32 Years After: The Need for Recognition of the Coalition of June 12 Activists and Martyrs by President Bola Tinubu
Comrades, friends, associates, ladies and gentlemen of the press, on behalf of Defend Nigeria Movement (DNM) and Nigerians Unite for Democracy (NUD) which are coalitions of civil society, non governmental organizations and public interest groups, we welcome you all once again to this August gathering in commemoration of Nigeria’s Democracy Day and the 32nd year anniversary of the historic June 12 1993 presidential election won by late Chief MKO Abiola of blessed memory.
I welcome you all with profound gratitude, particularly to our falling fighters in the anti military struggles, who were murdered or martyred across the streets of our beloved country with the hope that the survivors will keep the dream alive in order that our struggle and efforts shall not be in vain and the surviving June 12 activists with tremendous nostalgia, because in retrospect we have been on a journey of no return most especially when we are yet to reach our destination, in other words, our dream remains a dream.
As we gather to honour this great day of our democracy, it is instructive to refresh our memory on it’s import to our unity and democracy.
We recollect with nostalgia how Nigerians all over the country on the historic day of June 12 1993, went to the polls in a peaceful and cordial atmosphere, jettisoning ethnic, religious and other primordial sentiments which have always divided us, to speak with one voice as a people with a common destiny for the peace, progress and prosperity of fatherland.
That historic election which has been variously adjudged as the freeest and fairest election in Nigeria’s history, was sadly and treasonable annulled by the General Ibrahim Babangida military junta for his interest of self perpetuation in power.
However, Nigerians in unison with a common destiny, rose in stout defiance of the guns and bullets to insist on the de-annulment of the election at great cost of loss of human lives, limbs, property and freedom which culminated in the forced retreat of the military from Nigeria’s political life and birth the current democratic dispensation on May 29, 1999.
June 12 has become a symbol of national unity and consciousness, showcasing Nigerians’ ability to unite around an ideology despite our differences. This event has sown seeds of national consciousness, promoting a sense of togetherness and shared identity.
The annulment of the June 12 election didn’t just mark a turning point in Nigeria’s democratic journey, it is also a symbol of our democratic culture, resilience and self awareness. This event has inspired a bibliography of its own, highlighting its significance in Nigeria’s history.
The declaration of June 12 as a national public holiday by President Muhammadu Buhari has given the epoch its pride of place in Nigeria’s socio-political calendar. This move has helped to promote the value and symbolism of June 12. However, we need to deepen the gains of the lessons of June 12.
The June 12, 1993 struggle was a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s democratic journey, symbolizing the fight against military tyranny and the quest for good governance. Thirty-two years after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, the inspiration from the courage and determination of our struggle still motivates us.
We must use this medium to congratulate Nigerians for keeping faith with democracy despite the challenges that confront us as a people with 26 years of unprecedented and unbroken democratic system and like the saying goes, a people united, can never be defeated.
Today, no matter the antics and provocation, the human dignity that democracy confers on human beings is our lot as we make our laws in a civilian parliament and not by decree as witnessed under military despotism. We are consolidating our democracy no doubt with its own glaring challenges and improvements is imminent and possible.
While acknowledging the initial pains and inconvenience, we congratulate and commend President Bola Tinubu for his bold and daring economic reforms which has extinguished the hemorrhaging of our economy through the termination of the fuel subsidy regime and the unification of the foreign exchange system. By these two critical policies, the President Tinubu administration has saved the country the loss of about $10bn annually in the last two years and the result is that the three tiers of government now receive almost triple their allocations from the federation account to enable them provide the dividends of democracy to the citizenry.
We can all see the gains of the economic re-engineering of the President Bola Tinubu administration begin to manifest in infrastructural renewal as well as other policies which are making positive impacts in every other sectors of the Nigerian economy, eg. Lagos Calabar Coastal highway, Lagos Sokoto highway, naira for crude, NELFUND, tax reforms bills, etc.
However, as much as we are holding the federal government accountable for its stewardship in the last two years of the President Bola Tinubu administration, it is very important for us to demand same from our states and local government councils administration who are beneficiaries of this unprecedented largesse from the federation account now.
Under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, things are getting gradually into shape and it is not by accident or luck, but rather a product of our collective struggle for a better society even as we recognize President Tinubu as then Lagos State governor provided succour by making Lagos State conducive for the struggle and which makes Lagos State as the epi center and this atmosphere has been sustained by subsequent Lagos State governments till date. It is our belief that to who much is given, much is expected hence we should continue to give our unreserved support to the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Importantly, special mention must be made of Mr. Babajide Sanwo Olu the executive governor of Lagos State who has continued on the templates for political, economic and infrastructural development of the state as laid down in the state by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the then governor of the state. Without a blink of an eye, Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu has not only sustained the developmental architecture of the state, but he continues to sustain the progressive legacies left behind by President Tinubu’s administration in the state.
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But beyond the memories and nostalgia, the June 12 struggle has become at the same time a symbol and a call to action for good governance and democracy. This is the way to continue to stand on June 12. On June 12 we Stand!
This notwithstanding, there is the compelling need to deepen the gains of the lessons of June 12.
There is no administration since 1999 that can be acknowledged as the Baby of the June 12 struggle than the present administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This is not only because the President was a key player among those who made sacrifices in those days and who later as governor of Lagos State was adept at innovations towards development and defiance of authoritarian central government, but also because of its richness in progressive elements and democrats. It is therefore not surprising that alongside policies geared towards economic and socio-political transformation the government has also not forgotten the heroes of the past. This cannot be denied and we are not about to do that.
However, we make bold to state that this recognition appears to have been one-sided. The heroic deeds of the grassroots people defined that struggle. Their resilience bore the banner forward and their sweet and blood watered the flowers of struggle. Too many unsung heroes. Too many forgotten ordinary people. President Tinubu, himself a player in the board room and in the street of the struggle, need to pay attention to this.
Therefore, we demand that the President give due recognition to the June 12 Activists and Martyrs.
There should also be a monument to the unsung heroes of June 12. They are our own unknown soldiers.
The government at all levels needs to urgently address our security challenges by leveraging technology and community participation. State police and community policing have become a matter of urgency, beyond rhetorics and sentimental considerations. Security in the real sense should be the collective responsibility of the people, not as empty declarations but with indigenous and innovative inputs.
We equally salute the tenacity and perseverance of our people in standing firm and keeping faith with democracy despite the challenges and provocations and we urge them to remain resolutely undeterred despite attempts to gain political capital and make a mockery of their economic plights by agents of “ebi n pawa” or “we are hungry” which has now become a political and blackmail slogan.
On June 12 and democracy we stand.
My Comradely, fraternal regards to us all.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Comrade Razaq Olokoba
Convener.
Thursday June 12, 2025. Lagos Nigeria.
