UNDERCOVER: Former NADECO Insider Makes Fresh Allegations Over Tinubu, Funds and Unpaid Salaries

Lagos Investigation— An elderly man who claims to have been an executive member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) during the struggle against the military regime of the late General Sani Abacha has made fresh and explosive allegations concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s activities during the pro-democracy struggle of the 1990s.
Speaking during an undercover conversation, the man alleged that funds raised and sent to Nigeria to support the anti-Abacha struggle were mismanaged, while NADECO workers were allegedly left without salaries for several months.
According to the source, the issue of unpaid salaries became particularly contentious when NADECO officials arrived in Nigeria to participate in protests against the Abacha regime.
The source alleged that the visiting officials inquired about the welfare of the local NADECO workers and were shocked when they were informed that the workers had allegedly gone for months without receiving their salaries.
“They asked about their welfare and they told them they had not been paid for months,” the source alleged.
He further alleged that Tinubu was responsible for the payment of the workers’ salaries but had failed to disburse the money.
According to the former NADECO executive, the discovery triggered a confrontation within the organisation and ultimately led to Tinubu being removed from the position he allegedly occupied in connection with the financial administration of the organisation.
The source described the development as the point at which, according to his account, “Tinubu was sacked by NADECO.”
Alleged disappearance of protest funds
The source also alleged that money raised and sent to Nigeria to support demonstrations and other activities against the Abacha regime was not properly accounted for.
He claimed that when NADECO officials who had travelled to Nigeria to participate in the protests attempted to reach Tinubu, they could not find him.
According to the source, Tinubu had allegedly travelled to Osun State.
The former NADECO executive suggested that the disappearance of Tinubu at the time intensified concerns over the management of funds meant for the pro-democracy struggle.
However, this account has not been independently verified by this publication, and no documentary evidence was presented during the interview establishing that Tinubu personally diverted NADECO funds or that NADECO formally dismissed him over alleged financial misconduct.
A dramatic claim about Tinubu’s origins
The source also made a separate and highly sensitive allegation concerning Tinubu’s childhood and parentage.
He claimed that Tinubu could not identify his biological parents and alleged that he was discovered around the Lagos Lagoon by Europeans who subsequently handed him over to an elderly woman identified by the source as “Mrs Tinubu.”
The source further alleged that the Europeans gave the woman money after handing the child over to her.
These claims could not be independently verified and are presented solely as allegations made by the source.
No documentary evidence was provided to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged discovery, the identity of the woman, or the alleged financial transaction.
The historical context
The allegations concern one of the most turbulent periods in Nigeria’s political history.
Following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and the emergence of General Sani Abacha as military ruler, NADECO became one of the prominent organisations demanding the restoration of democratic government and the June 12 mandate.
Members and supporters of the pro-democracy movement faced arrests, intimidation, detention and exile.
The Nigerian Presidency has previously portrayed Tinubu as an important participant in the June 12 struggle, stating that he supported pro-democracy activities and subsequently lived in exile following pressure from the military government.
That official account provides important context but does not, by itself, resolve the allegations now being made by the elderly source.
The salary records could hold the key
The allegation concerning unpaid salaries raises a potentially verifiable question.
Were NADECO workers actually owed salaries for several months during the period described by the source?
If so, who was responsible for paying them?
What amount was budgeted for salaries?
Who controlled the organisation’s accounts?
Were payments made to Tinubu or through accounts associated with him?
Were there complaints from NADECO workers?
And is there any surviving correspondence documenting Tinubu’s alleged removal?
These are questions that could potentially be answered through archival records, bank statements, correspondence, minutes of NADECO meetings and testimony from surviving members.
What remains unproven
The elderly man’s account is significant because he claims to have occupied a leadership position within NADECO during the period in question.
But a witness account, standing alone, does not establish that the allegations are true.
The claims that Tinubu failed to pay NADECO workers, mismanaged or diverted protest funds, and was subsequently “sacked” by NADECO require independent documentary or eyewitness corroboration.
Likewise, the claims concerning Tinubu’s parentage and alleged discovery at the Lagos Lagoon remain unsubstantiated allegations unless supported by credible evidence.
The central investigative question, therefore, is not simply what one former NADECO official remembers decades later.
It is whether the historical records of NADECO can confirm—or disprove—the story.
Until such evidence emerges, the allegations remain allegations.