Punch Metro reports that a former Ogun State governor, Chief
Olusegun Osoba, has said that the recognition of June 12 as National
Democracy Day by President Muhammad Buhari indirectly recognised MKO
Abiola as a past president of Nigeria.
Osoba said this during the celebration of the first National Democracy Day on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said that the Day was significant as past presidents from 1999
had refused to recognise the day or Abiola’s sacrifices for Nigeria’s
democracy.
He said that the late Abiola, who refused to surrender his mandate,
suffered and died in the struggle for democracy for the country.
“I have a lot of very bad memories about June 12, as a lot of
people lost their lives for the struggle, a lot of families also
suffered incurable damages, also a lot of people sold their properties
to survive.
“I also suffered in the hands of Seargent Rogers, who made two
attempts to kill me and I was in hiding for almost a year, along with
others who paid the price.
“I also recall that when I was a governor with a former
president from my state and all efforts that we should do something to
immortalise Abiola did not make any impact.
“You can, therefore, see why we are grateful to President Muhammad Buhari who recognises the significance of June 12.
“The significance is the full price paid by Abiola that is making us enjoy democracy that is 20 years old now.
“One of my own benefited from Abiola sacrifice to become
president but here is Buhari who indirectly accepted that Abiola was
once past president of this country, so those sacrifices that we also
suffered are no more in vain,” he said.
He commended the President, saying that democracy has come to stay in Nigeria.
0 comments:
Post a Comment