Abiola’s Tears in London: Nwanyanwu Recalls How Hospital Encounter Fueled Presidential Ambition

The National Leader of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Dan Nwanyanwu, has recounted an emotional moment involving the late Chief MKO Abiola that, according to him, significantly shaped the business mogul’s resolve to seek Nigeria’s presidency.

Speaking during an interview on Arise News Prime Time, Nwanyanwu narrated how he and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu frequently visited Abiola while he was admitted at Eko Hospital in Lagos with a swollen leg.

According to Nwanyanwu, Abiola once confided in him about a deeply moving experience during a surgical procedure in London. He said Abiola had been wheeled into an operating theatre where six white doctors were present, awaiting the arrival of the chief surgeon.

Moments later, a Black doctor entered the room, greeted Abiola in Yoruba, saying “E kaaro,” and identified himself as a Nigerian. The unexpected encounter, Nwanyanwu said, left Abiola visibly emotional.

“Abiola told me tears dropped from his eyes,” Nwanyanwu recalled. “He said that moment strengthened his determination to bring Nigerian professionals abroad back home and build world-class hospitals in the country.”

Nwanyanwu stated that Abiola questioned why Nigeria could not establish top-tier medical facilities comparable to those overseas, arguing that the country had the financial resources to do so. He lamented what he described as the persistent diversion of funds meant for critical infrastructure, particularly healthcare.

“Are you telling me we cannot put world-class hospitals in every state? We are selling oil, yet we are not seeing the money,” Nwanyanwu quoted Abiola as saying.

He further noted that President Tinubu was present during some of the conversations and was aware of Abiola’s vision for healthcare reform.

Abiola, widely regarded as the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, had long advocated national development and institutional reform. Nwanyanwu’s account sheds fresh light on the personal motivations behind Abiola’s political ambition, particularly his desire to transform Nigeria’s healthcare system.