Former JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, reveals hidden details about late MKO Abiola’s wife, says some truths are better left untold
Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, former Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has revealed that he spent the final 24 hours with late pro-democracy activist, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, before she was assassinated in 1996.
Oloyede, who is also a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, made the disclosure while reflecting on events surrounding Nigeria’s turbulent political history, noting that some experiences and information are better kept private to avoid reopening old wounds.
“Unless one wants to create more confusion in the society, or make more enemies of the society, there are many things you come to know about that you better die with,” Oloyede said.
“There are so many things I know and other people know that is best we don’t go back to,” he added.
Kudirat Abiola, wife of the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola, was assassinated on June 4, 1996, in Lagos, during the struggle for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.
She was widely recognised as one of the leading voices in the pro-democracy movement that challenged the military government of the era following the annulment of the 1993 election.
Oloyede’s comments have sparked renewed interest in the untold stories surrounding Nigeria’s democratic struggle, as he suggested that several events from that period remain known only to a few individuals.
The former JAMB boss, however, did not disclose further details about his final encounter with Kudirat Abiola, maintaining that some memories and information should remain undisclosed in the interest of society.
