Heroes Of Democracy: Kune 12 Icons Who Stood Firm Against Military Oppression

Heroes Of Democracy: Kune 12 Icons Who Stood Firm Against Military Oppression....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

President Bola Tinubu, in his Democracy Day address on June 12, 2024, recognized individuals who played crucial roles in Nigeria’s struggle for democracy. The list of those who laid the groundwork for our current democratic state is extensive, as many Nigerians were killed while confronting military regimes. GBENGA OLONINIRAN delves into the lives of the activists who led the charge against military rule………. CONTINUE READING

On Nigeria’s Democracy Day, June 12, 2024, President Bola Tinubu, in his nationwide broadcast, honored several individuals who actively contributed to the fight for Nigeria’s democratic survival.

The President’s selection of these figures, described as champions of democracy, has stirred debate as it appears to have omitted other notable figures.

During the broadcast, Tinubu emphasized the significance of Democracy Day in commemorating MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election annulled by the military junta. He lamented the loss of great heroes and heroines in the struggle for democracy.

“On this day, 31 years ago, we began our journey to become a true and enduring democratic society.

“This journey was tough and perilous. Over the following six years, we fought for our fundamental rights as human beings placed on this earth by the divine hand of our Creator,” he said.

“We lost many heroes and heroines along the way. In this struggle, Chief MKO Abiola, the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and a significant symbol of our democratic struggle, along with his wife Kudirat, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Pa Alfred Rewane, and others, sacrificed their lives,” Tinubu added.

The President proceeded to honor various democracy champions, both living and deceased.

Among them were the late politician and lawyer Chief Bola Ige, human rights activist and lawyer Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, and former External Affairs Minister Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi.

“Let us remember the legacies of Chief Anthony Enahoro, Chief Abraham Adesanya, Commodore Dan Suleiman, Chief Arthur Nwankwo, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, Chief Frank Kokori, Chief Bola Ige, Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Chief Ganiyu Dawodu, Chief Ayo Fasanmi, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Chief Olabiyi Durojaiye, Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti, Chima Ubani, and others who have passed on,” the President stated.

He emphasized that the sacrifices of Gen Alani Akinrinade, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Chief Ralph Obioha, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, and many others should never be forgotten. “For over six years, they endured the hardships of life in exile.

“While the exiled pro-democracy activists kept the flame alive, their colleagues at home sustained pressure on the military leadership. Among these were Olisa Agbakoba, Femi Falana, Abdul Oroh, Senator Shehu Sani, Governor Uba Sani, Chief Olu Falae, and other leaders of the National Democratic Coalition such as Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Chief Ayo Opadokun.”

The omission of other notable individuals who played significant roles in Nigeria’s struggle for democracy was initially protested by the family of the founder of the O’dua Peoples Congress, Dr. Frederick Fasehun.

In a statement issued by his son Remi shortly after Tinubu’s June 12 address, the family criticized the exclusion of Fasehun’s name from the list as unjust and ungrateful.

Remi noted that Tinubu himself benefited from his father’s activism and sacrifices for democracy, highlighting how Fasehun assisted Tinubu’s escape into exile.

“The President directly benefited from our father’s activism and sacrifices for democracy. They were comrades in the trenches; Fasehun aided Tinubu in escaping into exile. It is documented that during the time when General Sani Abacha’s squad surrounded Senator Abraham Adesanya’s residence, where they were meeting, Tinubu climbed onto Fasehun’s back and together they jumped the fence to hide and eventually go into exile.

“Several individuals who fled the country and joined NADECO-Abroad, including Pa Anthony Enahoro, were personally guided through the NADECO route by Dr. Fasehun, using boats and bush paths. He was a crucial link between Pa Enahoro-NADECO and NUPENG, the union that played a pivotal role in the struggle. He was imprisoned multiple times by the Abacha regime, in Kirikiri, Ilorin, and Kuje. At the infamous Inter Centre in Ikoyi Cemetery, he was held incommunicado for months, an experience that inflicted lasting physical and psychological damage, leaving him visually impaired for life.”

Remi emphasized that Fasehun’s family continues to bear the consequences of his sacrifices, which contributed significantly to the birth of Nigeria’s current democracy.

“To ignore such an exceptional icon as Dr. Frederick Fasehun from any purported list of June 12 and Democratic Heroes is an act of gross injustice and unwarranted vendetta,” the statement from Fasehun’s family declared.

On Wednesday, former Kaduna lawmaker Senator Shehu Sani affirmed that Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani played a significant role in the 1990s in the struggle for democracy.

The former senator, included in Tinubu’s list of democracy heroes alongside the Kaduna State governor, stated in a release on X, “Uba stood by us during our years in prison in the 1990s.”

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