Saturday, August 6, 2011

Inside MKO Abiola Home IV

The Abiola Graves 
These spots mark the burial places of MKO Abiola and his wife Kudirat. Kudirat was killed by assassins under the military government of Sani Abacha. They lie in front of the main house in the expansive compound. In keeping with Islamic injunctions, they are not overtly decorated but cannot be missed as one enters the compound. 
Sign for the Kudirat Abiola Corner in New York 
The signage above is a copy of that placed on New York's 2nd Avenue and 44th Street in front of the Nigerian Consulate. The corner was renamed after Kudirat in 1997 in honour of her life. The Nigerian military government fought hard to stop it (some people say Abacha spent almost a million dollars) but didn't succeed. In retaliation, the military government renamed the road in front of the American Embassy in Lagos after Louis Farrakhan Street, the controversial Nation of Islam leader. The street has since been renamed after Walter Carrington, a former US ambassador who was very outspoken in the fight to return the country to democratic rule.

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