“Nigeria Is A Mafia Nation”-Dele Momodu

By Austin Edoho
Chief Dele Momodu, the CEO and Publisher-in-chief of Ovation Magazine has in his characteristic bold and fearless manner dubbed Nigeria a mafia nation.
This took place today at the 24^th memorial Celebration of the late MKO Abiola’s election victory organized by the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) at COSON House, Ikeja Lagos. The occasion also marked the 7^th year of COSON’s existence as a regulatory body in Nigeria.
Speaking at the occasion which was attended by people from all walks of life, Chief Momodu narrated the life and times of the man who won the freest and fairest election ever conducted in the history of the country. Without mincing words, he led bare the secrets behind the June 12 saga which culminated in the death of MKO Abiola. According to him, Nigeria has indeed lost the one person who could have effected a positive change in the lives of the masses. He further added that though Chief MKO Abiola is late, yet June 12 is still alive, and that is the reason why people were gathered today to celebrate it.
Speaking further, Chief Momodu said, “When IBB lifted the ban on old politicians in Nigeria in 1991,I knew Chief would be tempted to go back into politics owing by the way he was moving and meandering the labyrinth of the political wilderness in Nigeria. Remember he had resigned way back in 1981. So I wrote him a letter, asking him not to join the Republicans. I asked him to please join his people’s party, and then pick a Christian running mate because he himself was a moslem. He eventually picked a muslim running mate, and interestingly, he still won!” In the same vein, chief Momodu stated that when Chief MKO started campaigning, people misunderstood his motive, thinking he was doing it for his own personal interest. He said there was a time MKO Abiola became so frustrated that he was spending so much money, and yet he couldn’t eradicate poverty in Nigeria. This influenced his decision of contesting for the presidency.
According to Chief Momodu, “Abiola was a cleaner version of Donald Trump. He respected everyone, and he loved everyone, and whether he was home or not, people were always waiting for him in front of his house”. He portrayed Abiola as a giver who spared no expense in making life easier for those around him. He said that Abiola contesting and winning the presidential election was not an accident. He emphasized on the fact that Abiola was well prepared for the election which was the reason he recorded such a phenomenal victory.
Interestingly, even though Abiola won the election in every part of Nigeria, he was denied the privilege of being the President. This he attributed to the activities of the Mafia who control the political activities in Nigeria. In his words, “they couldn’t imagine an Abiola emerging without them, so for Abiola to emerge as the president, he had to bow to the godfathers, and in particular to the capo, the boss of all bosses. We were naïve, and didn’t know this”. He said Nigeria is not an easy country, but was a country run by Mafias who are mathematicians: always permutating and calculating and plotting.
He eulogized the late icon, and encouraged everyone to remember that he died in his quest to emancipate Nigerians from the grip of poverty.

In attendance at the event was Tuface Idibia, Prince Bisi Olatilo, Ayo Animashaun, Azu Arinze, Princess Anne Inyang, Patrick Doyle, Tony Onyema, and MKO Abiola’s son, who also received a post-humous award for the late father.