Nearly two decades after the death of Moshood Abiola, in spite of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and despite strong national and international interest in his death, the circumstances surrounding Abiola’s death remains a mystery
Nigerians voted for Chief MKO Abiola en-masse and he won the election; the government of General Babangida aided by unscrupulous elements like Daniel Kanu, Nzeribe, Chukwumerije, Ibekwe Ofonagoro etc denied Nigerians their thirst for change
Shortly after the death of Abacha, General Olusegun Obasanjo was released from prison where he was serving a 10-year term for allegedly trying to overthrow Abacha’s government. Shortly after this, Abiola died. And shortly after this Obasanjo was paid a private, but well-publicised, visit by General Ibrahim Babangida.
The Day Chief MKO Abiola's body arrived his home after 4 years in detention!Chief Abiola died in the military detention in 1998Watch!
Posted by Maiyegun's Diary on Wednesday, 20 January 2016
Video: Thanksgiving service to celebrate General Olusegun Obasanjo's release from prison in 1998Chief Obasanjo was sentenced to death by a military tribunal for treason. After the death of General Sanni Abacha, Chief Obasanjo was pardoned and released by the Abdusalam Abubakar Military regime. Watch Baba and his family celebrates his freedom after 3 years in prison. Video Credit: Associated Press (AP) & Abiyamo TV
Posted by Maiyegun's Diary on Thursday, 21 January 2016
The Day Chief MKO Abiola's body arrived his home after 4 years in detention!Chief Abiola died in the military detention in 1998Watch!
Posted by Maiyegun's Diary on Wednesday, 20 January 2016
The visit was to welcome Obasanjo back from the shadows of death and to persuade him to stand election for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This was long before the future ruling parties were formed. After a period of “indecision”, “consultations” and “prayers”, during which professional persuaders went to work, Obasanjo agreed to seek election. It was not surprising that Obasanjo later joined the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) given that all those who played critical roles in the politics of releasing him and persuading and assisting him to run for the presidency were all in PDP. He ran for the presidency under the platform of PDP and won. The rest of the story is known.
Video: Thanksgiving service to celebrate General Olusegun Obasanjo's release from prison in 1998Chief Obasanjo was sentenced to death by a military tribunal for treason. After the death of General Sanni Abacha, Chief Obasanjo was pardoned and released by the Abdusalam Abubakar Military regime. Watch Baba and his family celebrates his freedom after 3 years in prison. Video Credit: Associated Press (AP) & Abiyamo TV
Posted by Maiyegun's Diary on Thursday, 21 January 2016
Please understand that:
– Abacha died June 8
– Obasanjo was released June 15
– Abiola died July 7
So we will need to know whether:
– IBB’s well-publicized visit to OBJ was between June 15 and July 7 or AFTER July 7
– if IBB paid a SECRET visit to OBJ (outside of the well-publicized one, if AFTER July 7).
So that early after Abacha’s death the issue of successon was already on. And once the new military Head of State took office, the issue of the civilian successor began. By the time OBJ left prison, the soldiers had their sights on him to be the new President. Obasanjo knew as he was leaving Prison that he would tke Abiola’s prize. The only problem was what to do with Abiola. Something was done”.- Tony
Pickering said in an interview with CNN that Abiola halted the meeting after a few minutes, “asking to restore his thoughts. He took tea and had trouble breathing.” A physician was called, Pickering said, and Abiola was taken by car to the clinic that serves the country’s military leadership. Doctors worked for an hour and a half in an unsuccessful effort to save his life, Pickering said.That suggestion sparked anger among many Yorubas committed to seeing his 1993 election finally implemented. The fact that Abiola died without stating his position publicly “greatly complicates the situation,” Emma Ezeazu, head of a Nigerian group called Democratic Alternative, said by telephone from Abuja.
Some of Abiola’s supporters immediately voiced suspicions that he may have continued to resist the military’s conditions and had been poisoned. “We are all stunned,” said Ezeazu, referring to the broad and often fractious political opposition movement. “Of course, under these circumstances, people … suspect that he might have been killed.”
In an effort to forestall such suspicions, the government immediately offered to conduct an autopsy, as Pickering had urged. Abiola’s family asked that it be conducted “by an independent entity along with the family physician,” said Randall E. Echols, Abiola’s Washington-based lobbyist. Reports from Abuja indicated that the government had agreed.
