Eminent Nigerians have called on the Federal
Government to declare June 12 Democracy
Day, in place of May 29 being celebrated to
immortalise the late Chief MKO Abiola
The eminent Nigerians who made their
positions known at the 22nd anniversary of
June 12, 1993 Presidential Election yesterday
in Lagos , unanimously said the declaration
was the best national recognition the
struggle deserves.










Among the people who made the call were
the Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi
Ambode; Professor of International Law and
Jurisprudence, Akin Oyebode; Human Rights
Lawyer, Femi Falana and Dele Alake..












Speaking at the Lagos Television (LTV) Blue
Roof ground, venue of the occasion,
Ambode said the June 12 date would for­
ever remain unique on the calendar,
describing it as a date that has assumed a
life of its own.














He said it was a day where the people of
Nigeria trooped out to the polling booth to
reclaim their rights and privileges as a
people.










Prof. Oyebode, who was the chairman on
the occasion, said the day was a celebration
of die-hard spirit of Abiola, his wife Kudirat
and hundreds of Nigerians who were killed
in protest of annulment of the freest and
fairest election ever held in the country.











Oyebode said it was sad and almost
inconceivable that the politicians and the
military decided to make May 29 Democracy
Day.








He added that it was unfortunate that the
June 12 watershed has been ethnicised,
with some states in the South west already
marking it as holiday, while others were still
unbothered.











He said it was also amazing that Nigeria
named monuments in Abuja and stadium in
Kano after military junta Sanni Abacha, while
Abiola has not been immortalised as so de­
served.












Falana toed the line of earlier speakers,
saying the onus was on Federal Government
to immortalise the true heroes of Nigeria’s
democracy.











He said: “This day (June 12) must be a
national day and be declared a national
holiday.”












He appealed to Lagos State to further
champion the cause of deepening de­
mocracy, by ensuring that living heroes and
heroines of June 12 struggle are not
forgotten.












Alake, who was the Editor of defunct
Concord Newspapers and a close confidant
to late Abiola, in his lecture posited that June
12 was a day Nigerians were re-birthed as a
true nation-state, adding that the annulment
was the biggest damage ever done to the
country.












He saluted the courage of June 12 activists
like Frank Kokori, Ayo Opadokun, Alfred
Ilenre, Dr. Amos Akingba, Rear Admiral
Ndubuisi Kanu, Odion Akhaine and Segun
Mayegun among others who were also
present at the event.


















Source:www.sunnewsonline.com/news/?p=123189

And whatever happens to May 29?

this guys ee .


man self centered mofo 's

Total lubbish

Let's use one mouth to tell FG dat dere should be more employment opportunities, no tribalism and favouritism in employment, more economic advancement and wide circulation of oil and gas in d nation instead of dz scrappy motion.
Am proudly Nigerian

Senseless peeps

Bt they renamed a school after there precious abiola and all hell went lose..shows how much they "love" him

what abt dix may 29 self...there more pressing needs to tackle instead of focusing on d non-essentials

These guys are funny, Osun indegines are dying of hunger and they are busy fighting for the dead to be immortalised.

When Gej immortalised him by naming UNILAG after him, they all protested against it.

Opposition is a disease

Abiola is not democratic
If he could support the abacha's coup(many like me believe he sponsored it) why should he be honoured

Had the man obeyed the electoral rules his election won't be cancelled