Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola MKO Abiola biography covers what happened in the June 12 election in Nigeria in 1993, his net worth, family and wives, his cars, children, who he is, his death and cause.
MKO Abiola Biography
Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola GCFR, also known as M. K. O. Abiola, was born on 24 August 1937 in Abeokuta, Southern Region, British Nigeria (now Ogun State, Nigeria).
His parents were Salawu and Suliat Wuraola Abiola. His father traded cocoa, while his mother traded kola nuts.
He was his father’s 23rd child, but the first to survive infancy, so they named him “Kashimawo”, meaning “Let us wait and see.”
At 15, he finally received the name Moshood.
Early Life and Education
Moshood Abiola attended African Central School in Abeokuta for his primary education.
As a young boy, he assisted his father in the cocoa trade.
By the end of 1946, the cocoa business began to fail after buyers rejected and destroyed a consignment due to poor quality.
At the age of nine, Abiola started his first business selling firewood gathered in the forest before school to support his family.
At 15, he formed a band and performed at ceremonies in exchange for food, eventually earning money to support his family and continue his education at Baptist Boys High School in Abeokuta.
During secondary school, he became editor of the school magazine, The Trumpeter, with Olusegun Obasanjo as deputy editor.
At 19, he joined the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) because it had stronger pan-Nigerian origins compared with the Action Group.
Early Business Career
In 1956, Moshood Abiola began working as a bank clerk with Barclays Bank in Ibadan.
After two years, he joined the Western Region Finance Corporation as an executive accounts officer.
In 1960, he received a government scholarship to study at the University of Glasgow, where he earned a degree in accountancy and became a chartered accountant.
He later became a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
Corporate Rise (ITT and Concord Group)
After returning to Nigeria, he worked as a senior accountant at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital, then at Pfizer, before joining ITT Corporation, where he eventually became vice-president for Africa and the Middle East.
While working at ITT, he cleared military debts owed to the firm, used that success to negotiate a larger role within the company, and established Radio Communication (RCN) as a side business. He trained employees to market telecommunications equipment to the military, which strengthened the venture’s commercial reach. As a result, ITT’s Nigerian arm granted him 49 per cent equity ownership.
Abiola invested heavily across 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.
He also served as chairman of the G15 business council, president of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, patron of the Kwame Nkrumah Foundation and the W. E. B. Du Bois Foundation, trustee of the Martin Luther King Foundation, and director of the International Press Institute.
In 1983, he partnered with Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Bamanga Tukur and Raymond Dokpesi to establish Africa Ocean Lines, which began operations in 1984 and expanded its shipping routes to the United Kingdom and Northern Europe.
Political Career
Moshood Abiola entered politics at the age of 19 when he joined the NCNC. He moved to the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in 1980 and served as state chairman, retaining the position after his re-election in 1983. He pursued presidential ambitions, but a military coup in 1983 ended civilian rule and halted his political plans.
In the 1980s, he used his National Concord newspaper to support Islamic causes. He advocated for a Sharia Court of Appeal in Southwestern Nigeria and backed Nigeria’s entry into the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
In 1984, Islamic leaders conferred on him the title of Baba Adinni of Yorubaland. He later established a Qur’an training centre in Abeokuta, naming it after his mother, Zulihat Abiola.
After a decade of military rule, General Ibrahim Babangida faced pressure to return Nigeria to democratic rule. Abiola stood for the presidential nomination of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and beat Baba Gana Kingibe and Atiku Abubakar to secure the party’s nomination ahead of the 12 June 1993 presidential election.
Abiola announced his candidacy in February 1993 and won the SDP primaries in March 1993 after a closely contested race.
June 12 1993 Election
In the 12 June 1993 presidential election, Abiola’s running mate was his former rival, Baba Gana Kingibe. He defeated Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC). National and international observers described the election as Nigeria’s freest and fairest presidential poll.
Abiola won in several states, including Kano, and secured a national mandate, an unprecedented result for a Southern Muslim candidate. Ibrahim Babangida cancelled the election, triggering nationwide unrest. The move destabilised the country. Sani Abacha later seized power.