THE last moments of the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola were relived publicly for the first time by the man who should know at the Oputa panel: Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Theodore Bethnel Zadok, who for the two years preceding the chief’s death was in charge of his security and welfare in government custody.
He was testifying at the Oputa panel sitting in Abuja where former DMI boss, Brig.-Gen. Ibrahim Sabo also alleged massive looting of public funds by top officials of the Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Zadok in his evidence-in-chief at the hearing of the petition by Abiola’s first son, Kola and physician, Dr. Ore Falomo, related how he was apparently handed away from Chief Abiola, and by the time he returned to him, he had been offered tea, only to be a few minutes thereafter.
Reading from a prepared text, the police officer said: "I was posted to head the detention base of Chief M. K. O. Abiola with about thirteen (13) body guards under me. and since the day I took over the duties of the detention camp of Chief M. K. O. Abiola I was responsible for collecting the sum of N800,000 (Eight Hundred Thousand Naira) quarterly from Major Hamza Al-Mustapha to the commissioner of police FCT command Abuja for his feeding. That is three times a day subject to what the wanted to eat. I also took care of his health by seeing the Doctor any time he complained of any illness. In view of this he never ate any food or drink any thing without me tasting it first before giving it to him to eat or drink.
"I always collected some money from the Chief Security Officer Major Hamza Al-Mustapha to buy toiletry fruit drinks, bedding and water.
"The Chief Security Officer Major hamza Al-Mustapha ordered me to give Chief MKO Abiola Koran and Bible for reading and I used to collect some money from the Chief Security Officer to buy some newspapers and magazines for the chief to read, and also give the chief some plain sheets for anything he might wish to write. My lord, Chief MKO Abiola never believed that I was a Security man who came to guide him but a son who came to take care of his father. I will like to support this statement with a written note written to me by Chief MKO Abiola.
"Before General Oladipo Diya’s coup attempt, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, on the 10th of December, 1997 ordered me to take Chief MKO Abiola to any safe place, preferably the commissioner of police guest house at Wuse. And after the said failed coup attempt Major hamza Al-Mustapha ordered me to move Chief MKO Abiola from the commissioner’s guest house to Kado Housing Estate popularly known as Jeremiah Useni Housing Estate Kado.
"On the 8th day of June 1998 the day the Head of State General Sani Abacha died the chief Security Officer Major Hamza Al-Mustapha ordered me along with Lt. Ikilama to move Chief MKO Abiola from Kado Housing Estate to Gado Nasko Barracks and from there all the 13 body guards attached to me were withdrawn except the driver and leaving the soldiers of the Guards Brigade to take over the guard.
But I was still left behind to be bringing food to Chief MKO Abiola as usual from the police officers mess Wuse Zone 7. Chief MKO Abiola was informed of the death of General Sani Abacha and the appointment of General Abdulsalami Abubakar as the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief. he wrote letters to general Abdulsalami Abubakar and the service Chiefs gave them to me to Photostat them for him. He gave me some copies to give to Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and passed the rest to the rest to the respective owners. After the expiration of the second quarter allocation of N800,000 (Eight Hundred Thousand naira) I approached Major A. S. Aliyu Chief Security Officer to general Abdulsalami Abubakar to collect the money for the next quarter he only told me he had heard me.
"On the day in question, the 7th Day of July 1998 at about 11.30hrs, the Chief Security Officer to general Abdulsalami Abubakar Major A. S. Aliyu called me on the radio set, asking me to see him his office. I then proceeded in his office and he instructed me to bring Chief MKO Abiola to Aguda House for an interview to be hold by 1300 hrs.
"I then went back to the base and informed Chief MKO Abiola of the interview and he asked me whether Major Hamza Al- Mustapha was aware of the said interview, I told him didn’t know because Major Hamza Al-Mustapha was busy handing and taking over but I would see if I could locate him to inform him.
"He asked me to bring his dresses which he would wear and also asked me to give him 30 minutes to enable him get dressed. At about 1230hrs the Chief Security Officer to general Abdulsalami Abubakar Major A. S. Aliyu came to the base. To the best of my knowledge, that was the first time he knew that place, wanting to know if we were ready and I replied him almost ready. As we opened the door the Chief was already waiting for us. Together we went out and headed to Aguda House, venue of the Interview.
