Emmanuel Thomas
June 12, 2015 – Nigerians were today united in calling on President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government to recognized June 12 as a national holiday and immortalize the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 election, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.
Leading the discussion on, ‘Sustainability of democratic values, the Nigerian experience, was the governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode who argued that the outcome of the general elections showed that the lessons of June 12, 1993 have been fruitful.
“I urge you all to take some time and reflect on the democratic journey that we have commenced for the benefit of all of us. Should we abdicate our responsibilities and allow personal interest and agenda to truncate our journey, we owe it as a duty to immortalize the memories of our fallen compatriots and deepen our democracy to sustain us as a people of destiny”, he said.
He thanked all patriotic Nigerians, the MKO dynasty, the political leaders, stakeholders and civil society activists for keeping hope alive.
In his remarks, former Vice Chancellor, University of Ado-Ekiti, Professor Akin Oyebode said that the lesson to draw from June 12 struggle is that a people united cannot be defeated, stressing that MKO Abiola remains the precursor of the change that is celebrated in Nigeria adding that the slogan of his party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) was abolition of poverty.
He argued that another lesson is that those who work against the progress of Nigeria will remain unsung and will be held in infamy.
He said it is unthinkable to have Sani Abacha Boulevard in the nation’s capital, named after former military junta, Gen. Sani Abacha who annulled the June 12 election, whereas the winner of the election is yet to be given any national honour.
He said it is not enough for only states in Western Nigeria to declare June 12 a public holiday. “It is time to declare June 12 a national holiday. Victory cannot be total until June 12 is recognized as a national holiday”, he said.
He said that though a stadium and a polytechnic have been named after MKO Abiola, care must be taken not to trivialize his name, stressing that naming the National Stadium in Abuja after MKO Abiola will be one way to immortalize him as a national hero.
Speaking on the rationale for declaring June 12, a public holiday, former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Lagos State, Mr. Dele Alake said there is nothing significant about May 29 which has been named democracy day apart from the change in baton from one government to another.
According to him, while government could change hand every May 29, June 12 must be recognized as democracy day and national holiday.
He argued that democracy day signifies the totality of the aspirations of Nigerians as coming to fruition.
“It signifies the totality of true democracy, true federalism and socio-political and economic aspiration of the people because it is the day that everybody across Nigeria came out with one voice. It was the day that all the myth about Nigeria, religion, ethnicity, class, society status was broken”, he said.
He argued that on that day, the Igbos, Yoruba and Hausas voted massively for MKO Abiola. He noted that the damage the annulment of June 12 did to the psyche and cohesion of Nigeria was irreparable because it was the day that ‘Nigeria became born again’.
“It was Nigeria’s rebirth. All that tendencies that prevented Nigeria from moving forward was dissolved. So it was an irreparable damage. We are yet to recover but we are moving slowly and steadily but we are yet to recover”, he said.
He argued that since June 12, 1993, no election has been able to combine all the attributes of June 12 including the election that brought in President Muhammadu Buhari.
He posited that if the election of June 12, 1993 was allowed, “there will be no agitations for religious or ethnic balancing the way we have it today because on that day, MKO defeated Bashir Tofa in his ward in Kano State. A Yorubaman defeated Hausa man in his own ward in Kano”, he said, stressing that the election as indeed a defining moment in Nigeria’s history.
In his remarks, human right lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana also called for recognition of June 12 as public holiday.
Speaking on the prevailing fuel scarcity, he said that Nigerians should not be made to suffer by removing fuel subsidy but that Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has said that oil companies owe Nigerian government the sum of N19.3 billion and that FG should go after the oil companies.
He said that Nigerians have voted for change and that the Federal Government should punish all those who have stolen the wealth of the nation.
