HIS EXCELLENCE PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED Tinubu, GCFR’S DEMOCRACY DAY NATIONAL BROADCAST ON JUNE 12, 2023
Fellow Nigerians,
It has been exactly three decades since Nigerians went to the polls to exercise their inalienable right to elect a President of their choice to lead the transition from military dictatorship to a representative government of the people.
The military’s abrogation of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola’s decisive victory in the June 12, 1993, presidential election, up to that point the fairest and freest election in the country’s political evolution, turned out to be the seed that germinated into the protracted struggle that gave birth to the democracy we now enjoy since 1999.
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The substantial number of our people who participated in the struggle to de-annul the election symbolized their fierce commitment to enthroning democracy as a form of government that best ennobles liberty, the dignity of the individual, and the integrity as well as the stability of the polity. The fierce opposition to the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, and the unrelenting pro-democracy onslaught it unleashed, was the equivalent of our founding fathers’ battle against colonial rule, which resulted in Nigeria’s independence in 1960.
The pro-June 12 vanguard, like the anti-colonial movement, demonstrated the enduring validity of 19th century historian Arnold Toynbee’s eternal postulation, that civilization, and societies progress as they are forced to respond to environmental challenges. The unjust annulment of a widely acknowledged free and fair election was a challenge that elicited resistance from a resurgent civil society, ultimately leading to our second independence,’ as exemplified by the return of democratic governance in 1999.
Fellow Nigerians, we celebrate a day that has remained a watershed in our nation’s history, not just today, but for every June 12 that our beloved country shall exist and wax stronger and stronger, generations of Nigerians will always remind themselves that democracy that is steadily growing to become the defining essence of our polity was not handed to us on a silver platter.
We can easily recall Chief MKO Abiola’s sacrifice and martyrdom as the custodian of the sacred mandate that was cruelly annulled. He gave his life in unyielding, patriotic defence of democratic ideals, as symbolized by his election as duly-elected President by his fellow countrymen and women. He had an easier option. It was to forego the justice of his cause in favour of the path of ease and capitulation in the face of power tyranny. To his eternal credit and immortal glory, Abiola said no. He demonstrated the time-tested eternal truth that certain ideals and principles are far more valuable than life itself.
Every day on this day, we will remember several other heroes of democracy, such as Kudirat Abiola, Chief Abiola’s wife, who was brutally murdered while fighting on the side of the people. We remember Pa Alfred Rewane, one of our independence struggle’s heroes, and Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (rtd), who were silenced by the military junta while fighting for democracy. They gave them yesterday for the liberty we have today.
The point is that we must never take our democracy for granted. We must always jealously guard and protect it as if it were a valuable jewel. People can never truly appreciate the freedoms and rights that democracy provides them until they lose them.
We’ve been down the dark, thorny path of dictatorship before, and those who have can attest to the unbridgeable gap between the dignity of freedom and the humiliation and degradation of tyranny. True, some people see rancorous debates, endless wrangling, never-ending quarrels, and bitter electoral contests as unappealing aspects of democracy. However, they also attest to its worth and value.
This year marked the seventh in a series of elections that have become sacred rituals of our democratic practice in this dispensation since 1999.
The fact that the polls were hotly contested is evidence that democracy is alive and well in our country. It is only natural that, while those who won and experienced victory in the various elections are elated and fulfilled, those who lost are disenchanted and disappointed. But the beauty of democracy is that those who win today may lose tomorrow, and those who lose today may compete and win in the next round of elections.
Those who cannot bear and accept the agony of defeat in elections do not deserve the joy of victory when it is their turn to triumph. Above all, those who disagree with the outcome of the elections are fully utilizing the constitutional provisions to seek redress in court, which is one of the reasons why democracy remains the best form of government invented by man.
For Chief MKO Abiola, the symbol of this day, whose memory is commemorated on June 12 as a national holiday, democracy is eternal.
It is about the rule of law and a vibrant judiciary that can be relied on to deliver justice and strengthen institutions. It is now necessary to state unequivocally that unnecessary illegal orders used to truncate or abridge democracy will no longer be tolerated.
The recent harmonization of the retirement age for judicial officers is intended to strengthen the rule of law, which is a critical pillar of democracy. The reform has only recently begun.
The democracy that will pay out the right dividends to the shareholders entails more than just the freedom of choice and the right to elect people to public office. It entails social and economic justice for our people. To the winner of the June 12 election, democracy provides the best opportunity to combat and eradicate poverty. He named his campaign manifesto ‘Farewell to Poverty’ thirty years ago because he was convinced that poverty is not divine. It is a man-made problem that can be solved with well-thought-out social and economic policies.
As a result, in my inaugural address on May 29, I gave effect to my predecessor-in-office’s decision to remove the fuel subsidy albatross and free up much-needed resources that had previously been pocketed by a few wealthy. I admit that the decision will impose an additional burden on the majority of our people. I understand how you feel. This is one decision we must make to keep our country from imploding and to free our resources from the clutches of a few unpatriotic elements.
I have begged you, my countrymen, to make one more sacrifice for the sake of our country’s survival. I assure you that your sacrifice will not be in vain because of your faith and belief in us. The government I lead will repay you with massive investments in transport infrastructure, education, reliable power supply, healthcare, and other public utilities that will improve people’s lives.
The democracy for which MKO Abiola died is one that prioritises the welfare of the people over the personal interests of the ruling class, and one in which the governed can find personal fulfilment and happiness. That is the hope MKO Abiola spread throughout our country in 1993.
On this year’s Democracy Day, I urge all of us to renew our commitment to strengthening the form of government of free peoples that has served as our guiding light for the past 24 years. Those of us who have been elected to public offices at various levels in both the executive and legislative branches of government, in particular, must recommit to selfless service to the people and delivering concrete democracy dividends in accordance with our electoral promises.
On my part and on behalf of my administration, I renew our commitment to diligently fulfilling every component of our electoral pact with the people – the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda.
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We will be truthful. True to equity. And devoted to justice. We will exercise our authority and mandate to govern with fairness, respect for the rule of law, and a commitment to always uphold the dignity of all our people.
On that note, I wish everyone a happy Democracy Day and pray that the light of liberty never goes out in our country.
Thank you all, and may God continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