"Before we all left the base, chief MKO Abiola was in sound and healthy condition. He did not complain to me of any illness. About 100 metres from the door stand of the Aguda House, the controller from the control room called me on the radio set and said, I quote, "30 BRAVO your LOG I answered ALFA GOLFF UNIFORM DELTA ALFA, HOTEL. And he said MAIG SERIA GOLFF from the OSCAR FOSTRO FOSTRO OF CHALIE OSCA GOLFF SERIA you should ROMEO PAPA TANGO to see the subject INDIA MIKE MIKE I answered RECEIVED."
Meaning 2i/c Prescort your present location. I answered Aguda House and he gave the message from the office of the Chief of General Staff and that you should see the Chief of general Staff Admiral Mike Akhigbhe immediately please and I answered noted please.
"As we arrived at the Aguda House door step, I led Chief MKO Abiola inside the house and I took permission from the Chief Security Officer to General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Major A. S. Aliyu in whose custody I left Chief MKO Abiola.
"He asked me to use his vehicle, leaving my vehicle at the door step where it was packed. I then took his vehicle as entrusted and left to see the Chief of General Staff Admiral Mike Akhigbe at about 1310hrs and I came back from seeing Admiral Mike Akhigbe at about 1350hrs, only to discover that my vehicle was not there at the packing spot. On arrival, I saw one of my Body Guards Sunday Pada standing by the side of the door. I asked him where they had gone. He replied me they were inside and that the Chief Security Office only sent my vehicle to Aso-Clinic and as I was about to enter the room, I met with the Chief Security Officer, Major A. S. Aliyu who told me that Chief MKO Abiola was not feeling fine and after taking a cup of tea he coughed and feel down.
"I quickly went inside and I saw Chief MKO Abiola lying on the floor facing down. I called him. for the first time he answered, and I lifted him up and turned him upside and called him again for the second time he did not answer. At that time doctor Sadiq Sani Wali from Aso Clinic arrived and about examining the chief. I told him we should rush the Chief to the clinic for proper treatment. Myself, the Chief Security Officer, Major A. S. Aliyu, Doctor Sadiq Sani Wali and the two white men standing lifted Chief MKO Abiola into my vehicle outside for onward movement to Aso-clinic.
Before getting to Aso-Clinic I saw Dr. Sadiq Sani Wali pressing his (Abiola’s) stomach up and down a kind of resuscitating him. As we arrived the clinic, Chief M.K.O. Abiola was rushed to the Emergency Room where I stood by with the doctors including the two white men and the Chief Security Officer Major Aliyu until when Dr. Sadiq Sani Wali later confirmed to us that Chief M.K.O Abiola was dead.
"We came out of the Emergency Room and the Chief Security Officer Major A. S. Aliyu phoned the villa, I heard him saying to the ADC please, connect me to the Head of State I have an important message for him. For about three minutes they continued the discussion with the Head of State while he was moving towards his vehicle outside. So I didn’t hear what he was discussing with the Head of State after the phone we both left for villa,
"The questions to ask are:
Who gave Chief M.K.O. Abiola tea in my absence?
Who tasted the tea before giving it to him?
And in whose presence was the tea tested?
"The questions are for the Chief Security Officer to General Abdulsalam Abubakar; Major Aliyu to answer. And I want to testify before this Honourable Commission that on the 6th day of July 1998 at about 2200hrs Kola Abiola the son to late Chief M.K.O. Abiola his step mother; and about three of his sisters were with their father at Aguda House until 0130hrs of 7th July, 1998. I want to say categorically here that his father Chief M.K.O. Abiola was in a sound and healthy condition.
"Based on the statement made to the Commission by Femi Falana on the 5th day of July 2001 that Chief M.K.O Abiola was driven from Kano State to Abuja where he said that the Chief fell inside the Black Maria four times before arriving Abuja is totally false, because to the best of my knowledge Chief M.K.O Abiola was never detained out of Abuja.
