By Ghazali Ibrahim
After nearly 13 years of work and more than $1 million spent on production, the documentary “MKO”, chronicling the life and political journey of late businessman and politician Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, has finally opened in Nigerian cinemas.
Directed by Nigerian-American filmmaker Ose Oyamendan, the 108-minute film had its national premiere on October 1 at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Lagos, before its commercial cinema release on October 2.
But behind the documentary’s release is a lengthy production story that began more than a decade ago.
Oyamendan, a former journalist with Weekend Concord, said the project took almost 13 years to complete and cost more than $1 million. He disclosed that the financial pressure became so severe that the filmmakers had to mortgage their interests in the documentary to raise additional funds to complete it.
The filmmaker’s connection to the story dates back to the period covered by the documentary. As a young journalist working with Weekend Concord, a newspaper founded by Abiola, Oyamendan witnessed the political crisis surrounding the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
The documentary revisits Abiola’s political rise, the annulment of the election, his subsequent detention and the pro-democracy struggle that followed.
It also examines the circumstances surrounding Abiola’s death in detention in 1998, drawing on archival materials and testimonies from people connected to the events.
Among those featured are former military leaders Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, Abiola’s running mate Baba Gana Kingibe, diplomats, journalists and members of the Abiola family.
The Nigerian premiere was attended by President Bola Tinubu and other senior political figures, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Ogun Governor Dapo Abiodun and Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Tinubu’s presence also carries a historical connection to the film, as the President participated in the pro-democracy struggle following the annulment of the June 12 election and is himself featured in the documentary.
The choice of October 1 for the national premiere also connects Abiola’s story with Nigeria’s Independence Day, while the nationwide cinema release on October 2 brings the June 12 episode to a new generation through film.
The documentary had earlier premiered internationally at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival in the United Kingdom in June 2026.
For Oyamendan, the project is not simply a retelling of Abiola’s political story but an attempt to preserve firsthand accounts of one of the most consequential periods in Nigeria’s democratic history for audiences who were too young to experience it.
