•What I’ll tell Tinubu if I meet him today
By Christy Anyanwu
Dele Momodu is a journalist, businessman, politician and publisher of Ovation Magazine.
In this interview with Saturday Sun, he reminisces on the life of the winner of the June 12 1993 presidential election, late Chief MKO Abiola, what shaped his way of life, and lots more.
Do you think enough has been done to honour the late Chief MKO Abiola?
I believe it’s a continuous process. Much has been done and, most importantly, he’s been recognised as the winner of that landmark election of June 12, 1993.
There are much more that can be done considering the fact that the biggest beneficiaries of the sacrifice of his martyrdom are busy naming everything after themselves. And we are waiting for the day when they will name something substantial after him.
What do you think should be done to immortalise the unsung heroes of June 12?
For me, it’s not about personal recognition, but what have we done with the democracy? We just say democracy, democracy, but we have virtually flittered it away. Today, what we are witnessing is a sad reminder of what we witnessed under the military. We’re captured by a few individuals.
So, I’m not worried whether people are recognised or not, I’m more interested in what we are doing to our democracy. Is it right, is it wrong? Personally, I believe a lot is going wrong and it is for those of us who are comrades of some of our leaders in power, today, to remind them that they should not waste this democracy. That is the only thing that concerns me right now.
Nigerians are hoping that with democracy, there will be peace, there will be tranquillity, the economy will improve, there will be good education, our infrastructure will improve nationwide and there will be unity.
But today, some southerners are insisting that the northerners don’t have a right to contest election because it has to be in rotation. On June 12, Abiola contested, his running mate was a Muslim. He won election in different parts of Nigerian and nobody could fault that election that it was rigged. But today we have reversed all that achievement, and that is very unfortunate.
So, the best recognition we can give Abiola and other martyrs who suffered for democracy is to ensure we keep democracy alive and make sure we banish poverty.
Remember Chief Abiola’s manifesto at that time was Farewell to Poverty. But what we have now is Welcome to Poverty.
What are some of your fondest memories of Chief MK0 Abiola?
If I have to go through all that, you will probably use all the pages in the Saturday Sun.
Chief MKO Abiola was an exceptional and phenomenal human being. I gained a lot of inspiration from him. He inspired me endlessly. He was a father figure to me and he declared publicly that I’m his adopted son. For me, that was a privilege I will never take for granted.
Before I take certain decisions, I will ask myself, what would Chief MKO Abiola have done? How would he have done it? Even if you look at my television interviews, the way I speak with idioms with proverbs, and all that, that was what I took from Chief MKO Abiola.
My Agbada, my cap, everything, I tried to look good at all times because he believed in good presentation. Your appearance must be good at all times. But my fondest memory was in 1992.
He was being given an honorary degree at the then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University and it was December 12th, at Oduduwa Hall.
I remember travelling from Lagos to Ile-Ife to attend. He arrived in his limousine, and, of course, everybody gathered around him. When he saw me, he pulled my ear (you know he stammered) and mentioned my name
I greeted him, I prostrated like I would to a father. He pulled my ear again and he asked, ‘why haven’t you come back to see me?
I told him I would see him in February.
‘But your wedding is next week’, he said.
“Yes, sir,” I replied. “I already informed you and you promised to be at the reception. We’ have decided to make you the chairman of the occasion.’
He smiled, pulled my ear again, and said, “That’s not what I’m saying. You will need some cash for the wedding.’
I find it difficult to ask for money. I can count the number of times I have asked people for favours. I will be dying like this and will not know how to ask for favours.
‘Come and see me tomorrow morning,’ he said. He said he would give me N50, 000 naira. At that time, that amount was like N50 million.
We then entered the Oduduwa Hall, the late Ooni of Ife was there, Dr Mike Adenuga jnr and so many other dignitaries were present. Chief MKO Abiola was moving from seat to seat, as he always did—even while flying abroad, he would move from seat to seat greeting fellow Nigerians. He was thoughtful and deeply caring.
Then he came back to me and asked, ‘Dele one, do you think N50, 000 will be enough?’
I replied that it would be more than sufficient.
‘If you don’t want it,” he teased, “I’ll make it N80,000.’
I was speechless. N80, 000 in 1992!
Dr Mike Adenuga also saw me and said I should go to his office, that he had already left instructions for them to give me some money. I slipped out of that place and went back to Lagos. I couldn’t sleep all night.
The following morning, I went to Chief MKO’’s house. To my amazement, they said he had flown to Kano. President Babangida’s ADC had just lost his father or his mother, I can’t really remember.
I went to Concord Airlines at the airport to track his return, and by 3 p.m, I was already waiting at the airport. When he landed and saw me, he apologised and said I should follow him home. He asked if I brought a car and I said yes. I drove behind his convoy.
At his home, there were so many people there. After some time, he called me into a room and handed me an Equatorial Trust Bank carrier’s bag. And he said, ‘that’s the N50,000. I owe you N30, 000. If I give you everything, you will blow it.’ That was how he helped me save that N30,000.
You won’t believe about three months later, he sent me on another errand. When I returned, he said, ‘Ah, I remember I still owe you N30, 000.” He wrote a cheque on the spot, Habib Bank cheque, and handed it to me. That moment is forever etched in my memory.