"On the 28th day of July 1998, I collected from the Commander Brigade of Guard Gado Nasko Barracks the late Chief M.K.O Abiola’s property and handed them over to Alhaji Babagana Kingibe on the 31st day of July, 1998 who ordered his orderly Sergeant Mustapha Gana to check, sign and collect the property from me and he Babagana Kingibe made a contact call to the family of Chief M.K.O. Abiola to come forward and collect the said property.
After his evidence-in-chief, he was then cross examined by Mr. Femi Falana.
Falana: You said you were not retired, you were not posted and yet you have been on salaries. Since when have you been receiving salary without rendering services to this station.
Zadok: Since August 1 1998 on the day the personal assistant the former Inspector General of Police Superintendent Udi informed me in the villa that two officers from force CID Lagos were in the villa and that I should submit their names at the gate for them to see my OC. I submitted their names. When they entered, they told us they were taking over from us, without any written letter. I did not know that Major Aliu was aware of it. We were moved out of the villa without any document. Since August 1 1998 I have not worked in any police formation.
Falana: Were you close to Abiola in detention.
Zadok: Yes I was close to him.
Falana: What ailment did Abiola complained to your about?
Zadok: He complained of his high blood pressure.
Falana: You said on June 8 1998 your bodyguards were withdrawn and soldiers took over the protection of Abiola.
Zadok: Yes.
Falana: Did he write letters that you knew of while in detention?
Zadok: Yes, he wrote condolence letters to Mrs. Yar’Adua when General Yar’Adua died. Also when General Abacha died, he wrote condolence letter to Mrs. Abacha to be forwarded to General Abdulsalami Abubakar for vetting as he said two heads are better than one.
Falana: Do you know the contents of the letter?
Zadok: No, the letters were always sealed.
Falana: Is Major A.S. Aliu still in the army?
Zadok: Yes.
Falana: Were you with him when Commonwealth Sec. Gen. Emeka Anyaoku held a meeting with him?
Zadok: Yes I was there. They all took photograph together.
Falana: Had this ever happened before?
Zadok: No, it never happened before during his detention.
Falana: the photograph was to let everybody know that he was hale and hearty.
Zadok: Yes.
Falana: Was it to your knowledge that a foreigner was allowed to give food or drink to a detainee in Nigeria? (Find Out You Will Not Believe Your Eyes!!<=Story Link by NMW)
Zadok: To the best of my knowledge no foreigner had ever done this.
It was my duty to taste any food or drink before giving it to Abiola.
Falana: When Abiola was given tea to drink was the first time you never tasted anything given to Abiola to take?
Zadok: Yes it was the first time.
Falana: You normally tasted food or drink before you gave it to Abiola to prevent any harm done to your subject?
Zadok: Yes.
Falana: So, you were tricked to go and see Admiral Akhigbe?
Zadok: Maybe.
Falana: When you left Abiola with Major A.S. Aliu, you were confident that you were leaving him in the care of a competent person.
Zadok: Yes.
Falana: After his death what happened to his property he left in detention?
Zadok: I have a copy of the list of his property. I handed over his property to Ambassador Baba Gana Kingigbe who immediately called Abiola’s family to inform them that Abiola’s property were with him and they should come for them.
Falana: US official Dickering later addressed a press conference to say Abiola died of national cause.
Zadok: Yes.
Falana: Brig-Gen. Ibrahim Sabo said the day Abacha died, Bamaiyi said Abiola must also be killed is a similar way to balance equation.
Zadok: Yes, I heard it.
He was asked why he did not inquire from Major Aliu who gave tea to Abiola and he replied, "Major Aliu was the overall security office in charge of Abiola’s detention. I did not have the gut to ask him. Who gave Abiola tea and whether it was tasted before giving it to him.
"Chief Abiola need to keep photocopies of his letters in his Bible and Koran. I did not have the time to go through them. But if the commission requests for them it will assist this commission greatly.
At the end of Zadok’s testimony, Mr. Falana requested the commission to order the IG to give full protection to Zadok.
Gen Sabo also testified yesterday in respect of Chief Abiola’s death.
Led by his counsel, Mr. Umar Shinthien, Brigadier-General Ibrahim Sabo’s evidence ran thus:
Shinttien: Brigadier-General Sabo, you told this commission in Lagos that apart from what you said then on Chief Abiola’s death, you have more to say.
Sabo: Yes I still have a lot more facts on Abiola’s death. I will also tender some documents here before this commission, while I will take the rest documents to Akanbi’s anti-corruption commission.
