with the same dialect but they just do not agree because of some believe ife people believe that modakeke are visitors senseless innit

yeah they are of same family of odudua and they syill fought 2003

so odudua republic is a flaw

we igbos are just jokers ;Dabout biafra when we have the arochukwus that think they are superior

niger delta/ijaw people are just pathetic of forming a republic in a 2 square kilometres of land

we northerners still need the south, if not for anything but economy or we will just be a desert with only sokoto will be good

just lets address the issue in NIGERIA instead of splitting because it does us no good or what so ever

because the same problem affecting us in nigeria will affect us in this republics that we form

The highlighted is false
Everything else, incoherent as it may seem, I agree with

alj harem1:

 i am half igbo half kanuri,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,my name is Alhaji Abdulharem  ;Dciroma so why do you call me tribal to my own people ,,,all i do is correct them so they just use there brains and not use "we igbos will defend ourselves even if we are wrong"  i am igbo but i will not defend my people if they do something wrong unlike some posters here

Idiot Modinga

What do you call that?

Pornodude:

OK AS A TRUEBLOODED NIGERIAN I AM I AM GOING TO ANALYSE NIGERIAN TRIBES FOR YOU GUYS A BIT. I AM SPEAKING FROM MY OWN OPINION AND I DONT SEEK TO HURT ANYONE. I MAY BE RIGHT OR WRONG BUT ITS MY OPINION.

IBO PEOPLE= KIDNAPPING AND 419

YORUBA= YAHOO YAHOO, PROMISCUITY(HAVING MULTIPLE CONCUBINES AND MATES EVEN IN MARRIAGE)

HAUSA PEOPLE= RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE (BOKO HARAM) AND ILLITERACY

NIGER DELTA= MILITANCY AND KIDNAPPING

WHICH IS THE WORST SIN?

Ibo people = Kidnapping and 419. Only the worst human beings do such abominable acts

With yahoo, yahoo, you are still using your brain somewhat!

Ymodulus:

@POSTER your Sarcasm is just like every other Yoruba illiterate. Well am not an IGBO, neither am i hausa or Yoruba. But i think Yorubas are just[b] to[/b] lazy to get a job, all they do is arrest the average man, and bring out their thugs, so far i know from the last rating Yoruba is the most silly tribe in nigeria

Your people will never be relevant in Nigeria.
You call Yoruba Lazy? How did we become so powerful in nigeria?

Think before you type, Oloshi! oloriburuku.

You will die before your parents!
Amen!

Whose fault is it that we speak English the way we do?


What can we do to make it better?

[flash=400,400]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5o7JgF82UI?fs=1&hl=en_US[/flash]

Mobinga:

See this Arrow. What sarcasm is hinted there? Quit displaying your lunacy on every thread.

Didinrin
Try reading between the lines
After going through your previous posts, i doubt you can do better than ask stupit questions?

For once, try using that plasma-like substance located in-between your ears; there is a reason God put it there

Mobinga:

What happened to your tribalistic side?

Ode!

It is called Sarcasm. . . he is being sarcastic

Tippy Top:

@op
Please take kobojunkie and bkbabe with you thanks.

I agree
Kobojunkie should be declared personae non gratae in Nigeria and NL!

olumajek:

Whatever you may say to condemn OBJ, one thing will never change: He had done his part, do yours. The irony you don't want to know is that, if some of these people posting comments like these are given the opportunity to lead Nigeria under similar circumstances, they will fail woefully! If you want to be a leader, learn to appreciate your leaders - good or bad.

To cap it up, everything may happen to this country. But surely, one thing WILL NOT HAPPEN: Atiku will never, ever win an election in this country again. That is for sure. I by any chance, Jonathan loses the primary to him, we will give our vote to RIBADU or Pat Utomi. Watch Out!

Thanks for speaking on our behalf!

I have no mind of my own.

notcorrupt:



   Cocaine ke, God forbid.

Abuja is too boring, Lagos is my type of city, chaotic but hustling and bustling.

Also I am not one to be too particular on comforts, security though is a must.

Thanks,

Great puna-ni too, very cheap as well!

17 years after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election, I ask a question that Nigerians rarely ask, and will never know the answer to.

The facts of the annulment are well known. After the painstaking eight year conduct of a “transition programme” to return Nigeria to civilian democratic rule after 9 years of military rule, the then military government led by General Ibrahim Babangida voided the results of the June 12, 1993 election that was supposed to herald the return of democracy. That act added the word “annulment” to the standard Nigerian vocabulary. Although the full election results were never disclosed, everyone knows that Moshood Abiola won. However, given his antecedents, background and temperament, would Abiola have been a beneficial President for Nigeria?

ABIOLA: FROM RAGS TO RICHES

The story of Abiola’s life is a classic rags to riches story that could be a Hollywood film. He was born into poverty in a large family. He eventually attended the famous Baptist Boys High School in his home town of Abeokuta, in Ogun State. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is another alumnus of that school. After training as an accountant, Abiola made his name and riches when he joined the telecommunications company ITT. Abiola eventually became the chairman of ITT and via series of cordial relations with key army officers, Abiola amassed so much wealth, influence and fame that he once boasted of being the richest African on Earth.

