Late business mogul and presumed winner of the June 1993 Presidential Election, would have turned 80 on August 24 August, 2017, four days from today, if he had been alive.
Music maestro and late Ozzidi King (who later became a gospel singer), Sonny Okosuns once said this about Abiola: ”I paid a personal visit to Chief MKO Abiola at his Toyin Street, Ikeja mansion in 1983. He offered me a seat and asked, ’What can I do for you.’
I answered him that I just wanted to be his friend. But he asked me back,’You want to be my friend!Fine, but do you own a house?’. I replied that I didn’t have,and that I got an uncompleted building at Ogba, Ikeja.”
The wealthy Concord publisher then said to him: “You want to be my friend and you are living in a rented apartment. I have built houses for 67 friends’.
He gave Okosuns N50,000 cheque, to complete his building project.
It was a Habib Bank cheque, where Abiola was a co-owner. Okosuns shed tears of joy after receiving the cheque and seeing the figure on it – N50,000 in 1983! What a fabulous amount. Abiola used his stupendous wealth to help many people, both at home and abroad.
May the soul of the late Asiwaju Adinni of Nigeria continue to rest in peace.
► Comrade Bode Lawal wrote from Ibadan.