Voices on Nigeria’s June 12 Silver Jubilee

It is exactly 25 years today that Nigerians woke up to the annulment of 1993 Presidential Election won by the Late Chief MKO Abiola. For 24 years, June 12th was mostly celebrated by the winners’ ethnic group, Yoruba, especially in the South-West region.

However, this year celebration is historic because President Muhammadu Buhari recently recognised the winner along with other June 12 pro-democracy activists, declaring the day as the new day for celebrating democracy in the country. This declaration has cancelled May 29 adopted for democracy day celebration after the military exiting the country’s political space in 1999.

Since the declaration of the day as the new day for democracy, political activists and citizens across social classes have been expressing their views. The gesture has been seen as the best approach to honour the country’s hard earned democracy and unify democratic forces in the country. Some public analysts have made a case for having June 12 as a school subject or course that must be taught in secondary schools and tertiary institutions throughout the country. According to them, this is imperative because June 12 is inseparable from the country’s history. To them, June 12 was an action and ideology that must be nurtured.  

Chief MKO Abiola’s kinsmen also want the date to be the country’s future date for inauguration of new governments. On the June 12’s honourees, opinions remain divided among public analysts and socio-cultural organisations on who should be honoured or not. Most analysts and societies appreciated honouring of the winner and faulted President’s exclusion of some pro-June 12 activists.