The late Chief Moshood Abiola’s former aide, Lisa Olu Akerele, spoke on the life and times of his boss and how efforts to secure his release from detention was aborted on a Television Continental Programme, Platform, anchored by SAM OMATSEYE, Chairman of The Nation Editorial Board.
Now, let us start from the latest development at the Villa when Abiola and his close and all those who fought for June 12 were recognised. Now, you were one the prominent people there. Now, give us a sense of what you observed and what happened?
Let me put it this way. To God be the glory that it happened in our lifetime. I remember when the late MOK was running, the thought for some us that time who were close was that we would work inside the villa. And I remember the late MKO told me that I would be in his domestic section as domestic adviser. So, then the thing got truncated and I found myself locked up in there instead of working there. I was a captive of Mustapha (Major Al-Mustapha) for six days before I was transferred to the SSS gulag. Then, for 25 years, we have been waiting. We’ve been everywhere trying to get the elections recognised and for the late MKO to be given the highest honour in the land. So, we’ve been making efforts and just out of the blues, 6th June, the news came and I thought it was a joke.
It was like that to me. When I first got the news, I was like, what is this? Is it real? I first ignored it.
Yes, because, coming from Saibaba himself, we knew something can come but not this way. So, I tried to get Kola whether he has heard. I couldn’t get across to him. I think he travelled abroad or something like that. Then, I now called one or two people. I called Adesina, our man there. I was told he’s away in China. So, where do I go? So, I now called somebody else. Then I saw the TV. I saw the president’s letter, signed by himself. And the first thing I did was to kneel down and say, ‘God, 25 years after. So, in my lifetime, this thing is happening.’ So, that was the reaction. So, God can be nice because we were supposed to be there as Abiola’s background men. But we got scattered. In fact, I had my own personal encounter where I was beaten, tortured right inside that place. And then, on Tuesday by the grace of God, we were there to receive this honour on behalf of the man with Kola leading us all and then, the formal recognition of that mandate. So, that day and the day after, it was like I was still dreaming. But now, the thing has sunk and it’s real deal.
You were very close to Abiola. Can you take us through some of those heady days after the elections and what happened? What was going on in Abiola’s mind when, first before the annulment, because before the annulment, there was silence?
We heard stories that the Generals were not going to let go, especially because it was planned for him to lose but the magic man won. So, it was something they could not just take on. So, somebody now called to say, and I would mention the fellow’s name. He’s a colleague. He was working with Aikhomu (Augustus) then as vice president, Irabor. He said, ‘Olu, there is something ooo. Where can we meet? ‘ I said, ‘over what?’ Because there are two divides now but the journalistic something in me said, oya’ let’s talk.
That’s Nduka Irabor
Nduka Irabor, yes. He now said, ‘go tell oga to go and dobale (prostrate) for the Generals ooo’. I said, ‘excuse me, are you drunk or something.’ He said, ‘no, he should go and dobale.’ I took the phone, I got the late MKO, Oga, on phone and said, ‘Oga, this is what I heard ooo.’ He said, ‘iro l’onpa. On si were (they’re lying. They’re mad.) That was his reaction. That was the beginning of the trauma. And then, the ABN came.
ABN, Association for Better Nigeria let by Arthur Nzeribe
Then, on afternoon, the chief called and said, you’re Abuja man, take me to Ikpeme’s house, that judge that gave the (annulment). I said, ‘is it safe?’ ‘Take me to that house.’
Who said so?
It was Abiola. He wants to see that young woman who gave that judgment to annul the election. We got the, the place was locked up.
He couldn’t get in?
Of course, the woman ran away and she died mysteriously, something like that. So, that was how it first started as if it was a joke. Then, we picked the gauntlet. We teamed up with INEC. Is it NEC then?
NEC, yes.
Then, off to Kaduna for NEC to revalidate or do the right thing.
That’s under Humphrey Nwosu?
Yes, Humphrey Nwosu. Then, the announcement by the General himself, that even though that so and so and so, there were irregularities, we knew that the dobale that that fellow said is true. So, we learnt later that he sauntered in the newsroom one day and threw one unsigned paper at the reporters.
I was in Abuja that time when Adamu brought the paper to me and I said, what did this mean. He didn’t sign it. It was unsigned. It was very curious. I had to hold my phone and call the editor in chief, Dr. Abiola and say, ‘this is what I heard.’
