I taught I will die at 61– late MKO Abiola’s brother, Hadjy Bashy’s last interview with Asabeafrika + His Cold War with Kola AbiolaL

Late Mubashiru Abiola
Alhaji Mubashiru Abiola the head of the Moshood Kashimawo
Olawale
Abiola family of
Abeokuta, died on Friday October 2nd at age 73.
 Before his death Uncle Bashy as fondly addressed shared his frustrations with your
Africa’s number 1 Celebrity encounter blog, Asabeafrika.

The late Uncle Bashy and MKO Abiola
shared same womb as their mother gave birth to only two of them after losing 7
twins in quick succession.
He shared his experience as the head
of the family and how he has been piloting the affairs of the family; settling
disputes where such arises and trying to quell differences among wives and
children of his late elder brother.
 Last  Saturday October 3rd during Uncle Bashy’s  funeral, Kola
Abiola
, his late elder brother’s son and his siblings were conspicuously
absent which sent a message across that indeed, the scion of the family was not
in good stead with his dad’s younger brother.
During a visit to Lagos two years ago
 to honor the naming ceremony of the new
child of one of his late elder brother’s scions, the late Alhaji Mubashiru Abiola revealed some of the challenges facing the
family to your soar away Africa’s number 1 Celebrity Encounter blog, Asabeafrika. He equally spoke on why
the family is in search of the scion, Kola
Abiola for redemption. This
interview gives an insight into the cold war between the late Uncle Bashy and the eldest son of his
legendary elder brother, Kola Abiola.
Read and enjoy!  

Late MKO Abiola


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 Sir, you are here today for the
naming ceremony of the fourth child of Alhaji Abdul Jamiu Abiodun Abiola, one
of the scions of your late brother Bashorun MKO Abiola. How do you feel as the
leader of the family?

In fact I
thank God. I thank Allah—Ali-Hamdul-lakasera!
The fact is when MKO was alive, everything was going smoothly. And when he
passed away, I continued from where he stopped because my brother was going to
clock 61 years when he died. And that is exactly the age bracket my mother
died, the same time, the same moment.
You mean she died at the same age
when her first son passed away, what is her name?
I am telling
you. My mother’s name is Suliat Ayinke’s
Abiola
. That is MKO’s mother; I and he, are the only child she had for our
father. Of course we have step siblings. And I can tell you, none of my
mother’s children ever lived above that age, they often die before or at 61.
MKO died at that same time and for me that was something interesting.
Our Parent lost 7 twins before MKO
stayed
But we learnt that your mother had
you and MKO alone, so how did you say none of her children ever lived above 62?
Before she
married our father (Late Chief Salaudeen Adenekan Abiola) she had two issues in
her earlier marriage. They are Rafiu
and Sidikat Adebari. A man and a
woman, but they are now late. She died around the age bracket when MKO died.
The same thing with some of my father’s children, it is something that baffles
one. But we can only appreciate God in good and bad times. And come to think of
it, MKO was a very rare child. He came to live after the demise of seven twins.

“MKO was never an Abiku, he was a real child and the
meaning of “Kashimawo” does not mean he is an Abiku or an Ogbanje. Kashimawo was what my father told the
Imams who came for his naming on the eight day. He said ‘ah, ejeka si ma’a wo
oo’ meaning, please, don’t let us name him now, let’s still be looking and see
how far he would grow before we name him”.

The Late Alhaji Mubashiru Abiola aka Uncle Bashy

You mean your dad had misfortune of
seven twins before MKO?

