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| M.K.O ABIOLA |
M.K.O Abiola's family has rejected the Centenary award to the winner of the 1993 Nigeria’s presidential election. The eldest son the late politician said that the award was “not appropriate.”
Abiola's son, Kola Abiola, expressed his affection to the Centenary award in general, but underlined that his family "only accept what is appropriate." "If what they are trying to give him is a gold award for the centenary, we don’t consider that to be appropriate," Mr. Abiola said.
He also added, With a gold centenary award, it means we have not left where we were when they tried to rename the University of Lagos after him. We said then that it was inappropriate.”
A source close to the Abiola’s disclosed that the family believed the elder Abiola deserve the nation’s highest honour, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), having won the 1993 presidential elections, and laid down his life to usher in democracy in Nigeria.
The source also said that the family is angry that the government had failed to pay the huge debt it’s owing the late politician’s businesses. They believe the debt is responsible for the collapse of the businesses.
The Federal Government had shortlisted 100 persons to be honoured with Centenary awards as part of Nigeria’s Centenary celebration.
The Abiola family is not the only one who rejected the award. Gani Fawehinmi's family, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka have also rejected the posthumous awards on their patriarch.
