By Dafe Sama

Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, GCFR, also known as MKO Abiola was an International business man, publisher, politician and philanthropist. He was the generally acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election that was eventually annulled by the then General Ibrahim Babangida’s regime. Alhaji Babagana Kingibe was his running mate in that election while Alhaji Bashir Tofa was his main opponent.
MKO Abiola’s Social Democratic Party, SDP, was a party of the progressives and downtrodden and hope for the common man.
He was very competent and well equipped to solve the nation’s multifarious problems. In him, the people choose light over darkness, progress over retrogression and prosperity over adversity.
As of that 1993, when Abiola contested, he was determined to proffer solutions to the multitudinal, social and political problems and also economic problems of Nigeria because he was practically endowed with the guts, knowledge, integrity, the discipline and above all, international reputation.
MKO was non-discrimatory in his dealings and generally a completely detribalized Nigerian, who regarded the whole country as his constituency. He was widely travelled both within and outside the country.
Before his death, he was advocating for the payment of reparation for the acts of brutality and oppression perpetrated by the whites on the black race, which was a true testimony to the unlimited love and affection he had for the human race.
In the struggle, the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, the most significant symbol of our democratic struggle, his wife, Kudirat, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and Pa Alfred Rewane, amongst others sacrificed their very lives. MKO Abiola was a pillar of hope to the poor when he was alive, his love for the masses knew no tribe or color, he was truly the man of the people. 
The greatest honor we can give to such a man is to work to promote his ideology in keeping his legacy alive. He hated poverty with passion and going by the hardship in Nigeria today, MKO Abiola must be turning in his grave with pains. 
In line with MKO Abiola ideology in reducing poverty to its minimum bearing, the Captain Dafieko Sama Foundation, established in memory of Captain Dafieko Sama, pilot of the ill-fated ADC Airline Boeing 727 aircraft that crashed in Ejirin, near Epe in Lagos on the 7th November 1996, is embarking on a nationwide skill acquisition training of our unemployed youths. We shall be doing this with other collaborators.
It is obvious government alone cannot reduce poverty by creating jobs for all, therefore, we shall be calling on corporate bodies including the private sectors and privileged individuals to help in this regard. The scheme will come along with starter packs after training and there will be a monitoring mechanism in place for updates of their progress from time to time.
Our plan is to promote the ideology of MKO Abiola using the poverty reduction scheme in institutionalizing his name along with others who died for us to be free. MKO had all the opportunities with the kind of wealth at his disposal to have left the country at the heat of the June 12 annulment, but he decided to stay back for his love for the poor masses of Nigeria. 
The time has come when we must come together and fight this ugly monster called POVERTY!!!. And this is very simple, sponsor a youth in your neighborhood; we shall be coming to knock at your doorstep to remind you. 
•Sama is Vice President, Captain Dafieko Sama Foundation.