1993 Election: Unofficial Results
The 1993 Nigerian presidential election was between two main candidates:
- M. K. O. Abiola (SDP)
- Bashir Tofa (NRC)
The unofficial votes from each state reveal that Abiola won a majority of states, especially in the South, while Tofa performed better in some Northern states.
Results from the South
Abiola achieved very large victories in many Southern states:
- Ogun State: Abiola scored 425,725, while Tofa got 59,246.
- Ondo State: Abiola won with 883,024, Tofa 162,994.
- Lagos State: Abiola received 883,965, compared with Tofa’s 149,432.
- Oyo State: Abiola gained 536,011, Tofa 105,788.
- Osun State: Abiola secured 365,266, while Tofa had 72,068.
These results show Abiola’s strong support base in the Southwest and South.
Mixed Results in the South-East
In the South-East, the race was closer:
- Anambra: Abiola 212,024, Tofa 159,258.
- Imo: Tofa won with 195,836, while Abiola had 159,350.
- Enugu: Tofa narrowly led with 284,050, Abiola 263,101.
Northern States: Tofa’s Strongholds
Tofa won several Northern states, often by large margins:
- Bauchi: Tofa 524,836, Abiola 339,339.
- Katsina: Tofa 271,077, Abiola 171,162.
- Kebbi: Tofa 144,808, Abiola 70,219.
- Sokoto: Tofa 372,250, Abiola 97,726.
However, Moshood Abiola still won some Northern states, such as:
- Kano: Abiola 169,619, Tofa 154,809
- Borno: Abiola 153,496, Tofa 128,684
- Taraba: Abiola 101,887, Tofa 64,001
- Yobe: Abiola 111,887, Tofa 64,061
Total Votes and National Impact
After counting the votes, the unofficial totals stood as follows:
- Abiola (SDP): 8,341,309
- Tofa (NRC): 5,952,087
MKO Abiola had a clear national lead, so many observers viewed him as the election winner.
Arrest and Detention
In June 1994, Abiola declared himself the lawful president of Nigeria in Lagos. General Sani Abacha immediately declared him wanted and deployed the police to arrest him. Security forces then held Abiola for four years, keeping him largely in solitary confinement.
During this period, gunmen assassinated Kudirat Abiola, his wife, in 1996 after she publicly supported him. Authorities offered Abiola his freedom if he renounced his presidential victory, but he refused the deal. He later became angry after Kofi Annan and Emeka Anyaoku incorrectly stated that he had agreed to give up his mandate.
MKO Abiola Death and Controversy
Moshood Abiola died on 7 July 1998 in Abuja, Nigeria, at the age of 60. His death occurred shortly after the death of Sani Abacha, and on the same day authorities had planned to release him after four years in detention.
During a meeting with foreign diplomats, including US officials Thomas Pickering and Susan Rice, he suddenly collapsed. Medical teams could not revive him.
After his death, doctors from Nigeria, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States conducted an independent examination of his body. They found that Abiola had long-standing serious heart problems. They also concluded that these conditions were severe enough to trigger sudden heart failure.
The findings led to the conclusion that Abiola died naturally from heart disease. Medical experts and historical records accept this explanation as the official account of his death.
Even so, many people did not feel satisfied with this explanation. Abiola died while in the hands of a military government that many Nigerians did not trust. Human rights groups argued that he did not receive proper medical care during his detention, and this may have worsened his condition. The government kept many details secret, which led people to suspect that officials were not telling the full truth. A Nigerian investigation later said that the government at the time probably knew more about his death than it admitted.
Over the years, people have told different versions of the story. A former security official claimed that others beat Abiola to death, although he provided no evidence to support the allegation. Some people also suspect poisoning, but no reliable evidence backs this claim. Investigators have not produced any tests or documents showing that anyone deliberately killed MKO Abiola.
MKO Abiola Wives and Children
Moshood Abiola had multiple wives and more than forty children, with estimates ranging from over 40 to around 54 confirmed offspring depending on available records.
