June 12: Finding remnants of once thriving MKO Abiola’s empire

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MKO Abiola

Backview of the late MKO Abiola’s family house in Abeokuta

MKO Abiola book shops

Entrance of the Concord Press Limited

At the heart of the MKO Gardens and standing at about 9ft 8inches tall, is the MKO Abiola Statue. Mounted on a concrete pedestal, the sculpture – made of bronze – shows a smiling Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, wearing a flowing agbada with his two hands raised above chest level.

First designed in 2003, before it was re-designed to its current state in 2008, the statue is there to remind any visitor to the place that there was once a man, who went about doing good.

Though, the statute still wears a neat and beautiful colour, it is not so with several of MKO’s business empire. A lot of them have become carcasses, while others are managing to remain afloat. Some others are waiting for another messiah like Aremo Segun Osoba, who during his reign as the governor of Ogun State, ensured that the family house on Agura Road, Abeokuta was okay.

In the last few years, the green house has fallen into partial decay from age and neglect. Once the cynosure of eyes, the building has been relegated, as other beautiful houses, have sprung up around it in the last few years.

From the main entrance, a visitor to the building will notice that the paint is caking-off fast. The wooden windows in some parts of the house are worn-out, while majority of the louvres and glasses have broken. The doors to some of the bathrooms have fallen off, while some of the walls are cracking. The house, no doubt, has lost touch with modern taste.

As if this is not enough, the household buys water from a neighboring house, as the state Water Corporation has disconnected it, due to accumulated debt. Nothing seems to be working, as promises made to the family by previous administrations in the state have not been fulfilled.

Once upon a time, the Oke-Agbo family house of the late business mogul and Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), in the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, in Oke-Ido area of Abeokuta, Ogun State, was a mecca of sort. Well wishers from all walks of life thronged the house in large numbers. Everyday was like Christmas to the household, as goodies and goodwill from MKO’s business associates, politicians and government never ceased.

Even people living in the neighbourhood counted themselves lucky, as they ‘tapped from the anointing flowing from Abiola’, especially, the infrastructural provisions from government.

But that has since ceased since the death of the philanthropist. The present state of the family house is a clear testimony that the family has been forgotten. It was obvious that the general maintenance of the house seems enormous for the people around to carry.

Head of the Abiola family, Alhaji Muhammed Muritala Olanrewaju Abiola, told The Guardian, last Thursday, that when Osoba was in government, he took over the renovation of the house.

He noted that the water supply that was hitherto paid for by the deceased and given to residents free was also taken over by government, adding that the vacuum was not felt then.

“But since Osoba left, things changed. Subsequent governors didn’t visit the house, let alone, building on what Osoba started. The entire family has been abandoned. We appealed to Daniel then to assist the family to renovate the house, he did nothing till he left office,” he said. “The water bill they promised to pay regularly accumulated and later the house was disconnected. It is the painting done by Osoba that you are seeing.”

MKO’s step mother, Alhaja Mopelola Aduke Abiola appealed to government at both the state and federal to assist the family in the area of water by either giving them borehole or offsetting the water bill to be reconnected to the water grid. She also called for help for proper renovation of the house and employment opportunities for graduates in the family who are still jobless now.

The lastborn of the house, Saburi Olaoye Abiola, who conducted The Guardian around the compound equally appealed for urgent renovation and assistance to the family.

AT the height of Abiola’s glory, he had his hands in several pies. Abiola’s concerns encompassed the gamut of banking, communications, fishing, aviation, farming, bulk delivery, real estate, publishing, and printing, oil prospecting, among others.

There was Concord Press of Nigeria (CPN), publisher of the Concord titles and over 12 community newspapers. There were also, Abiola Bookshop, Banuso Fisheries, Abiola Farms, Concord Airline, Wonderloaf Bakeries and Salawu Abiola Comprehensive High School (SACHS), Osiele, Abeokuta.

The businesses flourished and enriched the proprietor’s many pockets and bank accounts. Prior to his decision to join the presidential race in 1992, he was reported to have about 6,800 Nigerians on his payroll. This made him the largest individual employer of labour in the country then.

His foray into party politics changed everything. His otherwise flourishing businesses began a gradual, but painful descent, leaving staff and clients of the affected businesses bewildered and thoroughly dissatisfied.

