Former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido urged President Bola Tinubu to pay ₦45 billion to the family of the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola as compensation for the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which Abiola is widely believed to have won. The call, made during a democracy lecture in Abuja, reignites debate over Nigeria’s democratic history and reparative justice.
The June 12 election, considered Nigeria’s freest, was annulled by military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, sparking nationwide protests and Abiola’s arrest after declaring himself president. Abiola died in detention in 1998 under suspicious circumstances. Lamido argued that the annulment cost Abiola’s businesses, including Concord Press and Abiola Farms, over ₦45 billion in losses, calculated from asset devaluation and lost revenue by 1998. He cited Abiola’s role in galvanizing democracy, noting that the federal government’s 2018 posthumous GCFR award and June 12 Democracy Day declaration were insufficient without financial redress.
The Abiola family, led by Kola Abiola, has long sought compensation, with a 1994 lawsuit against the government unresolved. Lamido’s figure accounts for Abiola’s $10 billion business empire, adjusted for inflation and naira devaluation (₦1,537/$1 in 2025). He criticized successive governments for exploiting June 12’s legacy without addressing the family’s suffering, including the 1995 assassination of Abiola’s wife, Kudirat, during pro-democracy activism. The call aligns with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which emphasizes justice, given Tinubu’s own June 12 activism as a NADECO member.
Skeptics question the ₦45 billion figure, citing unverifiable calculations, while supporters argue it’s a moral imperative, comparable to South Africa’s apartheid reparations. The government’s 2025 budget of ₦47 trillion includes no provision for such payments, and Nigeria’s $42 billion external debt limits fiscal flexibility. Lamido suggested a sovereign trust fund to settle the debt over five years, potentially funded by recovered looted assets. The proposal faces political hurdles, with northern leaders wary of southern-centric narratives, but it underscores Nigeria’s ongoing reckoning with its democratic past.