Yes, my
parent had seven twins and all of them died before MKO stood and lived, and for
this reason my father didn’t name him until after three years. That is the real
meaning of his Kashimawo name which
means “Let’s still be hoping he will live”
Some people feel he is an Abiku, an
Ogbanje child that keeps going and coming. Maybe that was what called for his
name—Kashimawo?
No, that is
a very wrong assumption. MKO was never an Abiku, he was a real child and the
meaning of “Kashimawo” does not mean he is an Abiku or an Ogbanje.
Kashimawo
was what my father told the Imams who came for his naming on the eight day. He
said ‘ah, ejeka si ma’a wo oo’ meaning, please, don’t let us name him now,
let’s still be looking and see how far he would grow before we name him. Since
he had experiences of losing other children shortly after naming them or even
before the day he names them, it became very important that he takes his time
before naming his new child. MKO was
given a name after three solid years—meaning that my father gave him the name Moshood after three years, and that was
when the Imams were called to come and give him the name Moshood. That happened because MKO is
the first survival after seven twins at a go. It was a spectacular experience
and only my parent can really tell you what they went through in terms of
endurance.
Why I am looking for Kola Abiola
Does that mean that some forces were
responsible for the deaths of those children and maybe your father now applied
wisdom by not making noise with the latest child?
I wouldn’t
know, you know we were not yet born then. But in every area of life people must
live by wisdom. Even when Jesus was born, he was taken out of Bethlehem to Egypt for safety reasons. But for my dad and MKO, I wouldn’t know what transpired. But I can assure you that
none of my father’s or my mother’s children ever passed 62, 63 but I am now
over 70—Alhamdulilai. I thank God for his mercies; I return every gratitude
to God Almighty. You see, I am always happy for all these my brother’s
children, they don’t forget anybody. They usually call on me; they will say
“Uncle, hope there is no problem? Hope there is nothing?” And I will say ‘Oh,
there is nothing’. My only challenge now is to make sure that Kola Abiola and his brothers and sisters come together as one family. I
want him to re-unite with them. I have been trying that but Kola is no where at hand to be found.
If I text him now, he will say he is not in town and I don’t know why.
But why do you think he suddenly cut
himself off from the family because he supposed to be the face of this family?
In fact, I
don’t know. Honestly I don’t know because he will never come to you. If Kola is magnificent enough to come to
me, I will give him a very good advice on how to go about it. I will say ‘ok,
call all your brothers and sisters. I want all of you to be one’ but you can
not even see him talk less of talking to him. It is very painful.
Do you have his phone number?
Yes, but
even if I call him now, someone will pick the phone and say he is Accra, he is
in Kini-kan. That is how he has been doing and I feel bad for it. We need him
to unite with his brothers.

“My only challenge now is to make
sure that Kola Abiola and his brothers and sisters come together as one family. I
want him to re-unite with them. I have been trying that but Kola is no where at hand to be found.
If I text him now, he will say he is not in town and I don’t know why”.

Kola Abiola…Scion of MKO Abiola’s dynasty

But he recently celebrated his 50th
birthday on July 1st, didn’t he invite the family?

No, he
didn’t but I called him to congratulate him. It was around the same time my own
first child died.
Ooh, sorry sir. We didn’t even hear,
our deepest apology. Sorry, sir.
Thank you.
He called me on phone, he consoled me. He even advised me to keep a strong
heart and leave everything to God.
(Cuts in)…You mean Kola?
Yes, Kola.
He consoled me, honestly and I found that very humane of him.
What is the name of your child and
how old was he/she?
She was 45
years old. Her name is Silifat Mosunmola
Abiola
. She had three issues and all of them are in the University before
her demise. It was a sad experience. She died just around the same time Kola
clocked 50. So, as I was celebrating his age advancement on one hand, I was
mourning the loss of my daughter on the other hand. It wasn’t something I found
easy at all but all the same, we give glory to God Almighty.

