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.

Inside MKO Abiola home III

 This is the Abiola study just by his room. The books have been rearranged by KIND but I do not know how much of his stuff remains in there.

Here's a letterhead of MKO's where he's addressed as Aare (Aare Onakakanfo), a traditional title that signified him as the war leader of the Oyo Kingdom.

Inside MKO Abiola home II

At the end of the passageway are portraits of Kudirat Abiola, MKO's wife. She was murdered by the military government's assassins in 1996. I remember hearing the news that she had been shot and was in emergency surgery on the radio as my friends and I were preparing for our school certificate exams. Later on the announcer said she had died due to wounds sustained in the cranium. It was highly uncertain times in Nigeria during the rule of the military. You always turned on the radio awaiting news of who had been shot or arrested. Public dissent was stifled and anyone could be the next to be invited "for discussions" at the office of the State Security Services. We lived in fear. 

The Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) was founded by her daughter Hafsat to keep alive the heroine's ideals. 

A biography of Ralph Bunche sits on one of the numerous bookshelves in the Abiola home. Less visible is one of Malcolm X and another report on state-sponsored violence in Nigeria. I believe they are not his as some of the titles were published after his death. 

Inside MKO Abiola's home

MKO Abiola's portrait on the wall was painted by Togolese  Segla Yenu in 1992

 One of the biggest experiences I've had since I started the Lagos Photo Blog three years ago is the opportunity to photograph the living quarters of the late MKO Abiola, Nigeria's icon of democracy. Abiola died in 1998 in mysterious circumstances during his incarceration by the military ruler Sani Abacha. He had won Nigeria's presidential elections in 1993 but was denied the opportunity to claim his mandate by the military. He was put in jail for treason for declaring himself president by Abacha.

I was welcomed into his expansive home in Ikeja by staff of the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) who now use it as office to propagate his ideals and his wife Kudirat's. For someone I admire, it was an intense feeling walking around his large room that had been renovated in 1998 in anticipation of his return home. Unfortunately, it was his remains that were brought to be buried in the compound.

I hope it becomes a public monument to his life soon and that people are allowed to come in to see first hand how the business mogul turned political activist lived his life. His taste for the better things of life can be seen in the bathrooms that are filled with golden accessories. His thirst for knowledge are also evident in the enormous amount of books in the house.

Abiola's massive bedroom is now used for an office by KIND

Fountain of life

This fountain is located inside the Ojota Loop where MKO Abiola's statue lies. Me thinks it signifies the renewal of life.

Abiola of Ojota 2

MKO Abiola was a philanthropist with a wide toothy laugh. It was one reason many Nigerians were able to trust him with their votes which was unfortunately rejected by the military hierarchy in 1993.

Abiola of Ojota

This is the statue of the late Chief MKO Abiola, acclaimed winner of Nigeria's freest and fairest presidential elections. This statue was unveiled in July to mark the anniversary of his death in custody 10 years ago. It was commissioned by the Lagos State government and was sculpted by Bunmi Babatunde head of the Universal Studios of Art, a fast rising art house in Lagos.

This new sculpture replaces an old shoddy representation of the symbol of Nigeria's democracy. It is 9"8in high and is located at the Ojota Loop at Ojota Lagos. Hence, my naming it Abiola of Ojota.

About 300m to this statue is the monument dedicated to the memory of his wife Kudirat who was murdered in cold blood by the former military ruler Sani Abacha. There's a previous post here