So, that was how it started. Until, we later had to leave town to do the campaign, to sustain the thing and then his journey back home. All these while, I was in Abuja, getting things across to him, then him asking me to meet one or two people to keep the struggle going.
Now, one thing that was interesting at that time was that at the very onset, when Abiola said, ‘this mandate, I’m going to hold on to it, there were riots and all kinds of instability in the country.’ People were saying, on June 12 we stand, on June 12 we stand. At a certain point, things seemed to cool and it looked like the civil society was on one side and they saw that Abiola was neither with them or with the military. Or they were thinking that he was going to cave in. Give me a sense of that period.
Yes, actually it happened that some politicians that I will call politricians’. You know, when I was just locked up, I was taken to the Villa. There is one gate they call Independence Gate that leads to Mr President’s office then. So, that is Mustapha’s enclosure, where he keeps his victims.
Major Mustapha?
Major Mustapha. So, I was there. I think I spent six nights. So, some men were coming in at night. Those who were shouting ‘Halleluyah’ in the afternoon, they were coming to see IBB at night. I said, ‘’Ah, what’s going on?’
These are politicians ooo
Yes, they’re the same…. I won’t mention names but in my book, I told you I have a book, I will mention the names there. So, they would come at night surreptitiously. In the afternoon, they would say, ‘On June 12 we stand.’ That’s how they confused the public not MKO himself. But all these while, I was getting these things across to MKO. And he kept saying, ‘My mandate is my mandate. It’s not my mandate, it’s peoples’ mandate and he’s not going to relinquish it. And that was what he did till the very end.
Then, there was this period when it looked like there was going to be an interim government. Shonekan came in and the he became the man in charge.
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Yes, ING, Interim National Government. What was going on that time with Abiola because Abiola said he did not associate himself with the Interim Government?
He was not even in tune with any outside arrangement besides his mandate. We thought Shonekan was with us but apparently he was with them.
With Abacha and co. Abacha was secretary
The Owu General was asking…
That’s Obasanjo
Yes. He was asking Kola some funny questions.
What kind of questions?
Has he satisfied them? Has he done this? Is it true he is close to this? He was asking Kola about whether MKO has done what was expected of him.
What was expected of him?
Well, maybe to negotiate, to dobale, to do this. It was a confused situation. But then, the thing was that MKO was not ready to negotiate.
And eventually, Abacha removed Shonekan at the ING and became the man in charge. Then what happened was that some people in the so-called progressives became part of the government. Tell us the goings-on that time
Yes, like I told you, what I saw from that place where some people would come at night and I saw some prominent men that were from the southwest. So, by the time things changed, I now saw some of the in that government. And it was a complete betrayal of the whole thing.
Some people say that Abiola’s decision was that let us sit down and work with this Abacha. Was it that they wanted Abacha’s government to stabilise a little and then the people would come, those who were there like Jakande, like Babtope, like Onagurwa and so on and so forth.
That was the bogey sold to some of them by Diya who was the go-between. But they had their original hidden agenda. So, when they stabilised a little bit, then they turned against us.
So, what did Diya tell them? What was Diya’s plan?
Diya said they should just give them a little time to clear the Aegean stable then Abiola would come and then he’d be sworn in. And apparently, it was a trap.
So, it was on that basis that all the people like Jakande and all the others, they were told to come into the government.
Yes, they got into the government and they saw the picture and they were told to get out. And they said, ‘no.’
They were told to get out of the government?
Of course, they said, ‘it is better we stay in and fight.’
Some people said it was not that. That if they left, that their lives would be in danger because they knew they were on the other side.
No, they knew it. And then because of money was moving round. And then, it’s like some people wanted Abiola out. Because to them Abiola was the only one (taking the shine). So, let them keep the man for some time. After all, Abiola met them in the game. How can it be Abiola alone? So, that’s what happened.
That’s interesting. So, did Abiola tell you anything? Around that time, Abiola was already in jail.
Yes now. They captured him like you know. The first time out in court, I’m sure Chief Abiola himself thought it was a joke. Because he thought he would get there and they would give him bail. So, the late lawyer, that is Aka Bashorun, came. He came with Kudi and the man came with just one shirt, thinking that he would come, make his submission and then they would release MKO and then go home.
