President Bola Tinubu, alongside top government officials and other dignitaries, recently graced the national premiere of MKO, a documentary that chronicles the life and political legacy of the late businessman and politician, Moshood Abiola. Administration
The event, a segment of celebrations to celebrate Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary, was held in the Wole Soyinka Center for Culture and Creative Arts, formerly the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos.
Tinubu was at the ceremony with his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, Channels TV reports.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, were some of those who graced the occasion.
Also present at the premiere were Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa and former Ogun State Governor Segun Osoba.
The documentary was created and filmed by Nigerian-American director Ose Oyamendan who said the film was meant to preserve the story of Abiola and the events surrounding the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Tinubu was remembered at the premiere by Oyamendan, who paid respect to the former Lagos governor for his participation in the pro-democracy campaign after the election was annulled. government.
“It was significant to choose Tinubu to serve as Chief Host for the premiere because of his connection to the events captured in the film,” the filmmaker stated.
Oyamendan said the president and other who took part in the struggle against military rule made personal sacrifices in demanding the acceptance of the June 12 mandate.
He also reflected on his own experience at the period, having worked as a journalist with Weekend Concord, a daily launched by Abiola.
The documentary gave him the chance to explore the events surrounding Abiola’s political journey and offer it to Nigerians who were either too young to remember the period or were born after the events, he said.
MKO chronicles Abiola’s growth as a businessman, publisher and politician, his involvement in the 1993 presidential election, the annulment of the election by the military government and the subsequent pro-democracy movement.
The documentary also tells the story of Abiola’s arrest and his death in custody in 1998. Death and Tragedy
The film includes archival footage and testimonials from a number of people connected to the period, including former Military Head of State Ibrahim Babangida, former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and Abiola’s running mate in the 1993 election, Baba Gana Kingibe.
Also in the documentary are former US Ambassador to Nigeria Walter Carrington, former US Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Pickering, former Canadian High Commissioner Gerald Ohlsen and members of the Abiola family.
Tinubu was among those shown in the film, indicating his engagement in the pro-democracy movement during the period.
It was a 108-minute documentary that had its worldwide premiere at the Sheffield worldwide Documentary Festival in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2026, before its national premiere in Lagos.
The film is set to begin its commercial theatrical run today, Friday, October 2 across Nigeria.
It was also Tinubu’s first significant public engagement in Nigeria after his four-week working travel to Europe.
The president who returned to Lagos on Tuesday, September 29, was supposed to join in celebrations to honour the Independence anniversary.
The event brought together political leaders, members of the creative industry and individuals associated with Nigeria’s political history to revisit one of the pivotal chapters in the country’s democratic journey.
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