NaijaPositive.com

admin · Site Admin Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 5404

MKO Abiola

Moshood,Kashimawo, Olabiwonnu Abiola was popularly known as MKO Abiola. Abiola was born on August 24, 1937 in Abeokuta, Ogun State. His name, Kashimawo means "Let us wait and see" in Yoruba language.

The late philanthropist was the 23rd child in the family and the only one who survived infancy, hence the name Kashimawo. He lived for 15 years before his parents named him Moshood.

At nine, he started his first business selling firewood, which he sold to pay his way through school. He proceeded to set up a band and performed at various ceremonies in exchange for food.

He attended Baptist Boys High School Abeokuta, where he edited the school magazine The Trumpeter. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, his kinsman, was deputy editor. When he was 19, Abiola joined the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroun instead of the Action Group (AG), which held sway in the defunct Western Region.

In 1956, Abiola joined the defunct Barclays Bank, Ibadan as a clerk and after two years he moved to the Western Region Finance Corporation as an executive account officer before leaving for Glasgow, Scotland to pursue his higher education, where he got first class in political economy, commercial law and management accountancy. He also received a distinction from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. Upon return to Nigeria, he worked as a senior accountant at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), then Pfizer, and ITT Corporation, where he was made Vice President, Africa and Middle-East of the entire corporation with head office in the United States.

He retired from there to set up a chain of businesses in the media, aviation, agricultural sectors, among others. The business mogul, died in detention on June 8, 1997 for refusing to renounce his unofficial mandate after winning the 1993 national elections that was annulled by the military. He was jailed for declaring his platform while a President was still in session.

_________________
May we be strengthened with the ability, willingness and capabilities to be good ambassadors of Nigeria contributing to its uplifting, rather than its detriment. - Cxsm