Shinttien: Tell this commission other facts you know.
Sabo: I said earlier that on June 8 1998 many things happened from the sublime to the ridiculous. The sublime has to do with the death of former head of state, General Sani Abacha while the ridiculous was on the threat to Abiola’s life. I said in Lagos that General Ishaya Bamaiyi called me after General Abacha called me after General Abacha death and asked me where was Chief Abiola, I said I didn’t know, that Major Al-Mustapha was the one keeping him. General Bamaiyi then told me don’t you think that now that General Abacha is dead, Chief Abiola should be similarly killed to balance the equation? I looked for Major Mustapha and told him what Bamaiyi has said. I later learnt that Bamaiyi had told Mustapha the same thing because Mustapha told me he had been looking for me for the same purpose.
Major Mustapha in his evidence gave certain indicators on how General Abacha died and how Chief Abiola died. He said Abacha choked, jerked and foamed before he died Abiola also choked, jerked ,foamed and died. Sinde Bamaiyi used the word similarly, I think Abacha’s family should be interested in this because both died the same way.
Shinttien: When General Bamaiyi told you this and Mustapha confirmed he was told the something, what did you do?
Sabo: I advised that Abiola’s location should be changed and he said he had done that.
Shinttien: Did you attend late General Abacha burial in Kano.
Sabo: No I didn’t go because of the security of Abiola that was being threatened.
Shinttien: What happened after late General Abacha’s death.
Sabo: After Abacha’s death, there was a lot of clamouring as to who would succeed him. General Jeremiah Husseni was there clamouring to succeed Abacha and there were others. Then myself, General Magashi and Bamaiyi then met and decided that instead of deliberating on who would succeed General Abacha, succession by hierarchy should be followed with General Abdulsalami Abubakar as the head of state, General Bamaiyi, Chief of Defence Staff and General Magashi as chief of army staff, this was arrived at in order to shut out any bickerings. We then called General Abdulsalami for a meeting of the PRC. It was an extra-ordinary PRC meeting because it was not scheduled.
Shinttien: Did you inform General Abdulsalmi Abubakar of the threat to Chief Abiola’s death?
Sabo: Before General Abdulsalami Abubakar was sworn-in as head of state, we all went to the villa where the body of the late head of state was lying and I told General Abdulsalami that General Bamaiyi suggested that since Abacha died, Abiola must also be killed. But General Abubakar said when they return from Kano, we would discuss further. He refused to do anything after he came back from Kano. I sent a message to him through AVM Idi-Musa that I wanted to see General Abdulsalam on the same issue but he refused to see me. I passed the information to Idi Musa that it was urgent and Idi Musa told me General Abubakar would listen to me when he returned from South Africa. He refused to see me until I was retired on July 10 1998, three days after Chief Abiola’s death.
Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola was born in Abeokuta, Ogun State.[1] His name, Kashimawo, means “Let us wait and see”. Moshood Abiola was his father’s twenty-third 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 tender 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, in order to support his old father and his siblings. He later founded a band at age fifteen where he would perform at various ceremonies in exchange of food. He eventually became famous enough to start demanding payment for his performances and used the money to support his family and his secondary education at the Baptist Boys High School Abeokuta, where he excelled. He was the editor of the school magazine The Trumpeter, Olusegun Obasanjo was deputy editor. At the age of 19 he joined the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons ostensibly because of its pan-Africanist agenda, preferring it to the Obafemi Awolowo-led Action Group’s focus on economic and educational development for the Western Region of Nigeria, where the Yoruba were in the majority
In 1956 Moshood Abiola started his professional life as bank clerk with Barclays Bank plc in Ibadan, South-West Nigeria. After two years he joined the Western Region Finance Corporation as an executive accounts officer before leaving for Glasgow, Scotland to pursue his higher education. In Glasgow he received 1st class in political economy, commercial law and management accountancy. He also received a distinction from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. On his returm to Nigeria, he worked as a senior accountant at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital, then went on to Pfizer, before joining the ITT Corporation, where he later rose to the position of Vice President, Africa and Middle-East of the entire corporation, which was head-quartered in the United States. As a result Moshood Abiola spent a lot of his time and made most of his money in the United States, whilst retaining the post of chairman of the corporation’s Nigerian subsidiary. In addition to his duties throughout the Middle-East and Africa, Moshood Abiola invested heavily in Nigeria and West Africa. He set up Abiola Farms, Abiola bookshops, Radio Communications Nigeria, Wonder bakeries, Concord Press, Concord Airlines, Summit oil international ltd, Africa Ocean lines, Habib Bank, Decca W.A. ltd, and Abiola football club. In addition to these, he also managed to perform his duties as Chairman of the G15 business council, President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Patron of the Kwame Nkrumah Foundation, Patron of the WEB Du Bois foundation, trustee of the Martin Luther King foundation and director of the International Press Institute
