The Presidency has urged the family of late Moshood Abiola to formally file a claim if they seek details regarding the reported ₦45 billion debt allegedly owed to them by the federal government. This development follows recent remarks by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, who appealed to President Bola Tinubu to compensate the Abiola family as a step toward national reconciliation and justice.

Lamido reignited the long-standing controversy over the alleged debt, urging the federal government to pay the heirs of the late business magnate approximately ₦45 billion. He claimed that Abiola’s company, International Telephone & Telegraph, executed significant telecommunications contracts for the military government in the 1970s but was never fully compensated. According to Lamido, a former head of state, Murtala Muhammed, acknowledged the debt before his 1976 assassination, and Abiola privately confirmed the figure when Lamido visited him shortly before his arrest in 1994.

A senior presidential official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Abiola family could submit a formal claim if they possess sufficient evidence. “The children of MKO Abiola are still very much alive. The first son is alive. So, if there is any money the government is owing Abiola, let them file a claim. It is not for Sule Lamido to be saying this,” the official stated. “Obasanjo was president for eight years. Why didn’t he pay it? President Buhari was there for eight years, why didn’t he pay? So, I don’t think it is Sule Lamido’s business at all.”

The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has also weighed in on the matter, urging President Tinubu to act on the demand. “That money should be paid to Abiola’s family. It is not just about compensation, it is about honouring a man who gave everything for this democracy. Giving an appointment to one of his children is not enough,” Adams said.

Meanwhile, a family member, Hafsat Abiola, expressed appreciation to the federal government for posthumously conferring the CFR national honour on her late mother, Kudirat Abiola. “There are no words to adequately express the depth of gratitude I feel at President Tinubu’s posthumous conferment of the merit of CFR on my mum, Kudirat Abiola. She was guided both by love and a sense of duty to defend her husband’s mandate, and to work with many across the country for the restoration of democracy. Yet, I have no doubt that she would have been overwhelmed with joy to be so honoured.