On the day of the wedding, we waited at the reception, we didn’t see him. Chief Gani Fawehinmi was there, Chief Alex Akinyele, and so many other dignitaries were present. We had to appoint Chief Alex Akinyele as impromptu chairman. Of course, such an orator, he did so well. Everybody had fun at the end of the ceremony. This was in Ijebu Igbo. My father-in-aw was the Attorney General at a point in Ogun State, Chief Abiola Adaramaja. We went to Ijebu Igbo where Chief Chris Funlola Okunowo had given us their very beautiful magnificent palace for the night. So, we were going to pick the bride according to Yoruba tradition from her father’s home. By the time I came back in the evening with my friends, you will not believe it as we were driving into the Adaramaja compound in Ijebu Igbo. Who did we see? Chief MKO Abiola was already in the place. He asked me, ‘where are we taking our wife’? I said we are going to Ijebu Ode. He said he would go with us.
It fell around the 40th day of the death of his beloved wife, a woman of substance per excellence, Alhaja Simbiat Abiola. (You know Muslims don’t joke with things like that). But he came, and his son, Kola Abiola too came. For me, that was one occasion I can never forget. I think it’s the sweetest memory. There are other memories, of meeting him in London by chance and he gave me 4, 000 pounds just like that. He opened an account for me. His life was just incredible. Let’s just live it like that.
From selling bread to becoming a public figure… Did you envision this trajectory?
Not at all. I remember I was a child of prayers, a child of destiny, a child of prophecies. I was born into an Aladura church, my parents are prayer warriors and there were predictions after predictions. As young as I was, I remember I was about seven and my father died when I was 13 in 1973. There were prophecies but I don’t know how the prophecies would have come to life because where I was born, the circumstances of my birth, my background, my education, studying Yoruba in the university, my highest dream was to be a lecturer, be a teacher, marry a teacher and live happily ever after.
Apparently, God has a plan for me. At some point, I tried to read law. I couldn’t gain admission into reading law. I never expected what is happening.
The story of bread selling was a dramatic one. After I lost my job as the editor of Classique Magazine, I knew a lot of people would be asking me questions, so what are you doing now? The most agonising thing about employment is people asking you what are you doing and you cannot respond or still saying I’m still searching for a job.
Just to occupy that space, I decided to be melodramatic by telling everybody I’m a bread seller. It wasn’t that I was making a lot of money from bread it was just to shut up the mouth of enemies who would have thought my life was over.
Growing up, what were those life experiences that shaped you?
I think what shaped me was the sudden death of my father in 1973. I was about entering Form 3 in my secondary school then when it happened and my life just changed immediately. We were chased out of the house we were living in and we had to go and stay with my cousins, the Oyemades in Modakeke. I grew up partly in Modakeke. At some point, I had to be an errand boy at CSS Bookshop at Ile Ife. I had to be a village teacher, I had to be a library attendant at the University of Ife. I did all sorts of menial jobs just to keep body and soul together because my mum was an illiterate woman and without a husband, what could she have done? So, we have to manage ourselves. But God answered her prayers. She died in 2007. I miss her everyday.
What valuable lessons have you learnt about life?
Whatever you can’t change you try your best. Work very hard, work very smart. If what you are chasing is possible, thank God and when you have tried everything and still can’t get it, accept it. I sleep very soundly, even when I’m troubled or worried. But I’m hardly troubled. Anybody who knows me calls me Galatian. You know they say Galatians don’t think, and they don’t worry. I think I’m a Galatian. Contentment.
That’s why people are shocked. They are asking, how come you are not in APC? I thought Tinubu is your friend. I tell them, I place my religion above friendship. My religion is above friendship. There are things I just couldn’t do. I think I always travel the road less travelled. I think that is the way to describe it.
You are a renowned traveller. Which country is your favourite?
The country I will never be tired of is in Africa. And that country is called Republic of Ghana. That’s my favourite country on earth when it comes to travelling! You can hardly find me in any country for more than one week. Since I returned from England, I’m always travelling. Every three, four days, I’m on the move. The man I like to emulate and I wish I have his capacity is former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He travels so much and I’m always wondering how Baba does it at his age. I don’t know how Baba does it. He’s almost 90 years. He keeps going and I keep going. I’m 65 and I still feel 35. God has been so good to me.
Ghana, I love so much, good food, peace and security. You’ll see the contentment in them. No country is perfect, no people are perfect, but I love Ghanaians and they love me. I have had relationships virtually with all the Ghanaian leaders, from President Jerry Rawlings to the current president
If you meet with President Tinubu today, what advice would you give him?
I’ll first tell him and remind him that only God could have made him president. What Chief Abiola could not get, what the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo could not get, he got in his first attempt. What is greater than that and it’s only God that could have done that. I will beg him not to place his faith in the hands of any man. Because what I’m seeing right now, it is not some governors, some former governors, some ministers that will help him retain his office in 2027. My advice to him is, do your job and leave the rest to God. You don’t need these guys; they are deceiving you. They are lying to you. And when tomorrow comes you may regret it. These guys are toying with the democracy that a lot of people suffered and died for. It’s unfortunate what they are doing with our democracy.
Everywhere is topsy-turvy at the moment, and I don’t know why.