It was a quiet moment in a Lagos hospital room that unlocked one of the most personal secrets of the late Chief MKO Abiola, and Zenith Labour Party National Leader, Dan Nwanyanwu, was the one listening.
Nwanyanwu made the revelation on Arise News Prime Time, disclosing that President Bola Tinubu was also in the room the day Abiola bared his heart on why he desperately wanted to lead Nigeria.
Both men, he said, were among the handful of loyalists who kept vigil at Eko Hospital, Lagos, where Abiola was receiving treatment for a swollen leg at the time.
“I was the only person outside his family allowed into that space. His wife brought food daily, handed it to me. I served him first and ate whatever remained,” Nwanyanwu said.
It was during one such visit that Abiola narrated a surgical experience in London that left a permanent mark on him.
He was being wheeled into the operating theatre when he noticed six white doctors positioned around the table.
Minutes passed and the procedure had not begun. When he asked why, the doctors said they were waiting for the chief surgeon. Moments later, a Black man strode in with two colleagues.
“The surgeon leaned over and whispered ‘Ekaso’ in Yoruba. Abiola froze. He grabbed the man and asked, are you Nigerian? The doctor confirmed he was,” Nwanyanwu recounted.
Tears streamed down Abiola’s face. He turned to Nwanyanwu and said, “Comrade, I will bring all these people back home and set up those hospitals right here in Nigeria.”
Abiola reportedly pressed further, asking, “Are you saying we cannot establish King’s Hospital in every state across this country?” He pledged to repatriate Nigerian medical talent and build world-class health facilities nationwide.
Nwanyanwu expressed sorrow that the aspiration had yet to materialise, pointing accusing fingers at those who had siphoned funds earmarked for public health infrastructure.
“The money for those hospitals has been carted away from the centre. Nigeria sits on oil wealth yet ordinary citizens see nothing of it,” he said bitterly.
He called on Tinubu to remember the pledge, saying the President witnessed it firsthand.
“He knows this story. We practically lived in Abiola’s house during those days,” Nwanyanwu added.
Abiola’s June 12, 1993 presidential victory was annulled by the military.
He died behind bars in July 1998, never having worn the crown he fought so hard to claim.