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

Two of Abiola’s closest military friends were then Minister of Communications Brigadier Murtala Muhammed and Lt-Col Ibrahim Babangida (Inspector of Recce). Abiola met Babangida when Abiola was selling radio systems to the military. Babangida was sent to evaluate the quality of devices being sold by Abiola. Abiola also met Brigadier Muhammed after bravely confronting Muhammed over a series of debts owed to Abiola’s company by Muhammed’s Communications Ministry. The normally fearsome and ruthless Muhammed was impressed by Abiola’s courage and the two struck up a friendship. With Babangida and Muhammed eventually becoming Heads of State, Abiola exploited his relationship with them to secure extensive patronage via contracts with the government and became spectacularly rich in the process. His business empire grew massively as did his bank account balance, number of wives, concubines and children.

With his perpetual wealth ensured, Abiola turned to politics and joined the ruling party, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). The NPN had an elaborate zoning system for the distribution of government portfolios – including the presidency. Since the presidency had been zoned to President Shagari (from the north), Abiola assumed that when President Shagari’s term of office expired, the NPN would zone the presidency to the south, and he would be allowed to run for President. He was wrong. His presidential ambition was rebuffed by the powerful Minister of Transport Umaru Dikko who told him that “the presidency is not for sale to the highest bidder”. Abiola “retired” from politics soon after – totally exasperated with the NPN.

ABIOLA’S REVENGE

He would have his revenge. Abiola had a massive publishing empire was used to launch frequent vitriolic attacks on President Shagari’s government. Babangida went further in unequivocally confirming Abiola’s role in financing a coup plot against Shagari and using his influence to destabilise Shagari’s government.

President Shagari was overthrown in a military coup on December 31, 1983 and replaced by a military government in which Abiola’s friend Babangida was Chief of Army Staff (number 3 in the regime). Less than two years later Abiola was at it again and financed another military coup which eventually led to his friend Babangida becoming Head of State.

THE IDEAL PRESIDENT?

Abiola’s wife Simbiat was opposed to his involvement in politics. However after she died in 1992 Abiola returned to politics and ran for President in an election stage managed by his close friend Babangida. As a southern Muslim (the religion of the north) and who was a close friend of the Head of State, an Abiola presidency seemed a virtual certainty.

As results began trickling in, it became obvious that Abiola was headed for a landslide victory. He even defeated his opponent Bashir Tofa in Tofa’s home state of Kano. For the first time Nigerians voted across ethnic and religious lines as Christians voted for a Muslim, and northerners voted for a southerner. However something went very wrong. On June 23, 1993 the election was annulled and Abiola was denied the presidency. Five years later Abiola was dead, having been incarcerated for treason for declaring himself the rightful president.

HOW WOULD NIGERIA HAVE BEEN UNDER “PRESIDENT ABIOLA”?

So what would have happened had the election not been annulled and had Abiola ruled? A powerful hard line faction in the military bitterly opposed his candidacy. Babangida later said that had Abiola become President, he would have been overthrown in a violent military coup within six months. The then Director-General of military intelligence Brigadier Halilu Akilu was quoted as saying that “Abiola will be President over my dead body”. Other officers in the regime such as General Sani Abacha and Brigadier David Mark (current Senate President) promised to overthrow or even kill Abiola if he became President. With such opposition to him in the army, an Abiola presidency would almost certainly have led to new round of bloody coups and counter-coups that would have given the military a pretext to retain power. Nigeria might even have still been under military rule today.

But what if the military had supported Abiola? Would an Abiola presidency have been good for Nigeria? Abiola did not win the June 12, 1993 election because he was a massively popular candidate. He won and was adopted as an unlikely symbol of democracy by a public that was desperate to rid Nigeria of increasingly corrupt and authoritarian military rule. To the public, any candidate was better than the military. Olusegun Obasanjo warned that “Abiola is “not the Messiah that Nigerians are looking for”. How (in)accurate was Obasanjo’s assessment of Abiola?

WAS ABIOLA THE “MESSIAH”?

Having come from a poor background Abiola was extremely generous to the poor and made grandiose charitable donations. These took the form of bulk buys of rice and tinned milk, to constructing new wings in universities. He also awarded several hundred scholarships from his own personal fortune. Abiola made such gestures country-wide and did not limit them to his own ethnic or geographic group. He had contacts and friends across all ethnicities and regions of the country.

It was also hoped that Abiola’s stupendous wealth meant that he was rich enough not to be tempted to loot the state treasury. As a rich multi-billionaire southern businessman, who adopted the religion of the north and had extensive local and international contacts, the perception was that if Abiola could not govern, no one could.

ABIOLA – A LADIES MAN?

However Abiola had many weaknesses which might have proved his undoing had he become President. His first and foremost weakness was for female flesh. His appetite for women was such that over a decade after his death, not even his own family is aware of how many wives and children he had. Educated estimates put the number of his wives somewhere between 25 and 40, and children anywhere between 85 and 120. He also had a number of concubines. Such a complicated personal life could have proved embarrassing and destabilising for a President in the public eye and would probably have occupied several column inches for gleeful tabloids.

Although from humble origins, in adulthood Abiola was no firebrand political reformer and he was unlikely to rock the boat or risk physical challenge. In many ways he was part of Nigeria’s corrupt elite and a government led by him would have continued with business and corrupt dealings as usual. His emergence as a presidential candidate was predicated on his membership of that corrupt elite. In the end the same military Leviathan which Abiola sponsored and supported ended up devouring him.

Tpiah say something now

MzDarkSkin:

LMFAO. I wont blame you for your dunce-tivity that extra chromosome in you is to blame.

Thanks!

I am begging you with everything I have: MIND YOUR BUSINESS

Stop putting your ignorant 'mouth' into everything Nigerian: 90% of which you do not understand. And, very disgusting and annoying to read your senseless posts.

Please, I dont mean to be disrespectful, just mind your own business!