How do you feel about the announcement by the president?
I was so excited. Someone called late that evening. He was so excited. I didn’t quite hear him, but managed to inform me that Buhari had announced a posthumous honour for my father and some others. When I confirmed it. I immediately called my brother, Jamiu. He was excited. We were so excited. We have never been this happy. It was so surreal. After so long. I remember when we were coming back to Nigeria in 2007, joining the June 12 coalition and Arise. We continuously called the attention of the government to honour him. This is what my father wanted that he didn’t get. Olorun tobi! I am so happy that I got to see this while I am alive. It sends a lot of signals to the legacy of my father and to the cause of democracy. It is more like a dream come through.
There have been debates across the country especially from the senate about modalities. You have been monitoring these debates. What do you have to say about them?
Most of the reports I have seen are very positive. It is great that different organisations, the Senate and the state are fully committed to this. I know there is some rancour about the process, but that is normal. That is what they should do. There ought to be checks and balances in everything that is done in the country. I would let due process apply to this. For me it is the vindication for the sacrifice of my father and mother and countless others that were killed during the struggle. May their souls now rest in peace. This is a way for us to let all the hurt go and move on.
June 12, the day of the conferment, is some days away. Is the family making any plans?
I am not aware of most of the plans, but I know that different programmes are being organised all over the country and in Lagos State. For instance, my step-mother got an invitation from the Lagos State government. The governor wants to unveil the statue of my late father that day. I intend to be in Lagos to accept that on behalf of the family. I know that President Buhari has a plan as well. Some of my family members will be there, while I remain in Lagos for the unveiling of the statue.
How many of you are in Nigeria at the moment?
The Abiola family is big. There are about 25 of us in Nigeria at the moment. Some of my siblings and step-siblings are in America, England and all over the world. Most of them would not be here this June, but we are also making some plans to have a family reunion.
Is the reunion inspired by the current happening?
No. It is something that has been on my mind for a long time now. I have been trying to bring the family together so we can talk and move on. This is the icing on the cake. We are planning something in July, August and December.
How has your dad’s life shaped your personality?
I was at home when he was running the campaigns. Even before the campaigns, I saw when people came to him for help how he addressed every issue. He treated people with respect. I think once we start to treat people with respect we end up solving most of our problems. One thing I got from my father is humility and how to be a listener. He listened to people, he encouraged and supported them and he never enforced his will on those who came around him. From him, I also learnt to give and not expect anything in return. When, for instance, he gave you a stick, he let you go and do whatever you want with it. At the point you have made something with the stick and you want to give him something back, he normally would say, “Do what I have done for you for somebody else”.
How old were you at the time?
I was eight years old.
You were in primary or secondary school at the time?
I was in secondary school. I attended a school in Adeniyi Jones at the time. I remember I was in the 7th grade, that is Junior Secondary School 1. That was the time I started noticing girls. It was the time I wanted to start being clean. I wanted my room to be in a certain way. And it was funny because it was right at the time I was going to settle down and study (because I was very stubborn when I was a kid and my mum used to flog me with koboko) that all of these happened. I remember that I went to school one day by the time I got back my mum had been shot. Everything turned upside down. Two days later, a lot of people starting trooping into our house. My uncle, Uncle Bayo, who has been a father figure to me, was the one that got me and my younger brother out of the country. We were the only two in Nigeria at that time. He smuggled us out of the country through Cotonou [Republic of Benin]. I remember very clearly when he dropped me at the airport, he gave me about $500 to give to my sister.
After the incident, how many days did it take before you left Nigeria?
Two days. My sisters and brothers in America were really worried about our state. They sent tickets for me and brother to join them. My younger brother has remained in America since then.
You returned to Nigeria some years after.
Yes. When I was in America, because I lost my mum and dad, I was very angry. I used to act out in class. I got suspended a couple of times in school. So, my sister was like, “We are going to teach you manners. We are going to send you back to Nigeria”. It was about 1999. My brothers, Jamiu and Lekan, were in Nigeria at the time. So, when I got back coming from America, I was sent to Olasore International School in Iloko-Ijesa, Osun State. It was like in the middle of nowhere, the forest paths seemed as though they were taking me to one babalawo. So, when I got to the boarding school, I was sleeping the next morning when some guy started ringing the bell. I was thinking to myself, ‘I know he saw me sleeping’. I think that’s what happens: they wake you up in the mornings. Anyway, I kept on sleeping. He got a cane and he hit me. I was coming from America and it was like child abuse and my dad never hit me. I didn’t understand what he was doing. So, I took the cane from him and started hitting him back and I was like, ‘Do you like it? Why were you doing it to me if you don’t like it?’ He was so shocked. He called some other teachers. I got the beating of my life that day. At the end of the year, I was given a letter not to return. Afterwards, I went to Chrisland for SS2 before I went back to America.
How much Yoruba do you understand?
My mother spoke Yoruba to us. So, I understand it. It is just that it sometimes comes out with an accent when I speak, but I understand Yoruba.
What do you do now?
Since I got back to Nigeria I became the Head of Logistics at LMPC mega station in Ikoyi. My brother and I are managing it as family business. I did that till 2010. I wanted to learn how politics worked in Nigeria. I reached out to the governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. He is like a mentor to me. In 2010 I started helping out in some ways.
In other words he has been grooming you for politics?
Not necessarily grooming me. I have been learning from him and how he relates with people. I lost my dad when I was very young. So you look out for certain people you can emulate. I obviously would like to be like my father, but you need a lot of people to physically mentor you. He is one of those people. We work together from time to time. Then I started working with his son, Kabiru.
There has been a call to make MKO an ex-president. When that happens you will become the son of an ex-president of Nigeria. How do you feel about the change of status?
I have always known that my father won that election. He was fighting a good fight. In my mind I have always been the son of a president. So, nothing is going to change. The most important thing to me is that the country is moving in the direction that keeps us together. This is a pivotal moment in the country’s history. This is beyond Abiola. I keep saying that though Abiola was in front, there were so many people behind him. Some of those people are still alive and we also need to sing their praises.
The late Gani Fawehinme is part of those the president will be honouring on 12th of June. How does that make you feel?
I wasn’t much aware of his contribution, but when I got back to Nigeria in 2007 I noticed that his son was always part of my activism at that time. I call him uncle. He is somebody I respect a lot. He carries himself like his father. Every day, I pray that Allah bless the Gani Fawehinme family. His dogged stance teaches me that once you do the right thing be resolute about it because time will tell. Time is what judges our decision. I thank God that these people who paid the ultimate price, beside my parents, did not fight in vain. I said earlier that behind Abiola was a strong support that cannot be numbered. A lot of people lost their lives, a lot lost their jobs, and companies were destroyed because they wanted to follow a man to change the course of this country. This is a sign of beautiful things to come to this country. We are going to take back that mantle of the giant of Africa. We are going to lead Africa into the best years of its existence.
Do you want to run for office some day?
Not at the moment, I still want to get a second degree. I need to learn the basics as well. And if I must, I would like to start from the House of Assembly.
and then