THE POSTHUMOUS NATIONAL HONOR CONFERRED ON LATE CHIEF MKO ABIOLA AND JUNE 12 NATIONAL HOLIDAY

THE POSTHUMOUS NATIONAL HONOR CONFERRED ON LATE CHIEF MKO ABIOLA AND JUNE 12 NATIONAL HOLIDAY.

By: Sonny Iroche
June 6, 2018
Twitter handle: @IrocheSonny

The posthumous conferment of the highest National honor, GCFR on the late Chief MKO Abiola, the winner of the annulled 1993 Presidential election and the declaration of June 12, as the rightful Democracy Day public holiday instead of May 29, has been hailed, though with some level of trepidation by majority of Nigerians, due essentially to the political undertone and undercurrent. No doubt the honor is very deserving and long overdue, irrespective of whatever anybody says or thinks is the motivating factor at this point in time. It is better late, than never, one would say.
The move is considered by many, as a high wired politically motivated strategy, aimed at pulling the rug under the feet of those key opponents of President Buhari’s attempt at running for a second term in office next year.
It should be recalled that it was President Obasanjo (OBJ), who after his inauguration as President on May 29, 1999, declared May 29th as Democracy Day, observed as a Federal public holiday.
Some critics see the move as the usual  OBJ’s penchant for self adulation and center of the world syndrome- as far as he is concerned, Nigeria and everything must revolve around him.
While IBB, it was, who annulled the results of the June 12 1993 elections, presumed to have been won by the late Chief MKO Abiola, adjudged to be free and fair by both local and international election monitors.
So with the recent coalition of OBJ and former military President Ibrahim Babangida (IBB), leading a group of other military Generals and top politicians to try and stop President Buhari (PMB) in his bid for re-election scheduled to hold in 2019.

The move to finally confer a befitting National honor and respect on MKO and his running mate, Babagana Kingibe and the dogged civil rights advocate, late Gani Fawehinmi, though seen purely as a last minute desperate political maneuver by PMB, is thought by political observers, as a strategy to try and neutralize the two former Heads of state and an attempt at wooing the sympathizers and the strong constituencies of both MKO and Gani Fawehinmi; the politically vibrant Southwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria.
This may just be the beginning of an interesting and very sensitive “Fight For The Soul of Nigeria”.

OBJ, some observers had suspected in the past, to have been quite envious of MKO, for whatever reason; who was a very close friend of General Murtala Mohammed (OBJ’s boss), and never thought that MKO was the “messiah” that Nigeria needed.

The year 2019, promises to be an interesting year and will certainly be a defining year for the economic and political future of Nigeria as a country.
It should be the year that the country and its citizens, particularly the enlightened ones to lead and educate the unenlightened masses, on the need to exercise their voting rights in electing, men and women, with proven capacity, credibility, the right leadership qualities and what it takes to govern a country as complex as Nigeria, in order to pull the country out of the current doldrums of myopic, inept and lethargic leadership that currently cuts across all arms and tiers of government- LGA, States and Federal.
Not to forget that the Legislative, Executive and the Judiciary need to be revamped and overhauled, so as to bring an end, the cancerous corruption, ineptitude and a shame of a country, whose destiny is being stifled and stunted by the wrong people emerging as leaders of a contemporary Nation State in the 21st Century.
It will surely be the year, for Nigeria-  To Be or Not To Be.
Finally, what to me and majority of well meaning Nigerians consider paramount to the continuing existence of the country to remain a prosperous, viable, united and peaceful country, where, peace, justice and meritocracy reign, will be the emergence of a resourceful, purposeful and a critical thinking President, who will appoint and surround himself with capable individuals and who must sincerely commit to the letter and implement the Restructuring of Nigeria and return to the pre 1966, Federal structure and the implementation of the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference.
These and many more, our President in 2019, must commit to as a rudder-blade of his manifesto and implementation.
Any Presidential candidate, in 2019, who does not commit to restructuring Nigeria, must be denied the opportunity of the unacceptable luxury of business as usual.