June 12: Abiola Family Seeks Clarity on N45bn Contract Debt

The late Chief Moshood Abiola’s family has requested information on the N45 billion that the Federal Government is allegedly owed.

The request came after former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido made a recent remark in which he urged President Bola Tinubu to provide the family with compensation as a sign of justice and national reconciliation.

Lamido demanded that the Federal Government provide the business tycoon’s heirs almost N45 billion, reviving a dispute over money purportedly owing to the late Abiola.

During the May 2025 premiere of his biography, “Being True to Myself,” in Abuja, Lamido informed guests that Abiola’s business, International Telephone & Telegraph, had completed significant communications contracts for the military government in the 1970s but had never received full payment.

According to him, Abiola privately verified the amount when Lamido visited him just before his incarceration in 1994, and a former president of the state, Murtala Muhammad, recognised the debt before to his 1976 killing.

The unpaid payment was presented by Lamido as “double punishment,” claiming that Abiola was first denied the presidency following the annulment of his June 12, 1993, election victory and then denied the contract money he was entitled to.

He contended that resolving the issue will show President Bola Tinubu’s dedication to justice for pro-democracy leaders and provide moral and symbolic closure to Nigeria’s protracted June 12 crisis.

“Abiola kept faith with this country; paying what is owed will close the chapter decently,” Lamido told the audience, which included Information Minister, Mohammed Idris, whom he asked to relay the appeal to the President.

The revelation reignited public discourse around Nigeria’s democratic journey and the sacrifices of Abiola, who died in detention in 1998 after his struggle to reclaim his electoral mandate.

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The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, who spoke to The Intercept, urged President Tinubu to act on the matter.

He said, “That money should be paid to Abiola’s family. It is not just about compensation, it is about honouring a man who gave everything for this democracy. Giving an appointment to one of his children is not enough.”

Speaking for the family, Jamiu Abiola told The Intercept that the family needed details on the debt to be able to act on it.

He said, “The former governor did not say what the money was owed for. He didn’t give much details about it. Since then, the matter has been what it is. Before we can say more about it, we need more details. For now, the issue that the money be paid cannot come up because it hasn’t been substantiated.”

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