Abdulmumuni Abiola, one of the sons of the late Nigerian billionaire and philanthropist Moshood Abiola, recently disclosed that his father bequeathed £650,000 to his first four wives.
This revelation was made during an episode of the ‘Mic On Podcast’, hosted by Channels TV presenter Seun Okinbaloye.
The program aired on Saturday, showcasing Abdulmumuni’s candid discussion about family dynamics and inheritance issues.
A segment of the podcast featured a copy of Moshood Abiola’s will, which revealed the financial allocations made to his wives: £300,000 to his first wife, Simbiat; £150,000 to his second wife, Kudirat; £100,000 to his third wife, Moriamo; and £100,000 to his fourth wife, Idiat.
These figures underscore the late politician’s approach to his family obligations, especially in a polygamous setting.
Abdulmumuni, the son of Kudirat Abiola, expressed his grievances towards his older brother Kola, who he accused of withholding the rightful inheritance due to him and his sisters.
He elaborated that the family had undergone a series of blood tests to determine the legitimate children entitled to their father’s estate, emphasizing the systematic nature of the will, which specifically names the wives and delineates their monetary shares.
When questioned about why some of Abiola’s children are struggling despite the considerable wealth left behind, Abdulmumuni provided some context.
“Let me give you some background on that. We did blood tests so we had a list of qualifying children. If you look at the will and you see how systematic it is, he names the wives and he apportions the money to them. I would like to give you some information on that. My mum was number two (Kudirat Olayinka Abiola). I think she was apportioned £150,000,” he explained.
He further revealed that Kola had pointed out that his mother passed away before their father, which led him to claim that British law prevented him from distributing the £150,000 to Abdulmumuni and his siblings. “At the time, Kola had sighted the fact that my mum died before my dad died, and because of that, British law would not allow him to release the £150,000 to us. He also said that his mum too is dead and he didn’t get the £300,000 for his mother. But you are the one sharing the money, so it’s odd…If he wanted to, he could have given us the money.”
Abdulmumuni recounted the struggles he and his siblings faced after the loss of their parents, revealing, “It would have been useful to us to have that funds.”
He lamented how Kola had sold their mother’s apartment in the UK without informing his brothers or sister, which he felt was part of a broader pattern of exclusion aimed at impoverishing Kudirat’s side of the family. He stated, “And for that reason, I don’t think I will be able to forgive him (Kola).”
Reflecting on their childhood in the UK, Abdulmumuni shared that he and his siblings often struggled to make ends meet.
He recalled, “While I was eight years old, I and my siblings struggled to survive in the United Kingdom.”
He noted that one of his sisters turned to braiding hair to support the family while another traveled across American universities to give speeches in an effort to earn some money.
“The last part of the will that applied to me and my existence has not been addressed. We couldn’t afford to buy proper shoes for school, so my sister had to take me to Payless. I didn’t understand that and then I’m finding out that we had an apartment in the UK that we could have rented and could have been bringing money for both,” he added.
His revelations about Kola’s actions, from selling their mother’s property without sharing the proceeds to withholding her portion of the inheritance, suggest a calculated effort to undermine their family.
“I’m telling you that my sister (Kafilah) used to do braids so we could pay for food. Hafsah was making speeches at universities at, like 20, had to fly across America, just to make $100, $200,” he lamented.
Moshood Abiola, renowned for his success as a businessman and his polygamous lifestyle, made history when he won Nigeria’s presidential election in 1993, a victory that was later annulled by military dictator Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.
Abiola declared himself president based on the election results and was subsequently detained.
He tragically passed away in custody in 1998. In recognition of his contributions to Nigerian democracy, former President Muhammadu Buhari posthumously honoured him in 2018 by moving Nigeria’s Democracy Day from May 29 to June 12 and awarding him the highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic.
