For 23 years, Nigeria has celebrated Democracy Day to mark the peaceful transition from military to civilian rule. It’s the longest civilian leadership in the country’s 62-year independence from British colonisation.
It was commemorated every May 29 until former President Muhammadu Buhari aptly saw it fit to make it a June 12 affair. The reason is not far-fetched. Buhari said, “This change is to remind all Nigerians of one free election after which the presumed winner, along with Nigerians, was denied their rights and their choice.
“On June 12 1993, Nigerians saw the best in our citizens as we all went out to vote peacefully. By June 24, 1993, we also saw the worst of our leadership as the elections were annulled. We must never forget the sacrifices of the heroes of Nigeria’s democracy during 1993.”
Let’s talk about the “sacrifices” and “heroes” for a bit.
Although all Nigerians living at home enjoy the public holiday accompanying such national observances, most cannot relate to the blood and struggle that birthed it, especially the 128 million citizens below 25 years.
While history books and newspaper archives have done a fine job preserving the memories of Nigeria’s gory ride to democracy, they can only do so much. For most of us, Chief MKO Abiola was that distant guy who won the June 12 presidential election but got robbed of his victory by the military junta who had him arrested and, eventually, assassinated. But the story runs deeper.
If Abiola were to write his autobiography, he would likely begin with the opening words of the 16th US President, Abraham Lincoln, as portrayed in Seth Grahame-Smith’s biographical action horror mashup novel, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The book was adapted into an eponymous movie in 2012.
It goes: “History prefers legends to men. It prefers nobility to brutality, soaring speeches to quiet deeds. History remembers the battle and forgets the blood. Whatever history remembers of me, if it remembers anything at all, it shall only be a fraction of the truth. For whatever else I am, a husband…or a President, I shall always think of myself as a man who struggled against darkness.”
In his maiden Democracy Day address, President Bola Tinubu brought Abiola to our national consciousness once more when he said, “The democracy that is steadily growing to become the defining essence of our polity was not gifted to us on a silver platter. We can easily recall the sacrifice and martyrdom of Chief MKO Abiola, the custodian of the sacred mandate that was so cruelly annulled.
“He sacrificed his life in unyielding, patriotic defence of the ideals of democracy as symbolised in his choice, by his fellow countrymen and women, as their duly-elected President.”
Abiola had an easier choice; to forgo the justice of his cause and opt for the path of ease and capitulation in the face of the tyranny of power.
But “to his eternal credit and immortal glory, Abiola said no. He demonstrated the time-tested eternal truth that there are certain ideals and principles that are far more valuable than life itself.”
Those words are fitting because behind the legend was a man who paid the ultimate price for his beliefs. We admire the nobility of his struggle but often forget the brutality he suffered.
We remember the Epetedo Proclamation, where he declared himself President, but forget the one-year struggle to reclaim his stolen mandate peacefully.
We remember the political battle but risk forgetting the blood of Kudirat Abiola, Pa Alfred Rewane, Major General Shehu Yar’Adua (retd) and many others silenced by the military junta of their time while pursuing democracy.
Whatever history remembers of Abiola and the June 12 struggle, it shall only be a fraction of the truth. For all that he was, a husband, businessman, publisher or duly-elected president, we must always think of him as a man who struggled against the darkness of tyranny.
A small ceremony
Three decades later, I joined other State House Correspondents at the forecourt of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa to commemorate Democracy Day. Although I’d covered this crucial annual event twice, this one differed in location and scale.
For all I know, such ceremonies are held at the Eagle Square, Abuja, not Aso Rock. This meant the scale of preparation, audience, guest, etc., shrank significantly.
I learned that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation planned it this way because it made no sense to burden its pocket and hundreds of service personnel again only two weeks after an elaborate inauguration ceremony.
Despite the size, the ceremony neither lost its essence nor its colour. The President inspected a guard of honour and later joined his guests to witness a march-past and performances by several cultural dance troupes and the Presidential Brigade of Guards as they played Kizz Daniel’s hit song, Buga.
Likely inspired by the song, Tinubu Bugad into his office afterwards to continue work as usual. When you bear the burden of over 200 million people, it’s easy to lose sight of public holidays.
The bills…
So that evening, the President signed the Students Loan Bill into law. Until then, he’d signed at least three bills into law within two weeks alone. In some sections of the media, it is said that Nigerians now wake up to one breaking news or another from the seat of power.
If he is not signing a bill, he’s probably suspending a government official or appointing new ones. Social media is awash with memes saying the President, like Hilda Baci’s cook-a-thon, has embarked on a sign-a-thon and may soon sign the English player, Harry Maguire.
Meanwhile, key government officials are being replaced. With the CBN governor and EFCC chairman gone, many heads of government agencies are nervously tapping their feet, wondering who is next. Whatever the case, President Tinubu’s promise to run a government of national competence will certainly involve a change of guard at the most critical levels.
