Obasanjo identifies reason Abiola never became president

A former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Wednesday, identified the issues that, in his opinion, prevented Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, from taking office.

He claimed that “bad belle” prevented Abeokuta from producing another president in a lecture titled “Eyin Ni Iwe Wa: You Are Our Epistle” as part of the centenary celebrations of the Baptist Boys High School (BBHS) in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

He claimed that BBHS had a significant influence on who he is today in terms of moral values and quality education.

The late Yoruba leader Obafemi Awolowo, a former judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Prince Bola Ajibola, and other people, according to Obasanjo, were all molded into the people they are today by the school.

The event was organised by the Old Boys Association of the BBHS.

Awolowo was at BBHS in 1928; Ajibola graduated in 1955; Abiola was among the 1956 set, while Obasanjo left the school in 1957.

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Obasanjo said “Today, there are distinguished old boys in all walks of life, i.e., private sector, academia, military and paramilitary, civil society, traditional rulership, etc. Such is the present President of Old Boys Association of BBHS, Prof. Kayode Oyesiku.

“I believe that I must not be too forgetful to leave out yours truly, the son of Obasanjo, a modest war-victorious General and former Military Head of State and former President of Nigeria. Chief M.K.O. Abiola, the first communication industry millionaire in Nigeria and the acclaimed winner of the 1993 Presidential election who was in a class by himself.

“If not for Nigerian bad belle, M.K.O. Abiola would have been President and with me as President, we would have needed one more old student of BBHS to be President for us to permanently locate it in BBHS after three times. And that is a challenge for up-and-coming generations of old boys,” Obasanjo said.

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