Ismail Abdulazeez Mantu Reporting
Former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, has urged President Bola Tinubu to settle the ₦45 billion debt allegedly owed to the late Chief MKO Abiola by the Nigerian government.
Lamido made this appeal during the public presentation of his autobiography, Being True To Myself, held in Abuja on May 13, 2025.
In his address, Lamido emphasized the importance of resolving this financial obligation to bring closure to the events surrounding the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election, which Abiola is widely regarded to have won.
He recounted a conversation with former military president General Ibrahim Babangida, who purportedly acknowledged that the government owed Abiola ₦45 billion.
Lamido stated, “Abiola is doubly punished. One, he was not given the presidency, and two, he is being owed.”
He appealed to President Tinubu, through the Minister of Information who represented him at the event, to settle the debt, asserting that such an action would effectively close the chapter on the June 12 saga.
The event was attended by several notable figures, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who authored the foreword to Lamido’s book, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Lamido expressed his gratitude to them and others who contributed to the success of the book launch.