Tag: Kudirat

Before she shot into the limelight, there were many other women of substance and valour who stood for the emancipation of the society – Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Chief Margaret Ekpo, Mrs. Olayinka Rosiji, Mrs. Wuraola Esan, Hajia Sawaba Gambo, Iyaloja Abibat Mogaji, and Mrs. Jolubu Kolade.

All of them played crucial roles at various levels, leaving legacies of political emancipation, women liberation and empowerment.

Alhaja Kudirat Olayinka Abiola may have been inspired by these outstanding mothers of the nation when she chose the path of valour which circumstances forced on her.

She never anticipated that role as a housewife in a comfort zone. Yet, in contemporary times, Kudirat, wife of the late business mogul and philanthropist, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, winner of the cancelled June 12, 1993 presidential election, had no rival. She was the most outstanding woman crusader for justice, equity and fair play during the dark days of the military.

It was a delicate period when the soldiers of fortune positioned themselves against the country, whose sovereignty they were meant to protect, defend and preserve.

Her life was on the line. She was conscious of the looming danger. But she apparently believed that no sacrifice was too much to make for the good cause she stood for. She braced up for the odds. Her priority was the de-annulment of the historic poll her husband had won. But it never happened. Kudirat was assassinated while fighting for popular rule.

The poll had made her husband a national property, the custodian of the popular mandate conferred by Nigerians in a bid to liberate the country from its neo-colonial captors and oppressors.

It was an untimely death. Abiola was detained after winning a historic election. There was no free flow of communication between the wife and husband. Kudirat had a hint about the impending doom, having been alerted by diplomats from friendly countries that agents of state were after her life. On that fateful June 4, 1996, she had an appointment to keep at the Canadian Embassy. There were pressures on her to leave the country. But she was not inclined to deserting the battle.

Kudirat left her Ikeja residence with hopes. But she never got to Victoria Island for the appointment. At Oregun/Seven Up Junction in Ojota, she was gunned down by assassins.

A cenotaph has been erected at the site to remind Nigerians, both present and future generations, how her innocent blood was shed by blood-thirsty soldiers who loomed large on the country for years.

Two years after she was assassinated, her husband also died mysteriously in detention, in the hand of his tormentors. He was said to have been served a cup of tea.

It was the end. The essence of the June 12 struggle appeared to have vanished. The poll result was not upheld. The symbol also died. It was a double tragedy. When civil rule was restored in 1999, power was transferred from the military to military cronies, lackeys, confederates and majority of those who scuttled June 12.

Kudirat was one of the numerous wives of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential flag bearer. The annulment changed her status and forced her into the pro-democracy movement. Having traversed the vast country with her husband during the hectic campaigns, Kudirat was confident of victory. She felt the pains of the masses and their expectations about a new lease of life.

To her chagrin, the election results were cancelled on frivolous excuses. The reasons adduced for the annulment were obviously illogical. No basis could be found for it in history, law and politics. It was one big story of national betrayal by those who took the country for a ride. The entire transition programme towards that historic election was designed by the Evil Genius, military President Ibrahim Babangida, to fail. It ended in a fiasco.

Kudirat was not afraid of the bullet. She stood firm, unlike some other women who would abandon their husbands in the period of tribulation. It is not during a peaceful period that strength and resilience are tested. It is during a difficult time that the human capability is put on the weighing scale.

Kudirat developed a steely determination that stunned the military gang. During her husband’s absence, she filled the void. When her husband was put in solitary confinement for attempting to claim his presidential mandate, she protested. She confronted the military dictators, not with guns, but with her fidelity to the cause.Her leadership motivated other pro-democracy activists to spring up and seek the actualisation of the election.

In 1994, when the struggle got to a head, Kudirat was actively involved in sustaining the oil workers’ strike, which succeeded in crippling the nation’s economy and weakening the military government.

She was subjected to harassment. She had frictions with the courts over her stance before her eventual release on bail. Despite the harassment, she continued her campaign. She and the late Chief Alfred Rewane offered special funding for the pro-democracy activities, which unsettled the military.

When protesters were detained, she would promptly visit police stations to secure their release. On one occasion, the late Rev. Tunji Adebiyi carried a letter from Lagos-based National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) leaders to the late Pa Adekunle Ajasin at Owo, Ondo State. A stop-and-search team of policemen conducted a search on him at Maryland, Ikeja, and the “incriminating letter” was found on him.

In excitement, the police Inspector leapt for joy, saying the “heroic” act of apprehending a NADECO operative would fetch him promotion. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) was in the same mood of excitement. They took Adebiyi to the nearby Ikeja police station.

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Kudirat stormed the police division. Charismatic and courageous, the Amazon understood that the policemen wanted to use the arrest to impress their bosses and get promotion. But Mrs. Kudirat Abiola urged them to exercise some patience, assuring them that they would get better promotions under an Abiola presidency. Her persuasion led to Adebiyi’s release.

Kudirat knew she was vulnerable. She was aware of the danger her life was exposed to. She was planning to get a visa to leave the shores of Nigeria when she was killed. The sad incident happened a few days to the third anniversary of the June 12 election.

Kudirat was born in 1951 in Zaria, Kaduna State. She was the second senior wife of her husband. Her children are Yushau Olalekan, Hafsat Olaronke, Abdul Muman, Hadi, Moriam, and Khafila. At the prime of life, these children became orphans.

The killing of the Amazon later became the subject of an investigation and trial. The assassination was allegedly ordered and carried out by six men. Kudirat died in her car. Her driver also died. Her personal assistant, who was later accused of complicity in her death, was in the car but was unhurt.

Her husband remained in detention after her death. The tragic news got to him in incarceration. He was helpless. In agony,  he bore the burden with philosophical calmness. Abiola later died in suspicious circumstances. The mystery has not been uncovered.

At the time of her death, an anti-military Radio Democracy had been created and it was based in Norway. It was backed by the American, British, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian governments to help end military dictatorship in Nigeria. The radio station’s name was changed to Radio Kudirat. In 1998, a street corner in New York was renamed Kudirat Abiola Corner, despite protests by the Nigerian military government.

In October 1998, certain persons were charged with her death. It was a protracted litigation. The judicial process was slow. At the end, nothing came out of the trial.

Twenty-seven years after, the killers of Kudirat are still at large. But history will be kind to her for remaining steadfast in the face of danger until she paid the supreme price.

She is remembered for her dedication and commitment to the cause of liberty. She was a source of courage to the pro-democracy forces. Her life of sacrifice offered inspiration to other fighters for justice.

Ironically, the fruits of Kudirat’s struggles were enjoyed by many other characters that opposed June 12. As power landed on the palms of many of them in 1999, they never showed any remorse. They continued with their business as usual, wreaking more havoc than Abiola would have cleared.

Subsequent polls have been problematic. There is need to restore the sanctity of the ballot. An electoral reform is an unfinished business. The starting point should be the setting up of an electoral offences tribunal for the trial of electoral terrorists to serve as deterrent to riggers, manipulators and other felons of democracy.

For Kudirat, the name continues to haunt the conscience of her killers, their sponsors, the anti-democracy elements disguising in the borrowed robe of democracy, and the desperate usurpers of power at the detriment of the people. Kudirat lived well and died well – for a good cause. That is the mould heroines are made of.