The documentary on the life and legacy of late businessman and politician Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, MKO, begins its nationwide cinema run today, October 2, following its national premiere in Lagos on Thursday. The premiere was held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, formerly the National Theatre, in Iganmu, Lagos, as […]
The documentary on the life and legacy of late businessman and politician Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, MKO, begins its nationwide cinema run today, October 2, following its national premiere in Lagos on Thursday.
The premiere was held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, formerly the National Theatre, in Iganmu, Lagos, as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
President Bola Tinubu attended the event with First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, alongside several political leaders and prominent figures.
Among the dignitaries at the premiere were Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Others included 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.
Produced and directed by Nigerian-American filmmaker Ose Oyamendan, MKO explores Abiola’s journey as a businessman, publisher and politician, including his participation in the 1993 presidential election.
The film also revisits the annulment of the June 12 election by the military government and the pro-democracy struggle that followed, as well as Abiola’s detention and eventual death in custody in 1998.
Oyamendan said the documentary was created to preserve the history surrounding Abiola and the June 12 struggle for Nigerians who may not have experienced the events firsthand.
The filmmaker also recalled his own connection to the period, having worked as a journalist with Weekend Concord, the newspaper founded by Abiola.
The 108-minute documentary features archival footage and interviews or accounts from several prominent figures associated with the era.
Those featured include former military Heads of State Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and Abiola’s 1993 running mate, Baba Gana Kingibe.
Former United States 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 also appear in the documentary.
President Tinubu is also featured in the film because of his involvement in the pro-democracy movement during the period.
The documentary had its international premiere at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2026, before its national premiere in Lagos on October 1.
With its cinema release beginning today, the film is set to bring Abiola’s political journey, the June 12 election and Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle to a wider Nigerian audience.