Who came with just one shirt?
Alao Aka Bahsorun. He just flew in and when they got to court, the game changed. They now said, nothing like oral application, bla, bla, bla. So, that is the beginning of the end. So, Abiola got taken to Bwari, one village. When I got there and I saw where they put him, you can’t imagine somebody at that level, that height, in a pit latrine.
The place with pit latrine?
In the police station.
That’s where they put Abiola
Yes. So, I and the policeman in charge who later became a DIG, we had to go to town to go and buy 3 by 6 student foam (mattress).
Student foam?
(laughs) To bring to MKO, at least for him to spend that first night.
What was the attitude of MKO to that kind of atmosphere?
You know him now. He’s peoples man. Then there was this School of Governance put in there by Babangida, then headed by Benin professor.
Yes, Omo Omoruyi
So, the students were there, that village. So, they heard Abiola was there. So, they started trooping there. He (Abiola) now became a celebrity. That’s how they just captured him to real jail.
So, that’s why they removed him
Yes, because it was now a Mecca. So, people in town heard that Abiola is being kept in that place. So, they removed him. And that is the end.
So, you guys got that foam for him. What else did you get for him?
Tissue and Jalabia, this long Muslim (gown) that Kudi bought.
Kudi was still alive that time?
Yes, she was still alive.
Okay, when they took him from there, they took him to Kuje Prison?
Not prison. Police Station headquarters. So, that was when we now knew we were in trouble because they now brought in the dreaded bodyguards. So, for you now to see him, it’s something else. You have to be frisked.
How many of you were allowed to see him?
Well, the court appointed me the liaison officer through the intervention of Falana (Femi Falana) in court. That at least there should be someone who will have to liaise when lawyers are coming, the wives or the family. So, I got that legal cover. So, whoever is coming will have to come to me, then we ‘ll have to go to Abba, who later became IG, then the Abba will call the police commissioner, the commissioner would call Mustapha.
So, if you want to just give him, maybe toothbrush. You have to go through all these…
All these. Then we will now go to the police commissioner who would now ask for Dr. Falomo to give him medicine too.
He would ask for medicine for himself too
Of course, he knew he was bringing quality medicine for Abiola. So, he too became our patient. But that was how tight it was.
Did you get any time when you got frustrated trying to even reach him?
Oh yes. You know at a time, the court seemed upside down. The Supreme Court judges didn’t form quorum deliberately. You remember that incident?
I remember
So, to get across to MKO, we now had to devise our own means in getting across. We had to recruit some of their own men too. MKO had goodwill all over the place. So, some people had sympathy for him within the system. So, we got some people to work for us. So, we started doing communication through.
Were you able to see him?
Of course, they were moving him from one place to the other. But when you have insider there, they will tell when to move in. We go there atimes at 2am, 3am, they would be sleeping, then the man (MKO) would speak to us through the window. And then we pass (messages). But there was something dangerous I was doing then and I think I learnt it from him too.
He said that you can convey anything, any information, the moment you know what you want to talk about, you just scribble it and you can pass it on. In journalism parlance, when you use bullet points, codes. So, I would do this coding thing. I will now squeeze the paper in my palm. So, all I needed to do was just handshake with MKO. He would then stretch and put it in his pocket. So, he will now reply through our insiders. So, that was how I was able to get letters to so many people, Gani Fawehinmi, Chief Osoba, his wife. You know, some letters came out. That was the channel we were using.
When the letters were coming out, were they firing some people, were they asking questions?
They were mad but then we kept doing it. But eventually, we got caught. My driver got careless one morning. He was coming from the run, the normal run. He was going to see our man. So, they had a meeting point. Unfortunately that morning, Abacha was leaving his secret rest house. So, the cars passed by my driver. They knew my own car, the wagon. So, one of them was smart enough to spot, this is Olu’s car. So, the big man had gone so, they call them ‘Road Open, Road Close’. So it one of those ‘Road Open Road Close’ people saw the car. The boy (driver) ought to have just driven off. I think he got scared, so, he parked. So, they now went to him and they saw him, ‘oh, na you. What are you doing here? ’ He got jittery. So, they searched the car and they saw my notes. When they got the notes, they captured the boy, they carried the car, got to the house. Then, one of our friends in the house called me and said, ‘Olu, your time is up. Oya move. ’ So, the choice for me was to either run or stay. So, I considered many things. I decided to wait because MKO was still there. So if ran to America, I had two visas anyway. I had British, I had American. Too many things were involved for me to now leave. That would be like leaving the man because nobody could get that kind of network we had. So, I had to stay back. So, I was waiting for them. The commissioner called and said, ‘Olu, where are you?’ I said, ‘I’m in my house now.’ He said, ‘we want you to come and see some people. Where is your place?’ He now sent that Abba.
