Jamiu Abiola, the son of the late MKO Abiola, has said Nigeria could have been in a much better condition if his father had taken office as president after the 1993 election.

He made this comment during a June 12 special program on Channels Television. The forum marked 26 years of continuous democratic government in Nigeria.

Jamiu explained that the year 1993 was a good time for the global economy. If his father had led Nigeria at that time, the country might have made strong economic progress.

Instead, he said, the country ended up with a leader who was only interested in stealing. Although he didn’t mention General Sani Abacha directly, Jamiu hinted at Abacha’s poor leadership and problems.

The event, according to Daily Post, was titled “Nigeria’s Democratic Journey: An Inter-Generational Conversation On Building A Better Nation.”

Jamiu, who currently works as a special adviser to President Bola Tinubu, said that some people have tried to remove his father’s name from Nigeria’s political story.

He noticed that when world leaders talk about Nigeria’s past presidents, they often mention names like Yar’Adua but leave out MKO Abiola.

He said it felt like some people were trying to erase his father’s name from history, comparing it to shaving someone’s head without their permission.

Because of this, he decided to write a book in 2015 called “The President Who Never Ruled”. His goal was to make sure people would never forget what his father stood for.

In 2018, former President Muhammadu Buhari gave MKO Abiola the GCFR title—the highest national honor in Nigeria. Buhari also made June 12 the official Democracy Day, which many people thought should have happened long ago.