Prominent leaders of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Col Tony Nyiam (retd.) and Chief Ayo Opadokun, have rejected claims by former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), that leaders of the pro-democracy group requested an extension of military rule in 1998.

The duo also challenged Abdulsalami’s assertion that the late winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, was not poisoned, insisting that his account of the events surrounding Abiola’s death was unconvincing.

Abdulsalami, in his recently launched autobiography, “Call of Duty,” claimed that some NADECO leaders privately appealed to him to prolong the military transition after becoming convinced of his commitment to handing over power in 1999.

According to the former military ruler, the request came about two to three months into his administration.

Abdulsalami said he rejected the request, asking the group to acknowledge it if they were serious publicly.

The former Head of State also dismissed the long-standing position that Abiola was poisoned before his death on July 7, 1998, insisting that an autopsy conducted by pathologists from Nigeria, the United States, Britain and Canada concluded that he died of natural causes linked to pre-existing hypertension and heart disease.

Reacting in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Tuesday, Nyiam and Opadokun described Abdulsalami’s account as inaccurate.

Nyiam, a key member of NADECO abroad, said he was unaware of any recognised leader of the coalition who demanded an extension of military rule, stressing that the group’s struggle was aimed at ending military dictatorship, not prolonging it.

Nyiam said, “I am not sure which NADECO Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar is referring to. To the best of my knowledge, the leader of NADECO was Chief Anthony Enahoro, and while he was briefing all of us, he insisted that Gen Abdulsalami should carry out due process by giving Nigeria a people’s constitution to create an enabling environment for genuine democracy,” he said.

According to him, Enahoro’s position was that the transition should produce a Constitution agreed upon by Nigerians through a national conference rather than the 1999 Constitution, which he said was imposed by the military.

Nyiam recalled that Abdulsalami sent a close associate, Olowu, to meet NADECO leaders in exile, including the current President, Bola Tinubu, who was then based in London.

He said Tinubu invited key NADECO figures from across Europe to the meeting, where the coalition unanimously insisted on a credible democratic transition rather than an extension of military rule.

“When Gen Abdulsalami sent an emissary, Olowu, to meet with us, Tinubu invited all the key NADECO people. I travelled from Edinburgh to London for that meeting.

“The man sought our opinion, and what all of us insisted on was that the handover should be properly done to create a system that would bring in democracy.

“There was nobody, to my knowledge, whether Gen. Alani Akinrinade, Chief Anthony Enahoro or any other person from NADECO abroad, who ever asked him to extend military rule. Who would have done that when what we were all fighting for was to end military rule?” Nyiam asked.

He suggested that Abdulsalami was either misinformed or “being economical with the truth.”

He said, “I think the General was either misinformed or deliberately being economical with the truth. There was nothing like that.

“The issue was very clear. We wanted a process that would first produce a people’s constitution through a national conference. That could have been achieved within a few months.

“No one I know from the NADECO chapters in the United Kingdom, the United States or Canada, all led by Chief Anthony Enahoro, made such a request. I was shocked when I heard him say so,” he added.

Nyiam identified Enahoro, Akinrinade and Tinubu as the principal figures of NADECO abroad, noting that Tinubu largely financed the coalition’s activities during the struggle.

He also mentioned former Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, and Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, who led the National Liberation Council of Nigeria, as key figures who could corroborate his account.

“There was nobody who made such a request to Abdulsalami. I don’t know where that came from,” he said.

Nyiam also faulted Abdulsalami’s account of Abiola’s death.

“I am surprised by his claim that nobody did anything bad to Chief MKO Abiola. From all the evidence we have heard, I doubt his position, with all respect to my senior.

“Chief MKO Abiola was done away with by those who did not want him to govern,” he said.

He challenged the former Head of State to identify those who allegedly betrayed Abiola during the struggle.

“He should name those who betrayed Chief MKO Abiola. Those I know who remained committed to the struggle were Chief Anthony Enahoro, Gen Alani Akinrinade, Bola Tinubu, who spent a lot of his money, Dr Kayode Fayemi, and Prof Wole Soyinka, even though he led NALICON and not NADECO directly. They can all confirm what we are saying.

“It is not true that any worthwhile leader of NADECO requested the General to extend his stay. It is also not true, in my opinion, that his account of Chief MKO Abiola’s death tells the full story,” Nyiam stated.

Also speaking, former NADECO General Secretary, Chief Ayo Opadokun, said Abdulsalami appeared to have misconstrued discussions held between his emissaries and NADECO leaders in exile.

“He was not talking about us in Nigeria. He was referring to NADECO abroad because he sent emissaries to meet them.

“What NADECO abroad asked was that Abdulsalami should prepare a programme for stability by ensuring that a people’s constitution was produced before elections were conducted,” Opadokun said.

According to him, the coalition advocated forming a government of national unity headed by Abiola rather than extending military rule.

“They wanted a situation where a valid and acceptable constitution was in place before elections.

“We asked him to form a government of national unity to be headed by Chief MKO Abiola. I documented this in the NADECO story,” he said.

Opadokun added that reports reaching him from former NADECO leaders abroad indicated that Abdulsalami had misunderstood the purpose of the discussions held with his representatives.

“I have received reports from some of our people abroad that he seems to be misconstruing their discussions with the emissary he sent to them as requesting an extension of military rule, which is not true,” he said.

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The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has defended the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu, saying he does not personally see the level of hunger often highlighted in public discourse.