Did he not know your place?
Where they park two cars every night.
Just to tell the viewers. He is the one that alerted me to the fact that two cars, two SSS vehicles were trailing me around town when I was Managing Editor of Concord in Abuja. I will always thank you for that
It’s one of those things. Here we are today. If they had captured you or maimed you, would you be here today? Would I be here? No. So, let’s thank God for that. So, the Abba that later became IG came. He was the one who arrested me. Then, he arrested all the cars in the house. So, they took me there. I thought it was a joke. I didn’t know that was the beginning of the end. That was the last time I spent in freedom.
So, once they held you, there was no access to MKO
Yes.
You couldn’t access him because you were also incarcerated
First of all, I spent some days at the Villa. Then, they transferred me to SSS. Then from SSS, I started building network again. So, from there, they took me to Yakubu Gowon barracks where I had field day. They were a bit careless. In fact, I got to know the barber.
Who was working on MKO
Yes, I said that is good. Then, as providence would have it, the driver to Abacha happened to know me. He too had problem with Mustapha, so Mustapha locked him up in the same place. So, the fellow was biter. So, he told me so many things. He didn’t know he was giving me information. So, I now built more network and through that barber, I was able to reach out to MKO. So, MKO now asked the fellow to ask that man the name he calls me to be sure it’s me. The fellow came and I told him and he told him (MKO). Then we linked up again.
So, from detention, you were also connecting and working with people outside.
Yes.
What was the nature of your network?
Well, to get what people were doing outside, the NADECO people, the things people were doing, just to encourage him. Because without information, you know that kind of man. So, we were able to buoy up his confidence. So, all the harassment they were given him to either truncate the thing or leave it, the thing did not jell with him.
Now, when you were seeing him in detention, how would you describe the state in which he was?
You know he had heart problem, BP, which has been his ailment for years. And he has been managing it. So Falomo was always around to give him the medication. So, he was in good spirit because, at least he knew more than some of them knew. The question now was Abiola had goodwill. Some big men were even getting across to him. So, he was hopeful that something would happen. So, while that one was going on, I made runs to IBB to let him know that his friend was expecting him to call this thing off, tell Nigerians that we’re sorry. And then the thing would be off. And I met with IBB 16 times in Minna and he knew I had access. In fact, there was a time they had one-on-one. So, I took IBB’s number, gave it to someone to give to him (Abiola). So, we thought with that, IBB would come down and do the right thing. But he procrastinated till the very end.
What was the nature of your interaction with him? You visited with him, you had conversation. What was the spirit of that conversation with IBB?
He was trying to… you know him now.
He was charming as ever, warm
He was saying, ‘it’s not me. You see, this country is big. I’ve been everywhere.’ Of course, he kept saying the same thing. And I knew he was under pressure. The IBB we knew before the crisis was not the man I was seeing.
Now, people forget that IBB and Abiola were very chummy. In fact, when the Orkar coup happened, Abiola took his family, I don’t know if you followed him that day, to go and meet IBB to show solidarity. This was how close they were.
Yes, that was what I tried to do, that follow-up that I was doing. People know you to be friends. Why can’t you just do something, just own up, I made a mistake. But he said, ‘Generals don’t own up.’
That’s what he said
He said ‘Generals don’t own up’ and then he’s not alone in this thing. It’s a massive thing and there are patriots. You know, he would regale you with all these highfalutin.
Abiola was very human and when you’re in pressure like this, historically, sometimes, you’re afflicted with self-doubts an say, ‘do you think I should sit with these people and find a way out.’ Did you see such moments with him?
Yes, Abiola said he wrote letters to Abdulsalam Abubakar and made representations to some other Generals, Mark and visited him later, that it’s a question of sitting down to work this thing out, that they were not ready. You know they were enjoying the something now. So, they didn’t want to leave it. Then, this brings me to one we did and it’s a pity that it didn’t work out.