Moshood Abiola sprang to national and international prominence as a result of his philanthropic activities. The Congressional Black Caucus of the United States of America issued the following tribute to Moshood Abiola:
“Because of this man, there is both cause for hope and certainty that the agony and protests of those who suffer injustice shall give way to peace and human dignity. The children of the world shall know the great work of this extraordinary leader and his fervent mission to right wrong, to do justice, and to serve mankind. The enemies which imperil the future of generations to come: poverty, ignorance, disease, hunger, and racism have each seen effects of the valiant work of Chief Abiola. Through him and others like him, never again will freedom rest in the domain of the few. We, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus salute him this day as a hero in the global pursuit to preserve the history and the legacy of the African diaspora”
From 1972 until his death Moshood Abiola had been conferred with 197 traditional titles by 68 different communities in Nigeria, in response to the fact that 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. In this way Abiola reached out and won admiration across the multifarious ethnic and religious divides in Nigeria. In addition to his work in Nigeria, Moshood Abiola was a dedicated supporter of the Southern African Liberation movements from the 1970s and he sponsored the campaign to win reparations for slavery and colonialism in Africa and the diaspora. Chief Abiola, personally rallied every African head of state, and every head of state in the black diaspora to ensure that Africans would speak with one voice on the issues
The most widely known critic of Chief Abiola was Fela Kuti. In his twenty-five minute song “ITT” (International Thief Thief), although the song was not about Moshood Abiola, he mentioned the name of both Olusegun Obasanjo and Moshood Abiola at the very end. It is far less widely known that Fela had been signed to Moshood Abiola’s record label, Decca W.A. and had a dispute over royalties with him. When Abiola asked Fela to take him to court if he felt that he had been treated unfairly, he instead opted to destroy the studio’s of Decca. This may have been because Abiola’s influence and Fela’s unpopularity with the establishment would have made it unlikely that he received a fair trial.
Moshood Abiola is also criticised for his close relationship and support of some of Nigeria’s military regimes. He is known to have supported two of the many coup d’etats in the country. He received two oil blocks from the Federal Military Government, however he did not manage to begin extracting oil from them before he died, and therefore they were never a source of his wealth. The oil blocks were revoked by General Abacha, but have since been returned to the Abiola family who are only now developing them. Some people have accused Chief Abiola of looting Nigeria, however none of them are able to explain how and when he did this, especially given the fact that he made much of his money outside of Nigeria and from his private businesses that were independent of the government. The truth is probably more subtle and may likely surround Abiola’s decision to at times favour practicality over principle in his dealings with Nigeria’s military governments prior to the annulment of his election.
The most serious criticism of Moshood Abiola concerns his private life. He was a polygamist (which is not at all unusual in Nigeria), and since his death there has been much strife within his family due to the skewed distribution of his assets.
Moshood Abiola was twice voted international businessman of the year, and received numerous honorary doctorates from universities all over the world. In 1987 he was bestowed with the golden key to the city of Washington D.C., and he was bestowed with awards from the NAACP and the King center in the USA, as well as the International Committee on Education for Teaching in Paris, amongst many others. In Nigeria, the Oloye Abiola was made the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland. It is the highest chieftancy title available to commoners amongst the Yoruba, and has only been conferred by the tribe 14 times in its history. This in effect rendered Abiola the ceremonial War Viceroy of all of his tribespeople. According to the folklore of the tribe as recounted by the Yoruba elders, the Aare Ona Kakanfo is expected to die a warrior in the defense of his nation inorder to prove himself in the eyes of both the divine and the mortal as having been worthy of his title.
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