When Concord Press established by the late MKO Abiola came into the media scene in Nigeria, it added some flavour to the practice of journalism. Years after its set up and the demise of its owner, many who savoured the daily content of the newspaper, cannot have access to a copy, as it is no longer available in the news stand.

What used to house the Concord Press is a shadow of its old self, when The Guardian visited the premises sandwiched between the Lagos International Airport and local terminals.

At the entrance to the compound is a giant billboard with the name of the publishing firm, Concord Press of Nigeria Limited. Though, the main gate is locked, the small one, which is left for pedestrians is not locked. Nobody checks who goes in or out.

Though, the buildings are still standing, they are gradually dilapidating, as no economic activities associated with producing newspaper is going on there.

However, there are people who go in and out of the expansive premises of the once vibrant compound. It is not for business transaction or journalists retuning from field to file in stories. They are people, majorly; those who have set up make shift accommodation. Even though, none of the occupants was willing to comment, it was gathered that after the closure of the printing press, four security guards were employed to keep watch over the remains of the once thriving business. With time, their kith and kin joined them to hibernate in the place. This it was learnt gave birth to the makeshift accommodations scattered around the premises.

When The Guardian visited, some men were playing cards, children were playing around the compound while men were seen cooking. When the business mogul launched CPN in 1980, he changed the face of newspaper journalism in Nigeria. Instantly, his newspapers became a reference points for Nigerian journalists and communication students. With hefty pay packages, the late Are Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land poached and attracted the best media practitioners to his establishment and thereby, fashioned for himself, a favourable image among his kin and across the country.

A vulcaniser, Omitogun Adisa, who said he was there when the publishing company started in 1980, said he, like make others around the vicinity, “is not happy that the printing press closed shop.”

He said, “the founder was a very generous person, who ensured that all those operating around the company smiled home, especially, whenever he came around.”Adisa added, “the patronage that came with the functioning of the newspaper is gone.”

He described Abiola as a merciful man, who liked putting smiles on the faces of people. “In fact, during Ramadan period, he usually came around to give specially to all the people operating around his printing business.”

He also recalled that in the evening, the area is always full of commercial activities, but all that is gone now. One of the legacies of the late M.K.O Abiola was his bookshop, which is still standing in Yaba. The bookshop, though still needs a few repairs, business activities are going on here.

Abiola Bookshop satisfied the literary tastes of many Nigerians. It was a worthy reference point as far as the book business is concerned. Apart from the fact that it offered a well stocked library satisfying diverse literary tastes, purchasing books from the bookshop bestowed some sense of pride and prestige on many of the patrons, especially, those that were still in higher institutions.

The Head of Operations of the bookshop, Mrs. Osarumwense Oluwabunmi, who has been in the company’s employ for over 15 years, said the bookshop cannot be compared to what it was before.

Osarumwense said, “Abiola Bookshop of then was way better, you cannot even compare the two. We are not doing so badly, in fact, some other booksellers come to buy from us and we also export our books, import newsprints and make money from our printing press, but we would have done better. Our staff strength has reduced drastically to cut cost. From 58 staff now we are just 7.”

She said, “if he were here, our books would be cheaper, because he had a vision of selling books to people at a cheaper rate, but his children obviously have a different vision.”

She also spoke on how people always believed they had folded up. “Everybody assumed we were no more in business, not until we went for a book fair at the University of Lagos and they were surprised that Abiola Bookshop still existed and that boosted our business again. If we did not own this building I am very sure, we would have closed down due to rent, but since we own it, we are going to be around for a while. Averagely, we sell N1m a month, although it is not always that good, sometimes it’s worse.”

At the Abiola International School, at Allen, Ikeja, pupils and teachers went about their activities oblivious of the legacy of the school’s founder and didn’t show signs of marking the remembrance of icon this year.

A section of the vast compound had been converted to a car park, as a gate demarcates the park from the school. Though, the school is relatively well kept, its walls showed it had seen better days.

A teacher, who pleaded anonymity, said many of the old teachers in the school, who witnessed the life and times of Abiola, have left, noting that the new teachers barely know the man or can identify with his legacy.

“I am also new here. Most of us weren’t here when Abiola was alive. But we are aware that June 12 is around the corner,” she said.
At Moshood Abiola Crescent, around the corner sits a house belonging to the June 12 icon. The Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) occupies a section of the building, while a son of the late accountant lived in the other part.

