By Femi Onasanya

I first heard the name, Hafsat Abiola in 1996 when I was in the penultimate class of my secondary school education in Lagos State, Nigeria following the gruesome murder of her precious and beautiful mother, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.

In fact, the location of where the evil elements shot Kudirat Abiola in the head was my daily route back home after school hours along Lagos-Ibadan expressway and close to 7-Up Bottling Company's factory. This left a very sorrowful imprint on my young mind and it in a way endeared me to Alhaja Abiola in death.

It is therefore, heartwarming that both personalities, Hafsat and her late mother were recognised with National honours by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in commemoration of 2025 June 12 Democracy Day. 

Having annulled the June 12, 1993 election adjudged to be the best in Nigeria’s history till date, which the billionaire and business mogul, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, was known to have won, the then Miliary President,General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida  announced that he would step down on  August 26, 1993. 

This led to the emergence of  Chief Ernest Shonekan as the Head of the Interim National Government (ING) on  August 27, 1993. Sonekan (now late), a man with a very strong corporate background hailed from the same Abeokuta, Abiola’s home town, the capital of Ogun State. 

Barely three months after, on November 17, 1993,to be precise, General Sanni Abacha led a palace coup that ousted the Interim National Government led by Ernest Shonekan. Abacha remained in power until his death on June 8, 1998. 

Abacha  later arrested MKO Abiola in 1994, and detained him in prison on charges of treason after declaring himself as the President of Nigeria. 

No doubt, Kudirat Abiola was a fighter and firm believer in just cause. She died fighting for the stolen mandate of her imprisoned husband.  

Incidentally, Abacha died on June 8, 1998 when brightened the hopes for MKO Abiola but he never gained freedom until his death on  July 7, 1998, the day he was due to be released from prison.

Under the Abacha Government, a number of pro-democracy activists were killed and many others were imprisoned for daring to protest or question the government. These included journalists and many activists. Some of those who were able to escape from Nigeria  to avoid arrest included President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, first Nobel Laureate winner in Africa, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Kayode Fayemi, among others. 

In the words of the elders in Yoruba land, Nigeria, where I came from “a cub always looks like its mother.” The death of Kudirat Abiola fuelled an unquenchable desire in Hafsat to go all the way in championing the crusade for civil rights, social justice and equity without bowing threats and intimidation.  

Despite the tense atmosphere at that time and the dreadful regime in power, Hafsat,  became resolute in the pursuit of the same freedom her parents believed firmly in. After Kudirat’s assassination, Hafsat founded a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in her mother’s memory, the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND), a group working to strengthen Nigeria’s civil society.

 

However, the immediate past President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari who in June 2018 declared MKO Abiola the winner of the 1993 Presidential Elections, apologised to MKO’s family and posthumously conferred the highest

honour, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (GCFR) on him is worthy of commendation. 

Buhari also shifted the annual Democracy Day celebration from May 29 to June 12 in honour of the sacrifice of  MKO Abiola for the democracy we all enjoy today. 

As a major step forward from where Buhari stopped, Tinubu in this year's democracy speech honoured notable other Nigerians, both living and dead for their sacrifices which paved way for 26 years of unbroken democracy. 

Good enough,Late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola made the list just as she was posthumously conferred with the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) while her daughter, Hafsat who was at her second year studying at Harvard, United States, when her father was sent to prison by Nigeria’s junta, had Commander of the Order of Niger (CON). 

Just as the name of her NGO implies,KIND, Hafsat is an epitome of humility, kindness and generosity whose love for humanity is second to none. 

I had the privilege of meeting her when she served as the Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun between 2011 and 2019. She was not just  pleasant to people who came her way,  including her personal staff but was involved in their well-being and even that of their families. 

Hafsat Abiola-Costello is the President/CEO of Women in Africa (WIA) Initiative, a platform connecting leading and high potential women in Africa to facilitate their increased individual success and collective impact. She is also the co-founder of  Connected Women Leaders (CWL). 

Taking her civil rights crusade further as a mother figure went as far as supporting efforts towards building a climate-safe, inclusive world among women, Hafsat has made a name for herself globally. For instance, she was recently honoured among the 19 women who are working hard to rewrite the rules and reshape the global systems by Leading Ladies Africa in commemoration of the 2025 Workers Day. 

The recent rain of honours, awards and recognition on the MKO Abiola's family, is no doubt, a lesson that it is good to live for humanity. Things may look dark and gloomy at first but there will definitely be light at the end of the tunnel. 

In addition,  there is a saying that, “the idol that is not introduced to the children will someday get ruined.” This but resses the need to let our young ones get to know the virtues and belief system we hold in high esteem so that they can carry on with it even after the parents demise. The Bible lent credence to this truth when it says, “train up a child in the way ge should go, when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Also, it is instructive to note that posterity does not forget human roles in history, whether good or bad. Salute to the heroes we are celebrating today, both living and dead. And the villains of history also remain in our hearts for bad reasons. 

Once again, congratulations to Mrs. Hafsat Abiola-Costello.

Femi Onasanya, a freelance journalist and public relations practitioner wrote via [email protected]