Nigeria’s Abuja National Stadium has been renamed in honour of late politician Moshood Abiola (pictured), who died while under arrest for treason in 1998.
The 60,491-capacity venue, which serves as the home to the Nigerian national football team, will now be known as Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
Abiola is revered as a hero of democracy in the country after he was acclaimed the winner of the 1993 general elections. The preceding military president, Ibrahim Babangida, annulled the results of the poll over disputed allegations that they were corrupt and unfair.
Nigeria’s current president Muhammadu Buhari announced the stadium renaming on Wednesday, during which he revealed he had changed Nigeria’s democracy day to June 12, the day of the 1993 election.
Rafiu Oladipo, the president-general of Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC) said, according to Pulse.ng: “The renaming of Abuja National Stadium after the late M.K.O. Abiola was indeed a well deserved honour and a commendable resolution in the right direction by President Buhari.
“M.K.O. Abiola did so much for sports development in Nigeria. He was a key supporter of NFSC in our activities and he gave us a bus which made our movements easy.”
Image: – and Theonlywesleyyouknow
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