Okay, I was going to ask that question.
At a stage when nothing was moving on again, the Supreme Court was not sitting, it’s like the man (Abiola) had been abandoned there. Then some of his friends approached me, both in the military, retired and then civilians. They sent someone to me to meet them somewhere. Getting there, I saw an American diplomat that I knew had been coming to court. So, they now raised the issue of spiriting Abiola out of that place. And they thought it could be done.
Which was a kind of jailbreak
Yes, something like that if they could get the man. But then we need the support of then Big (Uncle) Sam, Abiola’s friends in America. So, we parleyed over it and it was decided that I should get in touch with his PA (Personal Assistant) in the US. There’s one Randy Echols. He was my opposite number in Washington. They now suggested that the man should get in touch with Abiola’s friends at the Capitol so they would work out the thing. So, they took me to a secret house (in Abuja), gave me a secure phone. Surprisingly, I was on to Randy Echols.
Where were you then? Was it the time you were still in jail?
No, it was when I came out. I was still working then. They didn’t know how serious we were. So, we got Randy and the idea was that Randy should link up with his friends over there, that’s Abiola’s friends and then with the military. There’s one ship mooring somewhere in the ocean. So, a small plane would come and land in a neighbouring town or even in Abuja. It’s a question of taking Abiola from that jail, four, five hours, he’s into the plane and then, the plane flies out. So, that was the idea. But when the thing was discussed with the late MKO through the window as usual, he said, ‘it’s a dangerous thing to do ooo.’ And that if his friends or my friends insisted, we should leave out his children and members of his family out of it because the Abacha he knew would not hesitate to wipe out his family and then the families of those people guarding him.
But we thought it is fool-proof. We thought we could do it because they were not so popular, except for those who were making money from them. So, we thought Randy Echols would do the right thing. Then, just for him to ensure he was talking to the right person, me – I had met him twice when he came with MKO to Abuja when things were going (okay) – So, I spoke to the man. I now said, for him to confirm my identity with Doyin (Abiola), our MD (Concord Press) and then Alhaji Akinteye, that’s the PA to MKO at his office.
This thing I’m going to say would embarrass some people but they just have to take it like that. Instead of talking to Doyin or Akinteye, Randy now called Wuraola Abiola, that is Kola’s youngest sibling to ask about me, ‘who is this Olu?’ Then Wura now called Agbo, the MD of RCN, ‘who is this Olu?’ Then Agbo now called Kola. Then Kola now called, ‘Olu, what’s going on? They said there is one Olu making enquiries about some things.’ I said, ‘Oh, is that so? I don’t know anything about it.’ So, I denied it. So, that was the end of the thing.
So, the word has gone out.
Maybe he (Randy) thought it’s a family thing. He should have known with experience that it’s not a tea party that we were planning. So, I went back to Oga, saying ‘so,so,so and so.’ He said he said it. He said ‘Alhamdulillah’, thank God. Because if we had spirited him out, there would have been blood because Abacha would react violently and then more people would die.
He didn’t want his family members to know about the plan so that their innocence would keep Abacha away from them.
Yes, because the plan then was that if were able to get MKO out, those staffers around him would go with us, me too I follow. It had to be a clean sweep.
That means you would have just gone too because if you were around, you’d be gone
So, when the thing now failed, then we said ‘it’s from God.’ So we dropped the idea.
You were also fortunate that nobody knew that that plan ever happened at that time because even if the family…
They (family) didn’t even know the details. The details, I’m saying it now. Nobody knew the details.
But they knew that something was going on with Olu
Randy called Wura. Wura called Agbo. Agbo called Kola. Kola asked me and I said nothing. So, I went back to the big man and he said, ‘thank God it didn’t work out.’
He didn’t even let even a scintilla of the idea to go out because that would have been fatal
You know the man (Abacha.) So, that was how far we got.
But you give the impression that Abiola was not too sure that he wanted it or not
No, he didn’t want to go.
He didn’t want to go?
Yes.
But if you guys insisted
It was we who, I think, they were asking me to pressurise him. And I thought I was doing my job to get him out of that place. But now, he now opened my eyes to the larger picture – my family and the family of those people around him – their villages, their men. That man (Abacha) would roll the tank all over the place. So, if he now comes out as president, over the dead body of his own children? So, when we say the thing has flopped, he was happy.
