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| Photo Credit — President Bola Tinubu, First Lady & Senator Oluremi Tinubu |
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu arrived on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts (also known as the National Theatre) in Iganmu, Lagos, for the national premiere of MKO, a feature-length documentary on the life and political legacy of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.
The couple’s arrival was captured on video shared by the President’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun (@DOlusegun).
The footage shows President Tinubu and the First Lady entering the venue as a band played the national anthem, with guests standing in respect.
In the accompanying post, Dada Olusegun wrote: “President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu have arrived at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Iganmu, Lagos, for the national premiere of ‘MKO’, a feature-length documentary on the life and political legacy of late businessman, publisher and politician, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.”
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The screening coincides with Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day anniversary. Directed by Nigerian-American filmmaker Ose Oyamendan, MKO revisits Abiola’s life, his victory in the June 12, 1993, presidential election (widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s freest and fairest), the military annulment of that election, the subsequent pro-democracy struggle, Abiola’s detention, and the circumstances surrounding his death in custody in 1998.
President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu have arrived at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Iganmu, Lagos, for the national premiere of ‘MKO’, a feature-length documentary on the life and political legacy of late businessman, publisher and politician, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola
— Daddy D.O🇳🇬 (@DOlusegun) October 1, 2026
The documentary draws on archival materials and first-hand accounts from key figures of the era. Those featured include former military leaders General Ibrahim Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, Abiola’s running mate Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, members of the Abiola family, former U.S. diplomats Walter Carrington and Thomas Pickering, and others connected to the events. President Tinubu himself appears in the film, reflecting his role in the pro-democracy movement that followed the annulment.
MKO had its international premiere at the Sheffield DocFest in the United Kingdom in June 2026. Following the Lagos presidential premiere, the film is scheduled for nationwide theatrical release in Nigerian cinemas from October 2, distributed by Nile Entertainment.
The choice of Independence Day and the renovated Wole Soyinka Centre for the Nigerian premiere carries symbolic weight. June 12 remains a defining chapter in Nigeria’s democratic journey, later recognized as Democracy Day. Tinubu and Abiola once shared political roots in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Tinubu was among those who actively supported the struggle for the recognition of the June 12 mandate.
This high-profile screening marks one of President Tinubu’s first major public appearances since returning from a working visit to Europe. It places a major historical documentary at the centre of the Independence Day programme and offers a new generation of Nigerians access to a cinematic account of a pivotal period in the nation’s political history.
Samuel O. Sulaimon is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Naijapiz. He covers News, Sports, Finance, Faiths, Education, Technology.
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