Wives
Moshood Abiola practised polygamy in line with cultural and religious traditions.
His known wives included Simbiat Atinuke Shoaga, his first wife, and Kudirat Abiola, who married him in 1973 and later became a leading figure in Nigeria’s democracy movement before her assassination in 1996.
Other spouses included Adebisi Olawunmi Oshin, Doyinsola “Doyin” Abiola Aboaba, Modupe Onitiri-Abiola, and Remi Abiola, an actress and mother of two of his children.
Children
He had a large family. Most accounts place the number of his children at over forty, while some reports identify as many as 54.
Hafsat Abiola is among his most prominent children, known for her work in democracy and gender rights.
Other children often referenced in public records include Jamiu Biodun, Abdul Mumuni, Khafila, Moriam, Hadi, Olalekan Yusau, Kola, Lola Abiola-Edewor, Deji, and Hofsad.
Moshood Abiola Family Legacy
The size of his family contributed to posthumous disputes around inheritance and estate administration, given the number of spouses and children involved. Despite this, he remains a key figure in Nigeria’s political history and democratic development.
Legacy and Democracy Day
Since his death, Lagos State declared June 12 a public holiday, and other states later followed. In 2019, Nigeria officially made 12 June Democracy Day, replacing 29 May. Authorities named the MKO Abiola Stadium and Moshood Abiola Polytechnic in his honour and erected a statue to commemorate his legacy.
Musician Fela Kuti criticised him in a song that accused multinational corporations of draining Africa’s resources and mentioned Abiola. In 2012, former president Goodluck Jonathan announced plans to rename the University of Lagos after Moshood Abiola, but the government later reversed the decision following public backlash.
Awards and Recognition
Moshood Abiola received many awards and earned global admiration for his work. He won the International Businessman of the Year award twice, and several universities awarded him honorary doctorates.
International Honours and Titles
In 1987, Washington, D.C. gave him a golden key to the city, which is a special honour. He also received awards from the NAACP, the King Centre, and a Paris group that supports education.
Traditional Titles and National Honours
Moshood Abiola held the rare and important title of Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland. After his death, he received the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 1998 and the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) in 2018.
Posthumous Awards
On 6 June 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari changed Nigeria’s Democracy Day from 29 May to 12 June in honour of the annulled 1993 election and Abiola. Buhari also posthumously awarded Abiola the highest national honour, Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR). On 11 June 2019, Buhari assented to a bill making 12 June a public holiday for Democracy Day.
In February 2025, Ibrahim Babangida expressed regret for cancelling the 1993 election and acknowledged that Abiola had won.
Philanthropy and Community Contributions
Abiola became known for his philanthropic work. He provided financial assistance for the construction of 63 secondary schools, 121 mosques and churches, 41 libraries, and 21 water projects in 24 states. He was a grand patron to 149 societies and associations.
M. K. O. Abiola supported Southern African liberation movements from the 1970s and sponsored campaigns for reparations for slavery and colonialism in Africa and the diaspora. He communicated with African heads of state and leaders in the black diaspora to encourage unity.
From 1972 until his death, 68 different communities in Nigeria conferred 197 traditional titles on him in recognition of his contributions.
MKO Abiola Net Worth
Moshood Abiola had an estimated net worth of over $1 billion at his peak, making him one of Africa’s richest men. He was one of Africa’s richest men, but because his assets were mostly private, there is no official or agreed-upon figure.
M. K. O. Abiola got his wealth through a diverse range of business ventures across Nigeria and West Africa, starting from small trading businesses in his youth.
He rose to prominence through his corporate role at ITT Nigeria, later expanding into media with the Concord Group of newspapers, telecommunications with Radio Communications Nigeria, agriculture and manufacturing with Abiola Farms and Wonder Bakeries, and transportation through Concord Airlines and Africa Ocean Lines.
He also invested in oil and energy via Summit Oil International, banking and finance, and real estate, making him one of the most influential business magnates of his time.
This Article Was Last Updated: June 10, 2026 by Greg Afamah