While staff at the house said they didn’t meet Abiola, a resident, who identified himself as Ahmed, said many of those residing on the street didn’t encounter the icon either.

He said, “most of the houses here have been refurbished. I don’t think many of the people here knew Abiola, except for the fact that it’s the name of the street. Some of the houses are now refurbished, meaning we have new tenants, some of whom are foreigners. So, they have lost touch with the late icon of democracy.”

The assistant head teacher of the school, Mr. Oyekunbi, said though he was not there when the school was established in April 1993, he knows that the standard of the school has not diminished, “because at the early days of the school, it was operating Nigeria curriculum. Now as means of upgrading, the school is operating the British Curriculum.”

Oyekunbi said, “these project would have been greater than this, if the founder were alive, because this centre was a temporary site, he had planned founding the secondary and university on Lagos/Ibadan Expressway before his sudden detention and death and that, off course, affected the growth of the school.”

He said the number of both students and staff was barely above 20 when the founder died but now, it has over 250 pupil and staff. “The assistant Head teacher, said the standard of the school has not in anyway reduced, but increases on daily basis,” he said. Asked if the school has any plan to celebrate the icon, he said, “no, but the school is planning towards silver Jubilee in the year 2018.”

He said, “the only regret he has is that the school has not been given much attention, as expected because of the many children of the deceased, compared with if he had only one wife. If not, they would have established a senior secondary school and a university, which was one of the greatest desire of the founder as the time of founding the school.”

A visit to Berec, one of MKO’s companies revealed that activities of truck drivers and workers are on the high. A lot of workers were sighted loading bags of cement in trucks. A resident, Alhaji Oba-Kadiri Isiaka, who has lived in the area for over two decades, said the company still belongs to the Abiola family. He noted that the family only rented out the place to three tenants, who include, Dangote Cement Deport, Bajaj Tricycle Company, manufacturer of tricycles popularly known as (keke), and a plastic chair company.

Isiaka said: “As of now, this place still belongs to Abiola, his children are always around here, especially, his son, Deji. He is the one in charge of all the warehouses. We do not know much about the agreement between the Abiola family and Dangote Group, but what we know is that Dangote Cement Deport is using one of biggest warehouses in the company to store their cement coming from Ibese, Ogun State. The trailers normally carry 900 bags of cement, but on getting here, the cement would be loaded in medium truck, which only carry 300 bags to deliver within Lagos State and its environs.”

He said, “when Berec was producing, the place was economically viable. Then, Berec was producing in full capacity with managers, technicians and even production managers, who were all part of the economic fortune of the area. But now, the place is not utilized the way it is supposed to. “I will even suggest that if Lagos State government can intervene and partner with Abiola’s family to rehabilitate the company, it will create more job opportunities in the country. It will also improve the economy of the country if people are employed.”

BORN Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola on August 24, 1937, he was his father’s 23 child, but the first of his father’s children to survive infancy, hence the name ‘Kashimawo’. It was not until he was 15 years old that he was properly named Moshood, by his parents.

MKO showed entrepreneurial talents at a very young age, at the age of nine he started his first business selling firewood. He would wake up at dawn to go to the forest and gather firewood, which he would then cart back to town and sell before going to school, to support his old father and his siblings. He was the editor of the school magazine, The Trumpeter, at the Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta. At the age of 19, he joined the National Council Of Nigeria and the Camerouns, because of its strong pan-African origin.

As a businessman, he had investments in 102 countries and as a philanthropist; he donated, in 1991 N120million to all higher institutions in the country, among others.

His financial assistance resulted in the construction of 63 secondary schools, 121 mosques and churches, 41 libraries, 21 water projects in 24 states of Nigeria, and was grand patron to 149 societies or associations in Nigeria.

As a chief, he bagged more traditional titles than any other Nigerian. Abiola had many wives including; Simibiat Atinuke Shoaga in 1960, Kudirat Olayinki Adeyemi in 1973, Adebisi Olawunmi Oshin in 1974, and Doyinsola (Doyin) Abiola Aboaba in 1981.Abiola died under suspicious and mysterious circumstances shortly after the death of General Abacha on July 7, 1998.