Lamido urges Tinubu to pay N45bn debt allegedly owed to Abiola’s family

Former Governor of Jigawa State,  Sule Lamido, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to take a decisive step toward national reconciliation by authorising the payment of N45 billion allegedly owed to the family of late Chief MKO Abiola.

Speaking in Abuja at the launch of his autobiography Being True to Myself, held at the NAF Conference Centre, Lamido said settling the longstanding debt would provide moral and symbolic closure to the events surrounding the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.

“When (General) Murtala (Muhammed) died, Abiola came in with a claim that he was owed, I think, about N45bn for contracts executed by International Telephone and Telecommunication for the Ministry of Communications. The military high command at that time said no. He went round the Emirs in the North to lobby and the emirs asked that they (military) should please pay the money,” Lamido recalled.

He further alleged that concerns within the military establishment over potential financial consequences were among the reasons cited for cancelling the historic election, which Abiola was widely believed to have won.

“The (military) said they cancelled the June 12 elections because if they made him president, he would take his money and the country will become bankrupt. Those who were close to Abacha should know this, because Abacha was then one of the big shots; they were all aware,” he stated.

Lamido made a direct appeal to Tinubu through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammad Idris, who represented the president at the event.

“Before I end my remarks, I want to appeal to President Tinubu to finally close the chapter of June 12. In his book, General Ibrahim Babangida acknowledged that Abiola won the election. When I visited him, he also confirmed that Abiola is owed N45 billion. He was doubly punished: first, denied the presidency; second, denied what is owed to him,” he said.

“Please tell the president to pay the Abiola family the N45 billion. Once this is done, the June 12 chapter will be closed. It is very important,” Lamido added.