“We wish, MKO was alive to receive this award himself”, Abiola’s Younger brother says

For the family of the undeclared winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, late Chief MKO Abiola, theirs was a bag of mixed feelings  – joy and sadness at the same time on Tuesday, over the honour bestowed on their bread winner and June 12 struggle by President Muhammadu Buhari – led administration.

The head of the Abiola  Family and younger brother of  MKO Abiola, Chief Muritala  Abiola, said they were quite but  could have been happier,  if their late brother is alive to receive the honour of  the Grand Commander of the Federal  Republic conferred on him this commemorative day of June 12, 2018.

Muritala said he was both “sad and happy.”

He made this known to reporters  at the Abiola family house at Oja Agbo, Gbagura area  of Abeokuta, Ogun State  when the state government led by the deputy governor, Mrs Yetunde Onanuga and the Secretary to the State Government,  Taiwo Adeoluwa and many interest groups staged a ‘Democracy  Walk and Rally’ from Kuto in the city centre  to the Abiola family  house where an Islamic clerics  offered prayers for the family  and for the continued peaceful repose of the soul of MKO Abiola.

The family head lauded President  Buhari for the honour but called on the Federal Government  to do more for the family and Nigerians.

He said many Nigerians are still suffering, urging the President to act urgently and alleviate the sufferings of the people.

According to him, the federal government should take care of the immediate  family of the  late politician by giving some of his children appointments, in order to perpetuate his political and democratic legacy.

He noted that the Ogun State Government had started this by appointing one of Abiola’s children,  Hafsat Abiola-Costello as a Special Adviser on Trade and Investment.

“I will say I am both happy and sad. I am very happy today for the honour done to my late brother by President  Muhammadu Buhari. But I am sad my brother is not alive to witness the honour being bestowed on him.

“Many Nigerians are hungry; things are upside down in the country.  The roads are bad,  no job, no drugs in the hospital, people are dying. I want to appeal to President Buhari to adopt some of the policies enunciated by late MKO Abiola to alleviate the suffering of the masses.

“Though Abiola was rich but we are also currently suffering what ordinary Nigerians are suffering.

“Once more, I thank Buhari for  honouring him. However, I want to further appeal to the Federal Government to go a step further by taking care of late Chief MKO Abiola’s immediate family, by giving some of them appointments at the Federal level.

“Ogun State Government  has started  doing that, as the current administration  led by Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has appointed one of his children into his cabinet.  We want the Federal Government  to also do the same.  Because we want to continue  to hear that name ‘Abiola,” he said.