That was interesting. Now, tell us, many people talk about Abiola. Abiola grew up a poor man. He was dirt poor. He used to talk about dancing in order to get balls of eba and amala to feed his family. What kind of person was the Abiola you interacted with?
Well I should put the question back to you because you interacted with him.
Not as much as you did
Yes, but for me, that was like there was never an Abiola before I knew him. And there would never be anyone like that. The only person close to him, you know him. I won’t mention his name. So, the question now is a good man would come once in a while. God sent him here and he did what he had to do and he left. He affected lives and he made things happen. For him, there is no problem. When they said he was not going to win, he said, what are they talking about? He said, ‘let’s start the game joor, you will see.’ He said he’s going to beat Tofa in his village. And he did. That’s the kind of spirit he had. For me personally, I met him as a chief correspondent.
A chief correspondent in Sokoto
In Sokoto, yes. I did something innocuous and he took it big.
I always tell a story which I put in my column of a story I did about a Lebanese family in Apapa who were displaced, they were suffering and I wrote it in African Concord. And two weeks later, somebody from the family came to thank me for bringing the story to the attention of Abiola. I said, I never brought the story to the attention of Abiola because they were rehabilitated. Everybody of the family was taken care of and they were thanking me. Abiola never called me. He just read the story and found out where the family was and rehabilitated.
That’s why I said you’re in the position to describe him. I was a bloody chief correspondent when the NPN (National Party of Nigeria) people were to hold their convention in faraway Argungu village. So, they were all there. He was there as chairman of Ogun NPN, I think. And then, I think the late Alhaja Simbiat, that’s Kola’s mum, was the vice chairman. So, they were there together with the secretary, one Lawal. So, they gave us a press village. So, we were there and then you know, for Concord people then, we were the only reporters with cars. And I had a brand new Beetle. So, I drove my car to his place to go and greet the big MKO, my publisher. So, I met him discussing with the late (Shawu), minister for communications. So, immediately he saw me, I said I’m so, so and so. He said, ‘oh, my friend.’ I said, ‘who is your friend? Your employee.’ He embraced me. Then, I said, what kind of thing is this? Who is your friend? Can you see the connection. The next thing, he said ‘Mummy’
That’s Simbi
Our staff is here. Our man Olu, as if…
You had known each other
I now went to greet ‘Mummy’ and then ‘Mummy’ was worried. She was looking for something. Then I said, ‘mama, Se ko si ooo?’ What is the problem ma? She said, ‘oh, those kids who packed the luggage, she left their toothbrush and toothpaste. And then, the laundry people were not answering them because they had to iron their dresses for the convention night. I say, ‘wetin I dey do?’ Mama, bring the cloth jare. He said, ‘where iron?’ I get iron for journalist village now. I sauntered down, brought the iron, then I brought a colleague of mine, Bisi Adekunle of New Nigeria. We went there. So, I now said, ‘Bisi, please iron the clothes, let me go and buy toothpaste and toothbrush.’ That was the beginning. I did it. The man was dressed up, he was looking at me. Then Mummy told him all that the other fellow did. So, the following morning, they were now going for the convention. They brought his big Mercedes for chairman. Then, he now said, he’s driving with Olu in his Beetle. I nearly lost my steering. I mean, you can imagine your Publisher abandoning his Mercedes. Then, the Lawal, his secretary, said, ‘Chief, that’s Beetle.’ He said, ‘ehen, so your own Mercedes has eight tyres.’ I drove him to the venue. So, I became star.
For driving the great MKO
And that is a reporter driving publisher in that kind of place. So, when he now got down, he went to see Shehu Shagari to shake. You can imagine a Beetle in the midst of all these dignitaries. That was the beginning of the long lasting friendship. So, when I was going to get married, it’s like leaving my village to go to big man’s place to marry in Lagos. So, he was in Sokoto with Dele Giwa and co and I told him, I dey go do marriage ooo. He said, ‘where?’ I said so, so, and so. He said these are my friends. When is it? He said, ‘we’ll be there.’ Then, he gave me a bundle. I won’t tell you (what he gave). I said ‘ah.’ And he came. He came and (on) all the tables, he dropped something.
