“a Wound Finally Healing”: Jamiu Abiola Reflects On National Recognition For His Parents’ Legacy
For Jamiu Abiola, son of the late Chief MKO Abiola and Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, the journey toward national healing has been long, painful, and deeply personal. Losing both parents in Nigeria’s turbulent struggle for democracy left not only emotional scars, but also a lingering sense of injustice — a feeling that their sacrifices were being quietly erased from the nation’s official memory.
But now, decades later, that narrative is shifting — and for Jamiu, it feels like a long-overdue course correction.
🕯️ A Family’s Loss, A Nation’s Silence
Chief MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of Nigeria’s June 12, 1993 presidential election, became a symbol of democratic resistance after the results were annulled by the military regime. Detained under controversial circumstances, he died in prison in 1998 — five years after Nigerians overwhelmingly voted him into power.
His wife, Kudirat Abiola, a fierce advocate for justice, was assassinated in 1996 after leading one of the most courageous civil movements in the country’s history. For years, their deaths remained powerful yet under-recognized markers in Nigeria’s political history.
“It wasn’t just painful as a son. It was painful as a Nigerian,” Jamiu shared in a recent interview.
“For a long time, it felt like history was being written without my father’s name.”
🛑 Correcting History’s Blind Spot
The tide began to turn in 2018, when then-President Muhammadu Buhari declared June 12 as Nigeria’s official Democracy Day, replacing the formerly observed May 29. In the same historic moment, MKO Abiola was posthumously awarded the country’s highest honour, GCFR (Grand Commander of the Federal Republic) — the same title reserved for elected Presidents.
“That was a moment of truth,” Jamiu said.
“It corrected a long-standing omission and finally placed my father’s legacy where it belongs in the national memory.”
This year, the recognition extended further — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu posthumously honoured Kudirat Abiola with the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) title for her role in the democratic struggle.
For Jamiu, this isn’t just a political gesture. It’s a full-circle moment.
“President Tinubu has always stood with our family, even before it was politically convenient,” he noted.
“He was the first to publicly honour my mother back in 1999 as Governor of Lagos. What he’s doing now is consistent with that history.”
🧭 June 12: From National Movement to Regional Memory
Jamiu also reflected on how, over time, the June 12 movement, which once had broad national appeal, slowly became framed as a regional cause — mostly remembered in the Southwest.
“My father won votes from every region — North, South, Muslim, Christian,” he said.
“But after the annulment, the national recognition began to fade, and it felt like only the Southwest remembered. That was difficult.”
🕊️ From Personal Pain to National Purpose
Now serving as Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties, Linguistics, and Foreign Affairs to the President, Jamiu is channeling his personal story into national relevance.
“This is not just about the Abiola family,” he said.
“It’s about the integrity of our national history. When a country remembers its true heroes, it sends a message to future generations that sacrifice, courage, and service to the nation matter.”
While the wounds of the past may never fully heal, Jamiu sees the recent national recognitions as steps toward restoring historical truth, and reclaiming the story of democracy for all Nigerians.
“The wrongs done to our parents are being corrected,” he concluded.
“And that means everything.”