ABUJA (Sundiata Post) President Muhammadu Buhari has on Tuesday, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, confered Nigeria’s highest honour to the acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 election, late Moshood Abiola.
While Mr Abiola was given a posthumous award of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), his then running mate, Babagana Kingibe, was also awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
Also, late human rights activist and senior lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi, also awarded the GCON.
Mr Buhari had last week announced that henceforth, Democracy Day in Nigeria will be celebrated on June 12 and not May 29 each year.
Below are the highlights of speeches delivered by the awardees, their children and other top guests including nobel laurete winner, Wole Soyinka.
President Buhari
“This event is not to open old wounds, but to put light on the nation.”
“The government (of Ibrahim Babangida) inexplicably cancelled the (June 12, 1993) election when it was clear who was the winner.
“We cannot right the past but we can at least assuage our feelings.
“Nigerians will no longer tolerate such perversion of justice.
“Our decision to honour June 12 is in national interest,” the president said.
Kola Abiola, first son of M.K.O Abiola
After receiving the award on behalf of his late father, Kola opted not to read his already prepared speech, but rather called on her younger sister, Hafsat Abiola-Costello, to speak on behalf of the family. He, however, promised to make a copy of his speech available to the guests at the event.
“My late father used to say: ‘you can’t shave a man’s head in his absence’. Mr. President, I dare say, with this courageous posthumous honour award being bestowed today, you have just succeeded in shaving MKO’s head behind him,” read the speech which has appeared in the media.
“MKO was a man of many parts. He knew and touched every part of this great land of ours. From the North to the South, from the East to the West, he was at home everywhere across Nigeria. He was a great believer in Nigeria, a detribalised Nigeria and a Pan Africanist.”
The younger Abiola also re-echoed that the June 12, 1993, presidential election “was undisputedly the freest, fairest and most peaceful election since our Independence”.
“The pain and anguish that followed in the wake of the cruel annulment of this watershed event in the life of our nation is well known to those of us who witnessed it and had to endure its ugly consequences.
“The return of democratic rule on May 29, 1999 offered us a chance to face the reality of our recent history. Rather than reconciling ourselves to the truth and righting the wrong, the new democratic government failed the first test by designating the day it came to power as Democracy Day.
Mohammed Fawehinmi: my father would have accepted it.
Mr Fawehinmi’s eldest son, Mohammed, said his late father would have accepted the award because June 12 was actualised.
The late Mr Fawehinmi was amongst the biggest voices for the realisation of Mr Abiola’s mandate.
“I feel very elated, I feel very proud, my family feels very honored that all the suffering was not in vain and that the Nigerian people have a chance of better governance in future,” Mohammed Fawehinmi says to reporterss.
“I know he would have taken it, I know my father more than anybody. There are two reasons why he would have taken it,” Mr Fawehinmi says in response to those insinuating that his father would have rejected the award in principle.
“One, because June 12 was actualised. Two, because M.K.O. Abiola was recognised as president-elect. And you can see from the suggestion at the Senate that they are going to eventually declare the election result and he is going to be given all his benefits after 25 years which he has lost.
“So, for that reason that is victory for him because he went through hell and high waters to make sure that June 12 was actualised,” he said.
Baba Kingibe,
We redefined Nigeria through the ballot box,” Mr Kingibe saID. “It is possible to revive the spirit of June 12 if we could imbibe democratic principles.”
Mr Kingibe is very close to Mr Buhari, and he is amongst his closest alies at the State House. He says the decision to honour Mr Abiola and recognise June 12 came “naturally” to the president.
Prof. Wole Soyinka
Prof. Soyinka spoke at the Presidential Villa during the conferment of posthumous award of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on the presumed winner of the June 12 presidential election, the Late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola.
“Stop confusing Nigerians. In one breath you extol Abacha, in another breath you honour MKO. How can you extol Abacha who if he were alive today would be in the ICC (International Criminal Court),” Soyinka said during his speech.
Soyinka said he was “knocked out of his throat” by the apology tendered by Mr Buhari for the June 12 atrocities of Nigerian past dictators who were responsible.
Rights Activist, Femi Falana, SAN
Femi Falana said he was detained at Kuje Prisons during the June 12 struggle.
He called Mr Babangida “a criminal” and appreciates Mr Buhari for the historic decision.
“We had seven presidents that pretended the June 12 did not exist,” the rights activist said.
“I urge you to direct all security of all security forces in Nigeria, including the police, to respect the fundamental rights ot Nigerians in the spirit of June 12,” Mr Falana added.
He also demands an end to the senseless killings across Nigeria.
His comments come against the backdrop of recent violent attacks in central Nigeria and other parts of the country, as well as the attacks on everyday citizens linked to police Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS.
SGF Boss Mustapha
Mr Mustapha said the conferment of honours on Mr Abiola and others was to further establish the fundamental principles of the Buhari administration.
“Nation building requires the sacrifice of all citizens, we must therefore imbibe the moral rectitude to embrace our past,” he said.
“We must, therefore, recognise the heroes of our democracy,” he added.
He adds that the president has placed history in the right perspective by recognising declaring June 12 as a Democracy Day and recognising its key figures.
He thanked groups and individuals who have played roles in entrenching Nigeria’s democratic experience for the past 20 years of uninterrupted republic.
Mr Mustapha said an announcement is underway for the list of individuals who have played critical roles in furthering the cause of democracy.
Bola Tinubu
If a man with military background and a professor of law put heads together to set the record straight and create that hope that Nigeria can truly be committed to democracy and justice shows that you are a great leader, the former Lagos state governor and APC Leader said of Mr Buhari and Osinbajo.
Mr Tinubu extoled the virtues of Abu Ibrahim, a serving senator from Katsina State, who was released from custody during the June 12 struggle but refused to go home until all his colleagues gain equal freedom.
Analysts are going to come up with all sort of reasons why you decided to do this, but you did it, the former Lagos governor told Buhari
I know a president who would have looked at me and through me out of the helicopter down in the jungle for mentioning June 12, he added without naming names.