Kudirat Abiola, Olabisi Ajala, Ladi Kwali, Alimotu Pelewura And More Feature In Nigeria’s 60th Anniversary Special By Neusroom

The story of how Kudirat Abiola, Chief M.K.O Abiola’s courageous wife who fought valiantly to ensure her husband’s mandate as elected President was returned to him, was assassinated is one of 78 stories featured on Neusroom’s new project Untold.

The special documentation initiative is in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence from British colonial rule.

‘We are using Nigeria’s 60th Independence celebration as an opportunity to share some of the most remarkable stories we’ve curated over the past few years with a wider audience of young Nigerians who may not have previously known about these people, places and events. Our ultimate goal for the Neusroom Untold Project is to document obscure parts of Nigeria’s past and recent history in short multimedia formats that are interesting, easy to read and readily accessible to anyone on the internet. And as history is constantly being made, we believe that this project will always be work-in-progress,’ ID Africa CEO, Femi Falodun says.

In 1994 shortly after her husband was taken to jail for treasonable charges by General Sani Abacha’s military government, Kudirat, Abiola’s second and at the time most senior wife, led the battle to ensure that Nigerians’ chosen leader was released and declared as President.

She lost her life in the process, becoming a celebrated martyr in the country’s history.

Details of her assassination and incidents surrounding her death are duly represented in a Neusroom story titled: ‘The heartbreaking story of how Kudirat Abiola road in Lagos got its name.

At 26, Olabisi Ajala lived a life many of his peers could only dream of. He travelled 85 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa on his Vespa scooter – an adventure so rare he was celebrated by world leaders and musicians.

But Ajala’s life, as glamorous as it was, wasn’t all rosy. He faced plenty trials and tribulations during his adventurous life. The details are provided in his chapter of Neusroom Untold.

Another story readers will find interesting is the story of Adegoke Adelabu, the outspoken politician who died tragically at 43. Adelabu’s unique style of speaking led to the popular lingua, “penkelemes”, in the South Western part of Nigeria.

Neusroom Untold is a collection of stories about important people, places and events that have shaped Nigeria’s history and some little known facts that are yet to penetrate mainstream consciousness, especially amongst young citizens.

There’s the story of McArthur Fom, the bright ‘Behind the Clouds’ star whose life was cut short by meningitis. The death of Fom, popularly known as Nosa in the widely watched soap opera, sent the entire country into mourning.

Other stories that feature prominently in the project include the profiles of some of Nigeria’s most revered and celebrated personalities such as potter Ladi Kwali, and Alimotu Pelewura, a fish seller who led Lagos market women’s protest against colonial masters. It also includes the story of Samuel Okwaraji, the talented footballer who slumped and died on the football field while representing Nigeria.

Events and places such as the Nigerian Civil War, the Oyo town where every household has a set of twins, and the Kiriji war which is popular as the world’s longest ethnic war that pitched powerful Yoruba towns against Ibadan, also make up a part of the collection.

Neusroom Untold, aimed at serving as a source of entertainment, knowledge and insight, in easily digestible formats, for today’s youth and future generation of Nigerians, will be updated quarterly.

Read all stories on Neusroom Untold here.