Special Assistant to the President on Special Duties in the Office of the Vice-President, Jamiu Abiola, speaks to DANIEL AYANTOYE on the declaration for a sovereign nation of the Yoruba people by his father’s widow, Modupe Onitiri-Abiola
There are calls for a sovereign nation of the Yoruba people. What is your take on this?
Such calls are common in countries as big and diverse as Nigeria. Even in the United States, some people do not believe in that country’s union for one reason or another. But just like in the United States, these people are a minority in Nigeria; so, they are inconsequential.
The widow of your late father, Modupe Onitiri-Abiola recently declared Yoruba Nation in a viral video. How would you react to this?
I heard about that, and like almost all Nigerians, I didn’t take her declaration seriously. I have never met her in my life, much less knowing her motives. But that is not what is important.
How come you have never met her, and she claimed to be a relative?
My father had four official wives in addition to women who are also known as his wives. That is the kind of man he was. He wanted to take care of as many people as possible. So, he saw certain kinds of relationships as a good way to do that. After his death many years ago, you cannot expect every member of his family to act in a way that represents what he stood for. But by and large, most members of the Abiola family are promoting the ideals he stood for, and I am proud to say that.
It was also alleged that she was behind the invasion of the Oyo State Secretariat. What is your take on this?
Investigations are ongoing. So, I would not say much about this matter until they are concluded. As you can imagine, it is a sensitive issue. Even though I don’t consider the woman to be my stepmom, she is bearing my father’s name, which in itself, is a tragedy given the action she has taken. My father would have been devastated about this incident if he were alive. He loved the unity of this country so much and he would have even sacrificed his presidential mandate to preserve it if he felt that he needed to do that.
Are you not concerned that her decision to declare Yoruba Nation could be perceived as the position of the MKO Abiola’s family?
When it comes to Nigeria’s unity, many people know how much my father believed in it. Even after his arrest and incarceration, not for once did he advocate Nigeria’s division. So, I don’t believe that any Abiola family member has the right to promote the division of this country, particularly now, because if my father were alive today, he would have been so happy that his closest and highly competent associate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is doing all he would have done if he had been allowed to exercise his mandate.
Nigeria’s comparative advantage is its diversity, and our patriarch sacrificed his life for a democratic mandate he got from all Nigerians because he had proven to all Nigerians that he believed they were one. It is so unfortunate that anyone would use his name to promote the breakup of this country. That woman did so without anybody’s support.
But one of your brothers contested against President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 general election. Doesn’t this imply that not all the Abiolas are in tune with the mandate of President Tinubu?
During the struggle, some family members sold out. They tried to get close to General (Sani) Abacha for contracts etc. These people turned my mother’s life into a nightmare and made her final days miserable indeed. As you said, even in last year’s election, a family member did the unthinkable by running against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Just like everyone else, this family member knew that President Tinubu was and remains our father’s closest and most loyal associate. Yet, he broke ranks with the family just like this woman is doing by declaring a Yoruba nation.
Most of our family members are responsible and serious-minded people. But when it comes to constituted authority, we have a matriarch called Alhaja Adebisi Abiola. She is a noblewoman and has always defended my father’s interests and protected his name after becoming the matriarch following the death of Alhaja Simbiat Abiola and my mother, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola. Another person who holds a lot of authority in our family is Mrs Lola Abiola-Edewor. She is not only the eldest Abiola child; she is also a seasoned politician turned financial technocrat, having served in the House of Representatives and the NDIC.
You are saying Mrs Onitiri-Abiola declared Yoruba nation of her own volition and without support from support from any member of the Abiolas. Are you saying the family will not be concerned if she is arrested?
The family is definitely concerned about the arrest of anybody bearing its name, but we are a law-abiding family. So, we believe in allowing justice to take its course. We are also mindful of the fact that when all investigations are completed and a sentence is issued, the authorities reserve the right to pardon a culprit or not.
Some have described the offence she has committed as treasonable, are you not concerned about the implication of this?
I think you should reserve this question until after the investigations are conducted.
What is the situation in the family after her declaration?
As earlier said, the family cannot be supportive of her declaration in any way. No right-thinking Abiola can support the division of a country like Nigeria. Two prominent members of our family; my father and mother laid down their lives for its unity and progress. In this family, we believe that Nigeria has a divine purpose, and that purpose can only be achieved when it is united. There is nobody related to my father who would not view Nigeria’s unity as sacrosanct.
He (MKO Abiola) had over 200 traditional titles all over the country; he had investments all over the country and he empowered people from all parts of the country regardless of their ethnic or religious leanings. In the end, all of this paid off in his 1993 election. Even though his presidential ticket was a Muslim/Muslim ticket with a northern running mate, he was able to secure almost half of the southeastern votes even though his opponent’s running mate was not only a southeastern Christian but was also the head of the defunct Biafran Central Bank.
The agitation for Yoruba nation has gone down since the emergence of President Tinubu. However, some have said the reason for such agitation is because of the unjust distribution of the nation’s resources. How will you react to this claim?
Debates about resource distribution are ongoing and should never form a basis to advocate a country’s disintegration. What many people have failed to realise is that Nigeria’s most valuable resource is the diversity of its people coupled with their separate comparative advantages. Nigerians need to look beyond mineral resources and look up to countries like Japan which have capitalized on the resourcefulness of its people to establish an economic powerhouse and spur the rapid development of four other Asian countries known as the Asian Tigers. People use all kinds of arguments to defend calls for secession but in the long run, what matters are the numbers. Nigerians who believe in the country’s unity are much more than those clamouring for its disintegration under any guise.
But Nigerians are facing hardship every day occasioned by the policy of the Tinubu-led government. Don’t you think this can continue to sway the minds of pro-breakup agitators for Nigeria to disintegrate?
Whenever people complain about hardship triggered by these government policies, I quickly remember something that used to happen when I was a child. Back then when I had malaria, I would be taken to the hospital but when it was time for me to be injected, I would run back home since the hospital was near my house. Then my mother would have the staff drag me back to the hospital and hold me down for my injection. That same day I would feel worse, but two days later, I would not only feel better, but I would also be playing around the house. That was when my mother would start teasing me for resisting the treatment required for my sickness. This is the same thing that will happen in Nigeria shortly. People will experience drastic economic uplifting and will thank the government for these policies.
The Labour unions have proposed over N615,000 as a new minimum wage, but some have said that it is not realistic. Do you agree with them?
I am not empowered to answer this question. However, as many people have come to know, President Tinubu loves Nigerian workers, and he is determined to ensure that they are given excellent wages and dues so long as there is still enough money for the government to cater to other critical areas such as security, education, health, and infrastructure.