Speaking on Arise Television on Tuesday, Onanuga argued that several government programmes and infrastructure projects are already delivering benefits to citizens across the country.

He cited improvements in road infrastructure as one of the visible outcomes of the administration’s policies, recounting a recent trip from Ibadan to Lagos.

He said, “One day, I was travelling from Ibadan to Lagos, and Google Maps told me that there’s a go-slow in the approach to Lagos, and I decided to take Ijebu-Ode via Shagamu.

“What struck me most was that I just found myself on a paved road, a concrete road. I said, ‘Wow, when was this one built?’”

According to him, residents in the area have reacted positively to the development.

“I found that our people, I mean, our Ijebu people, have stopped complaining. I said, ‘Oh, no wonder they now have a brand new road that’s not just an asphalt road, a concrete road,’” he added.

The presidential spokesman also pointed to the ongoing coastal highway project, which he said has eased movement for many commuters, including himself.

“I live in Ajah. Anytime I go to Lagos, and I ask Google Maps to tell me how soon I will get home, Google Maps will tell me one hour, seven minutes. Before, it was two hours, 30 minutes, and the reason for that is that we now have a coastal road that has shortened my travel time,” he said.

Questioning criticisms of government performance, he added, “Is that not beneficial? What are people talking about, really?”

Onanuga further highlighted the Federal Government’s student loan initiative and access to low-interest credit facilities for workers as examples of policies aimed at easing financial pressures on Nigerians.

“If you are a parent and you have four children in university, and they’re able to access federal loans, which are interest-free, are they not benefiting?

“If you are a civil servant and you can access the credit card, a very cheap loan at below interest, it is about seven per cent. Now people can access that loan at a single digit. Are they not benefiting as well?” he asked.

He maintained that public conversations about the economy often overlook some of the gains recorded by the administration.

“We have been pigeonholed into certain assumptions, certain conclusions,” he said.

Onanuga also recalled a viral video from the early days of the Tinubu administration, which featured a voice-over suggesting widespread hunger among Nigerians.

“I think the President went to Lagos, he was coming from the Central Mosque, and somebody now did a voice-over saying ‘Ebi n pawa o,’ and that means we are hungry. Since then, people have been saying that,” he said.

While acknowledging that Nigerians face economic difficulties, the presidential aide said his personal interactions with people around him do not reflect the level of hardship frequently portrayed in public discussions.

“I’m a Nigerian. I have people working for me privately. I don’t see the level of hunger people are talking about because I see them, and I keep asking them questions: how are things, how are they adjusting, what are the problems?” he said.

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, has dismissed claims that the President vowed not to seek re-election if he failed to significantly improve electricity supply in the country.

PUNCH Online recalls that Tinubu, during a business luncheon in December 2022 ahead of the 2023 presidential election, said, “If I don’t give you constant electricity for four years, when I come back for a second term, don’t vote for me.”

Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Tuesday, Onanuga said the President’s remarks on power sector reforms had been misrepresented, insisting that Tinubu’s statement was conditional and not an outright pledge to forgo a second term.

According to him, critics often quote only a portion of the President’s remarks while ignoring the context in which they were made.

When asked whether the President had promised not to seek re-election if the electricity supply did not improve dramatically, Onanuga said, “That is not exactly what he said. He said he will give Nigerians power. I’m paraphrasing now. He said he will also say he will end the area of estimated billing. A problem that he has largely solved because it should not be his business, but his government is producing meters, asking the DISCOS to give people meters free of charge.

“And he said, if by any chance he has reasons not to give Nigerians adequate power, then they should understand the problem that he inherited.”

When he was told that the President said he should not be reelected if the electricity supply did not improve, Onanuga said, “He didn’t say that way. Let me see if I can open my phone and tell exactly what he said.”

Onanuga argued that Tinubu had demonstrated commitment to power sector reforms since assuming office, citing the signing of the Electricity Act as one of the administration’s major achievements.

“The first thing he did when he came to office was sign the Electricity Act, which enables states to generate power, transmit power and distribute power,” he said.

He noted that the legislation had opened up the electricity sector and encouraged competition, with several states already taking advantage of the opportunities created by the law.

“That is a good thing. Some of the states are taking advantage of that, and more are going to do so. That will make the electricity sector open and competitive,” he added.

The presidential spokesman also pointed to efforts by the administration to address the metering gap across the country, saying the government had intervened to ensure more Nigerians receive meters free of charge.

“He also learnt the error of estimated billing, a problem that his government is largely solving because the government is producing meters and asking distribution companies to give people free of charge,” Onanuga said.

While acknowledging that electricity supply has yet to reach the level envisioned by the President, Onanuga attributed the challenge to long-standing structural problems in the sector.

“We are not at the level that the President meant it. I can tell you that,” he said.

He explained that although Nigeria has an installed generation capacity of about 13,500 megawatts, constraints such as gas shortages, legacy debts and weak transmission infrastructure have limited performance.

“What people don’t know is that we already have an installed capacity of 13,500 megawatts. What are the problems? No gas. The players in the sector owe the gas companies legacy debts of over four trillion naira,” he said.

According to Onanuga, the Tinubu administration is working to resolve these issues while pursuing reforms aimed at improving generation and transmission capacity.

“The transmission grid is outdated, but that is part of the reforms that need to be put in place,” he said.

He added that the government was exploring additional initiatives to optimise existing power assets and improve electricity delivery across the country.

Onanuga maintained that despite the challenges, the administration remains committed to delivering on its promise of improving electricity supply and strengthening the nation’s power sector.

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