The Democracy Day remains a very historic day in the history of Nigeria. A day Nigerians will always remember.
President Bola Tinubu in his Democracy Day address to Nigerians, took us through memory lane.
There are people Nigerians should be grateful for. This democracy we enjoy today was not given on a platter, people fought for it, people sacrificed for it.
These people are the ‘heroes of Democracy.’
President Tinubu has hailed these personalities who fought for the democracy of the nation and participated in the struggle to enthrone democracy.
Tinubu’s Democracy Day Address
In his maiden Democracy Day address to Nigerians on Monday, President Tinubu said these Nigerians stood for principles that are far more valuable than life themselves.
The President named Chief MKO Abiola, who is the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, as a martyr of democracy.
He describes him as the custodian of the sacred mandate that was so cruelly annulled.
Tinubu also named the wife of Chief Abiola, Kudirat Abiola, Pa Alfred Rewane, and Major General Shehu Yar’Adua (retd).
He named them as the heroes of the independence struggle and paid the ultimate price in the process.
The Sacrifice
“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.
“There was an easier choice for him. It was to forgo the justice of his cause and opt for the path of ease and capitulation in the face of the tyranny of power.
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“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.
The Side Of The People
“Everyday, on this day, down the ages, we will recall several other heroes of democracy such as Kudirat Abiola, wife of Chief Abiola, who was brutally murdered while in the trenches fighting on the side of the people.
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“We remember Pa Alfred Rewane, one of the heroes of our independence struggle, and Major General Shehu Yar’Adua (retd) who were silenced by the military junta while in pursuit of democracy.
“They gave their yesterday for the liberty that is ours today.”
