How Poverty Killed M.K.O Abiola’s Cousin

(Dug out from my archives)

·      As family recount his horrid final moment

·      How his wife, sister abandoned him

By Samod Biobaku

Sixthsense34@yahoo.com

If the cousin of late politician and philanthropist, Chief M. K. O Abiola, Alhaji Abdul-Shina Abiola had the slightest premonition of the fate that was to befall him in his final days on earth, he probably would have spent sleepless nights and perhaps, even surrendered his entire wealth asking almighty God to take his life about a decade ago.

Barely three weeks ago (precisely July 3, 2010), Simply Samad published a heart-wrenching piece highlighting the fact that the man who had once lived a life of affluence was indeed at the brink of death.

Titled ‘PATHETIC - Abiola’s cousin ravaged by diabetes – Abandoned by family,’ the story painted a graphic picture of the harrowing tragedy that late Abiola’s life had become as well as the fact that the dying man was in dire need of medical and assistance.

However, precisely 12 days after that publication; July 15, 2010, late Abiola succumbed to the familiar embrace of death that had been closer to him than his shadow in the last four years.

For most people, the words ‘The rich also cry’ would depict the flipside of seeming perfection but for the late cousin of late politician and philanthropist, Chief M.K.O Abiola, Alhaji Abdul-Shina Abiola, they were words that cast a beam of precision on the tragedy that his life became shortly before his death.

About a decade ago, late Alhaji Abiola was a man admired by millions and envied by many more. Given his privileged family ties with one of the richest men Nigeria has ever produced, he had virtually everything money could buy; a house of his own, cars, a beautiful wife, three children and a source of income so lucrative that rather than be bothered by how to earn money, he pondered more over how to spend the endless stream of money at his disposal. As expected, he lived a life many only dream about and perhaps never live till death comes knocking. Such was the kind of man late Alhaji Abiola was about 10 years ago.

However, like a bolt from the blues, tragedy struck and like a heavily bearded man in a fire accident, he was consumed by the flames of misfortune. If Alhaji Abiola had been involved in a fatal automobile accident that instantly claimed his life, perhaps, that manner of tragedy might have spared him the harrowing level of pain and despair that spread a blanket of calamity and misery over his life shortly before death claimed his life like a coveted prize.

With over a dozen flies and a rotten stench constantly providing him with permanent escort, late Alhaji Abiola had spent weeks without having his bath or brushing as he constantly dragged himself between Lagos and Ogun State.

As earlier stated, Simply Samad had earlier published details of how late alhaji Abiola broke the serenity of one of late M. K. O Abiola’s wives; who incidentally presently resides in the United States with her children on June 27, 2010 when he slowly dragged himself into the house and polluted the air within the residence with the stench from his decaying leg. Against their better judgment, the residents had provided him with accommodation in a car outside the premises for the night and had asked him to find his way to the hospital the following day; strongly hoping the dying man would get the required medical attention.

To the shock and horror of the residents, they were once again thrown into disarray on July 13, 2010 when they were informed that someone had spotted something that looked like a human form on the bare floor; close to the residence. Initially, the residents found it impossible to believe that any sane person would lie on the bare road on a night when it had just rained.

Their shocks were made manifest shortly after they trained their torches on the form they had been informed about and to their dismay, it was late Alhaji Abiola. His health had further deteriorated so much that at first glance, he looked like a corpse. This perhaps explains why no one could move within touching distance to the late Alhaji Abiola.

The sun had already set with nightfall in the air and the fear of having a dying man lying down in the cold left alone throughout the night was as paralyzing as the fear of death itself.

At this point, a member of the family, Mr. Adebayo Olugbenga who was incidentally, the eldest man in the house took charge of the situation by communicating with the dying man. He started off by asking late Alhaji Abiola; whose condition had deteriorated further how he got to the spot he was found since he could no longer walk or even stand erect.

It was at this point that the dying man revealed that his blood sister was the one who had driven him into the street; deftly gone past security and dropped him on the bare floor, just beneath the huge tires of a stationary truck, abandoned him and sped off.

Rather than panic like others, Mr. Olugbenga advised the security personnels who had allowed late Alhaji Abiola’s sister sneak him into the street and drop him off to inform the police about the development. They did as advised but the policemen failed to respond to the emergency. Still on the matter, Mr. Olugbenga maintained that if late Alhaji Abiola was left lying on the cold floor, he could contact pneumonia. He therefore got a thick carpet, which was laid on the floor beneath late Alhaji Abiola.

Realising the sick man might spend the night alone in the cold, Mr. Olugbenga got himself a chair and spent the entire night sitting in front of the sick man and watching him. “I just couldn’t leave him like that. This was a man I used to know. I was afraid that if I left him, he could die before the next morning so I was even checking his breathing pattern at intervals to ensure he was still alive. I was also afraid that he could be attacked by dogs if he was left alone. The weather was very cold but what could I do? I also got another blanket to cover him up and I was afraid for him because compared to the last time he came, things had gotten worse. I pitied him a lot because this was a man who was once rich and had a family yet everybody had abandoned him when he needed them most. I saw him when I was returning from the Mosque. I was informed about late Alhaji Abiola’s presence and when I went to him and asked him how he got there, he said his sister dumped him there after driving him into the street in her white car. If we were in the United States, we would have called 911 but since we don’t have that, I asked them to inform the police. They did as I told them but the cops didn’t respond.”

The following morning, plans were made to move late Alhaji Abiola back to Abeokuta and Mr. Olugbenga did his best. “In the morning, I decided to make arrangements as to how to move late Alhaji Abiola back to Abeokuta. The security guards informed one of Abiola’s wives and she volunteered to foot Alhaji Abiola’s fare to Abeokuta so we chartered a care-hire service and I accompanied him to Abeokuta in Ogun State. Before we left Lagos, a Muslim brother, Kamil urged the sick man to keep reciting the ‘Kalimatu-Shahada.’ I also fed him in the car on our way to Abeokuta. We left Lagos shortly past noon. I finally dropped him at Oja Agbo because all the family members that I want to see turned their backs and would not accept him.”

However, despite his efforts, late Alhaji Abiola gave up the ghost the following day. “On Thursday, July 15, 2010, we got a call from Abeokuta that he was dead. His death was painful but I was happy that his trauma had finally come to an end. The whole thing was born out of what happened to late M. K. O Abiola. If M. K. O Abiola was alive, even if the cure was in China or Russia, Alhaji Abiola would have been there and getting treatment. Unfortunately, M. K. O Abiola is gone and the health and living conditions a lot of the members of Abiolas’ family is disturbing. A lot of them are suffering. If this kind of thing could happen to somebody like late Alhaji Abiola who knew a lot of people, then it could have been anybody.

Speaking on the fact that he strongly believes that late Alhaji Abiola died from poverty, Mr. Olugbenga blamed the likes of late military dictator, Ibrahin Badamosi Babangida for his role in M. K. O’s death. “I blame his death on people in government who have not made provisions for men like late Alhaji Abiola and the tragedy here is that there are thousands of people like him. Babangida is part of the conspiracy that led to the death of late M. K. O Abiola. Now, he is talking about the whole Abiola family forgiving him. Will someone like Alhaji Abiolaa ever forgive the likes of Babangida? Would the rest of the family forgive General Babangida. He still has the Dele Giwa case to answer to and he’s talking about coming back to power.

Speaking on the kind pf person late Alhaji Shina was, Mr. Olugbenga said, “Shina was a humble person, kind and generous. MKO was like a mentor to him. Poverty killed him and lack of care from the family and the government.”