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MKO Abiola’s Son Endorses Atiku Abubakar for President

Published

7 years ago

February 11, 2019

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Aliyu Abiola, a son of the renowned democracy giant and presumed winner of the June 1993 Presidential Election, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, has endorsed the presidential ambition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as February 16 fast approaches.

Abiola expressed his endorsement in a letter titled “The truth about H. E Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Waziri Adamawa”, and made available to The Boss, where he went down memory lane, highlighting Atiku Abubakar’s selfless contributions to the emergence of MKO Abiola as the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Jos, in 1992.

He maintained that history must not be distorted or sacrificed on the altar of self aggrandizement, and urged Nigerians, especially the youths to come out in their numbers and vote Atiku Abubakar.

Describing the reason for his choice apart from the role the former Vice President played in the democratic dispensation leading to the ‘fairest and freest’ election of June 1993, Abiola said that “Nigeria needs a thoroughbred democrat not a converted one; someone that has a track record as a businessman not someone who has admitted to not having any business. Above all we need a President that understands international trade.”

Read Abiola’s full letter below:

The truth about H. E. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Waziri Adamawa

My name is Aliyu Abiola. I am the son of late Chief MKO Abiola and a student of History as well as a lover of truth.

As a man maligned, vilified and most times wrongly criticized in spite of his great philanthropy and support for worthy causes in Nigeria and across the globe, I understand the misconception and false allegations a successful man is subject to.

Having said that, I want to start by saying I have never met either H. E. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar or President Muhammadu Buhari before so I don’t want my stand to be viewed from a partisan perspective or self interest hence the title THE TRUTH ABOUT H. E. ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR, WAZIRI ADAMAWA.

I find this piece very important because we live in a country where history is optional in the Nigerian education system and in an era where opinions of most youths like myself are shaped by rumours, fake news, propaganda, half truths and sometimes outright lies. It is therefore, important we go back to the archives so we are not misled or misinformed.

I am writing this article as someone whose family has contributed immensely to the democratic struggle of this nation. However, the truth remains that every struggle comes through a process, and in a democratic setting we all know what the process is. Again, politics being a game of numbers, a man desirous of anything has to work with men of like minds to achieve his objectives.

Before the military junta of General Ibrahim Babangida cancelled the freest and fairest elections in the history of this country, my late father was the candidate of the SDP (Social Democratic Party) and that was only possible due to the support he received from H. E Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Waziri Adamawa and his PDM block during the party’s convention in Jos in 1992.

H. E. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar sacrificed his presidential and even vice presidential ambition for the late martyr and icon of democracy as my father later came to be known.

This is very important because Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is presently being wrongly portrayed as a man who is overtly ambitious and uncompromising, but history and track record shows otherwise. It is therefore necessary for men of goodwill to speak up in defence of truth and history so that a man like H. E. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Waziri Adamawa will not be robbed of his place in history or crucified on the altar of propaganda and lies.

Nigeria’s hard earned democracy is at the verge of collapse as democratic institutions are failing; court orders are not being respected even as judges are being harassed. Our population is growing at 4 per cent per annum while the economy is barely growing at 2 per cent per annum. Again, hunger has increased in the land to the extent that stealing of female underwears (pants) is now the most profitable business for our youths.

It is my considered opinion that Nigeria needs a thoroughbred democrat at this time not a converted one; someone that has a track record as a businessman not someone who has admitted to not having any business, and above all, we need a President that understands international trade as we all know that the Customs service, which Atiku has been part of, is an arm of the finance ministry which deals mostly with foreign trade.

During an interview with Charly Boy when he was asked what he feared most in life, my late father replied without hesitation or equivocation, ‘poverty’. It is for this reason that

the Nigerian youths must vote H. E Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Waziri Adamawa for president to get Nigeria working again.

Aliyu Abiola

Headline

Defence Gulps Lion Share As Tinubu Presents N58.47trn 2026 Budget to NASS

Published

13 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Eric

President Bola Tinubu has presented a budget of N58.47 trillion for the 2026 fiscal year to a joint session of the National Assembly, with capital recurrent (non‑debt) expenditure standing at N15.25 trillion.

Tinubu presented the budget on Friday, pegging the capital expenditure at N26.08 trillion and putting the crude oil benchmark at US$64.85 per barrel.

He said the expected total revenue is N34.33 trillion, projected total expenditure: N58.18 trillion, including N15.52 trillion for debt servicing. The budget is N23.85 trillion, representing 4.28% of GDP.

The budget was anchored on a crude oil production of 1.84 million barrels per day, and an exchange rate of N1,400 to the US Dollar for the 2026 fiscal year.

In terms of sectoral allocation, defence and security took the lion’s share with N 5.41 trillion, followed by infrastructure at N3.56 trillion.

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Mike Adenuga, Emmanuel Macron Hold High-Powered Meeting in Paris

Published

2 days ago

December 18, 2025

Eric

Accomplished billionaire businessman and Commander of the French Légion d’Honneur, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., GCON, CdrLH, has held a private meeting with the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

The two powerful citizens of the world held the meeting on Wednesday at the historic Élysée Palace in Paris.

The high-level engagement underscores the longstanding relationship between Dr. Adenuga and the French Republic, as well as his continued relevance in global business and diplomatic circles.

A respected industrialist and philanthropist, Adenuga has been widely acknowledged for his contributions to economic development, telecommunications, energy, and humanitarian causes across Africa and beyond.

The meeting adds to Dr. Adenuga’s growing profile as a bridge between African enterprise and international leadership.

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Free at Last: Burkina Faso Releases 11 Nigerian Soldiers, Aircraft

Published

2 days ago

December 18, 2025

Eric

Burkina Faso has released Nigerian soldiers who were detained after their aircraft made a forced landing in the Sahelian country earlier this month, Nigerian officials said.

The release followed a diplomatic intervention by President Bola Tinubu, who dispatched a high-level delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, to meet Burkina Faso’s Military Leader, Ibrahim Traoré, on Wednesday.

In a statement, Alkasim Abdulkadir, Tuggar’s spokesperson, said both sides resolved the matter amicably and secured the release of the Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew.

The soldiers had been held for nearly two weeks after the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) described the aircraft’s landing as an “unfriendly act” carried out in defiance of international law.

The Nigerian Air Force, however, said the crew encountered a technical issue that required a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, the nearest available airfield. It said the landing complied with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.