“But for my dad and MKO, I wouldn’t know what transpired.
But I can assure you that none of my father’s or my mother’s children ever
passed 62, 63 but I am now over 70—Alhamdulilai. I thank God for his mercies;
I return every gratitude to God Almighty”

Do you suspect that Kola Abiola is
running from his siblings as a result of how the issue of his father’s will and
estate has degenerated into crisis under his scion ship? And maybe he sees you
as one of his critics?
No, no, no,
no. I don’t think that is the issue. You can not run away from your history
now, how can you run away from your history? How can he run away from his
father’s children? There is no where he can run to. They will meet him one day,
at least. I am sure he will come one day, but as at now, I don’t know what is exactly
happening to him.
When did you see him last? I mean
face to face?
Kola came to
my house when Governor Gbenga Daniel
was installed. That was the only time he came to my house.
(Cuts in) You mean Governor Gbenga Daniel’s
first term in 2003?
Yes. That is
about nine years ago when Governor
Gbenga Daniel
was installed. That was the last time I saw him, he spent
over one hour with me and since then, I only run into him at occasions. I run
into him at parties. That is our source of contact for now.
You don’t mean it sir! Then there
must be something wrong somewhere?
We don’t
believe something is wrong somewhere, we think he just develop that attitude.
Because formerly he was very nice but I don’t know the reason why he developed
that kind of attitude because, initially, he was a very nice person to the
core, a very nice brother to his siblings. But suddenly, he has changed and the
reason for that, I wouldn’t know.
Recently there was a fraud case of
some huge millions of naira against Deji Abiola, Kola’s immediate younger
brother over a printing press deal gone sour. He was arrested by the EFCC, how
did you felt as the head of the family?
You see, at
that particular time, it was just unfortunate. Deji (Abiola) is a very nice person; I am telling you that Deji is more serious than anybody else.
But on that particular case, I don’t believe it is true that Deji will dupe a fellow human being; he
is a very humane person. That was what I was telling people because Deji is very, very careful. He doesn’t
spend anyhow, he doesn’t go to parties, and he is much disciplined to the core.
He is prudent, it is an irony. So, for me, it must have been that something we
don’t know happened to him and because of his kind of person; he would rather
hurt himself to please others. He is never a dupe and I can assure you that
some day, the real truth will come out.
Goodluck Jonathan
We are also aware that the Federal
Government owes your late brother a huge sum of money and every regime that
came has refused to pay him. Do you see hope in President Jonathan’s government
especially as regards the recent naming of UNILAG after him?
Thank you
for that question. In fact, we are on the verge of meeting Mr. President on
that issue. Because what he did for us in April is very spectacular. He named a
strategic educational institution after MKO, we find that very unique and we
think he is a man who appreciates political evolution better than his
predecessors. So, we are planning to have an appointment with him to show our
appreciation to him. We shall see him and say “Thank You”.
Maybe you could also let him know
about the debt?
That won’t
be a bad idea. Everything will be tabled before him. Like I said, he is a more
visionary leader.
Like how much is the money?
It is a very
huge amount of money. It is quite a huge amount; I will see our accountant to
get the fact behind the figures. I believe the Government can pay it.
How I landed @ EFCC
We learnt that recently you had
crisis with one of the wives of your late brother over a property in ikeja and
the whole crisis landed you in EFCC net, how would you react to this?
Thank you
very much; the woman in question didn’t intentionally do what she did.
Secondly, I was not invited to the EFCC. 
It was one of my brother’s sons (Name withheld) that was invited to the
EFCC, so I had to follow them there because they are my brother’s children.
Even the woman in question is my brother’s wife and all I did was an arbitrator’s
role, I can not leave any one of them to their fate. So, that was the reason I
followed them to the EFCC. I have to be diplomatic as a father.
So, what was the crisis about the
property?
The problem
is very simple. It is a family affair; it’s only that this woman does not take
time to listen to word of wisdom. She doesn’t listen to advice but as God would
have it, she later recognized the wisdom in my position. She got to know that,
what I was telling her was the right thing and she had to travel down to my
place to apologize to me. And I said, no problem, go in peace and as I speak to
you now, the whole case has been brought to rest and the woman is even in
London.
Who is this woman? is she Ngozi?
No, it is
not Ngozi. I can’t recall her name
but she is the former wife of the king of Ilesa.
Ok, ok, the one Abiola married, her
son just graduated from a school in the UK?
You are
brilliant. Good of you, she only had an issue for us—a boy.
So, how were you able to settle the
crisis?
Of course, I
have settled everything for them. I have given her property back to her immediately;
it was something we handled with God’s wisdom. We thank God.
What is the family’s relationship
with majority of the South West Governors who crawled on MKO’s legacy to reach
their present position. Would you say you have been able to benefit from them?
In fact, I can’t
say much about Governor Fashola. But
I can say better about Governor Ibikunle
Amosun
. He is a very nice brother to us; he is our brother and he equally
behaved as one to us. Anytime we call him, he answers us. He is a very nice
person, a good hearted person. He is a good man.
What about the immediate past
Governor of Ogun?
You mean Governor Daniel? He too is nice but I
am not used to him.
So, Amosun is more familiar with you?
I didn’t say
he is a friend of this family; he is a brother to this family. There is nothing
we do in this house, even before he became the Governor, he will come. He will
be there with us.

