Abeokuta: By Sina ODUNTAN
Published on Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Govrnor Dapo Abiodun, the new recipientof Nigeria national award of Commander of Niger (CON), has made another ground-shaking decision while addressing the large audience who thronged the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta to celebrate June 12/Democracy Day yesterday.
The Governor made the assertion shortly before 50 different school children, unions, associations and market women and men, including the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ogun State Council had taken match pass in turn, and after the award-winning State Cultural Troupe and other cultural groups had entertained fairly huge audience.
Abiodun told the excited audience that “By the immeasurable contributions of the people of the State to the advancement and survival of democracy in the pre- and post-independence Nigeria, Ogun State deserves special recognition and should be known as the pillar of democracy”.
It should be recalled that for 18 years of the present Republic, Democracy Day was commemorated on May 29, the day when the military willingly handed over the reign of government to democratically elected government.
Former President, Mr. Muhammadu Buhari changed Democracy Day to June 12 on June 5, 2018, in honour of the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, late Chief MKO Abiola who died in detention while struggling to actualise his mandate as contained in the annulled election.
Late Chief MKO Abiola was also conferred with a posthumous award of the highest honour of the land, GCFR,
The June 12, 1993 presidential election was annulled by the military administration of Ibrahim Babangida.
Prince Dapo Abiodun said the June 12, 1993 presidential election had been highly rated as the freest and fairest in the political history of Nigeria by many analysts, and also described as a watershed in the Nigeria’s political journey.
He added that late MKO Abiola remains a compass and symbol of democracy in Nigeria. He lamented that Ogun State and indeed the entire nation and global community at large have really missed his ingenuity and brilliance.
He also said Ogun State is richly blessed to have produced a personality like the late business mogul, with his enviable and enduring legacies of selflessness, doggedness, consistency and perseverance.
The governor, however, lauded the quality of leadership and level of patriotism exhibited by former President Muhammadu Buhari, for reviewing June 12 as Democracy Day in Nigeria, and declared it a public holiday in Nigeria, noting that history would forever be kind to him for that significant pronouncement.
Abiodun, therefore, called on Nigerians, irrespective of tribe and political affiliations to rally round President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his journey of renewed hope as a way of rekindling the dashed hope of 1993.
He said: “Exactly thirty years ago, Nigerians, irrespective of faith, tribe or political affiliations united behind a man, Late Chief MKO Abiola, in an unprecedented free and fair election, which was later brutally annulled by suffocating military junta of those days and the rest became history.
“While we would continue to miss one of the greatest illustrious sons of our State that ever lived, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, the martyr and compass of democracy in Nigeria, our solace lies in his enduring legacies of selflessness, doggedness, consistency, and perseverance.
Obviously, Ogun State is richly blessed to have produced such a great personality like the late Chief MKO Abiola.
“It is on that note that I commend and salute the statesmanship exhibited by the former President, Muhammadu Buhari, who graciously reviewed June 12 as Democracy Day; he is without doubt a man of history by that singular pronouncement,” the governor told the audience.
The Governor added: “This year’s democracy day and the commemoration of the June 12, 1993 is intrinsically significant; aside the passion and euphoria of celebrating the rebirth of new Nigeria and conscious struggle to liberty, unity and freedom, it is gratifying that one of the dependable, loyal and dogged lieutenants of MKO Abiola, and ardent proponent of the June 12 struggle, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is today the President of Nigeria.
“On our part as a Government, we have changed the paradigm of governance in Ogun State with inclusive ideology and new order of development, in which every individual is important to our developmental agenda.
“We completely believe in the virtues which democracy offers. We have faith in the ability of the people to freely choose their leaders in an atmosphere free of rancour and coercion.”
Speaking at the event were several pro-democracy groups and human rights activists, who unanimously applauded the great sacrifice made by late MKO Abiola, which culminated into the present democratic gains in Nigeria and the essence of political stability since 1999.
One of them, Dr Niran Malaolu, specifically lauded Governor Abiodun for sustaining the democratic ideals and ethos that late Abiola stood for, coupled with his idea of poverty alleviation and human capital development drive.
Aamong top activists that graced the occasion and delivered solidarity messages were former Secretary General of Campaign for Democracy (CD), Professor Sylvester Odion Akhaine; former President, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Segun Mayegun; foremost labour leader, lawyer and human rights defender, Comrade Femi Aborishade and former Chairman of Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mrs. Funke Fadugba.
Other activists, who spoke at this year democracy day included the Chief Executive Officer of Rockcity FM, Abeokuta, Dr. Niran Malaolu; former Secretary General of Committee for the Defence of Hunan Rights (CDHR), Comrade Debo Adeniran, and the Ogun State Chairman of Coalition of Human Rights and Prodemocracy Groups, Barrister Solomon Bankole.
Highlights of the occasion was cutting of cake to mark the special day and sharing of gifts among students by the wife of the Governor, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun, who was joined by the Deputy Governor, Engr. Mrs. Noimot Salako-Oyedele.
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