Finally, MKO Abiola’s Abandoned Project Revived 

The late MoshoodKashimawoOlawaleAbiola, famously known as MKO Abiola, meant many things to many people—tycoon, philanthropist, humanitarian, and more.

The late businessman had a vision – to occupy the number one position in his fatherland. For him, the position would avail him a lifetime dream of doing more for the people, especially the less privileged. He chose the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), on whose platform he contested on June 12, 1993.  His compatriots from across the country overwhelmingly voted for him. But the military junta would not have any of it and the election was annulled.

“Foul play!” the people shouted. “You cannot abort a pregnancy after the child has been born,” Abiola was quoted as saying. Finally, he was motivated by the people to reclaim his mandate. The respected pillar of sports, publisher and entrepreneur lost his life in the process.

Though this is no longer news, that was not the only unfulfilled dream of the late billionaire. Abiola had a plan to put up a mansion to be named ‘Presidential Lodge’ on Oba Oshile Road, Government Reservation Area, Ibara, Abeokuta, Ogun State. But that was not to be. After his death, the building was abandoned,  overgrown with weeds and inhabited by reptiles and mentally deranged men.

Society Watch gathered that the building, which was conceived to serve as Abiola’s personal presidential lodge upon assumption of office, has multiple rooms. The sitting room is fit to host a gathering of about 1,000 persons at a time, and there is a helipad atop for helicopters to land. In fact, if completed, the building would have been one of the best of its kind in the whole of the country, if not Africa. The construction had gone well with speed, as the building firm hurried to meet the delivery date slated ahead of his envisaged swearing-in as president of Nigeria in 1993. Trust the man with high taste, hundreds of millions of naira were expended on the project

But following the annulment of the poll, and his eventual arrest after the declaration, the contractor pulled out of site and has not returned ever since.

However, we have reliably gathered that the abandoned building has now been taken over by a specialist hospital, Redwood.  It was gathered that the hospital has spent several millions of naira to bring it back to shape.