Jamiu Abiola

Many of the people who followed MKO
and claimed to be his foot soldiers are now big goons in different political parties;
would you say their new status is robbing on the family? As the leader of this
family, would you say you are happy with them?
None of them
is taking care of anybody in this family. They don’t even look at us at all.
All of them, they are just busy doing things that will elevate only themselves
and their immediate family. They have forgotten that MKO died for this course
they are all reaping from, and I am quite surprised because it is not good to
be ungrateful. But I can tell you that somebody like Governor Fashola is trying for the family here in Lagos while Governor Amosun is doing more than we
think in Ogun. He treats us like a brother. He is just too great a man.
Talking about trying, do you mean
that the Governor of Lagos helps with contract or what?
No, he
doesn’t give contract o. But I am aware he does some other good things to show
his appreciation for the political sacrifice of the family’s bread winner. I
mean, we appreciate him on that ground.
What is your relationship with your
brother’s widows?
It is very
cordial. We don’t have problem with any one of them. You know I am the leader
of this family and I believe in shuttle diplomacy, I move around to ask and see
to the welfare of every body. I speak to every one and try to see how we can
bring them together. I believe in unity and that is why I am now looking for Kola Abiola. I want him to unite with
his siblings.
There was also a time one of your
siblings, Alhaji Murthala Abiola allegedly accused you of usurping power to
yourself, claiming that he is the real “Head of the family”. How did you react
to it?
(Laughs sarcastically).
He can only say that if he is drunk. Maybe he was under the influence of alcohol;
that is when he can conveniently say that kind of thing. There is nothing he
can do about my status; he is very junior to me and I can always tell him
whatever I want. In fact, I used to command him and tell him what I want him to
do. Of course people said he made claim to the leadership of the family but he
quickly denied it. He denied it totally, and he has to because he is very, very
junior to me. In fact, it will be a joke for him to have started thinking of
such. And like I said, it will take him the influence of alcohol to make such a
funny statement. So, don’t bother, it was a fluke.

Kola Abiola…Dodged Uncle when alive and shunned him in death

How did you feel when you lost your
daughter?

I felt so
bad, I must confess to you. Because she is so close to me and she is the only
one I can even call in the midnight and she will answer me immediately. She was
a very good soul. Ooh, God, I can not say more than this about her. You are
making me to shed tears.
Can you advise Kola Abiola?
Well, the
only advice I will give to him is to be close to the family. He shouldn’t run
from the family. If you could remember this afternoon while I was speaking (at
the naming ceremony) I told these Imams that anybody that loses his
family is wasting his time. He is only waiting for the punishment in the
future. Kola should not run away
from the family. He should come back home, let him come back home. I have been
telling people to tell him, let him come back home. He should come back home,
you can’t say this one offended you or the other person offended you and as a
result you wont befriend them again. It is MKO’s legacy, and you must treat it
that way. MKO has about seventy-something children; why can you and your
immediate siblings say you want to separate yourself? It is not possible. It is
not advisable. I am sure he will return home. He will surely come back home. I
can assure you on that.