ELATED family of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, who believably won Nigeria\’s freest and fairest election ever conducted, in 1983, but which was annulled by the military junta, has thanked the Federal Government for awarding Nigeria’s highest honour posthumously to their father, who died in detention.
In a letter dated June 6, 2018, and signed by Abiola\’s eldest son, Kola, the family thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration for the decision saying: \”Mr President, I thank you earnestly for heeding our plea where others before you did not, whilst conveying the assurances of my highest esteem
\”We are profoundly grateful to the people from all corners of Nigeria that worked tirelessly to ensure the most free and fair elections in our nation’s history in 1993, fought valiantly for the Hope ’93 mandate given to Bashorun Abiola by the Nigerian people and died trying to protect the mandate.
“Your Excellency, as I wrote in my letter to you on June 12, 2016, in our minds, the award was the only befitting recognition of the importance of Chief Abiola’s fight for democracy for Nigeria which culminated in 4 years incarceration/solitary confinement and decimation of his business and financial interests, before the ultimate sacrifice, being his life on July 7, 1998 at the age of 60,”
It said: “Your Excellency, your decision to also designate June 12 as Democracy Day rights the wrongs done to all the nation-builders and heroes that produced the democratic credentials on which the Nigerian polity now thrives. We are profoundly grateful to the people from all corners of Nigeria that worked tirelessly to ensure the most free and fair elections in our nation’s history in 1993, fought valiantly for the Hope ’93 mandate given to Bashorun Abiola by the Nigerian people and died trying to protect the mandate.
“Mr President, I thank you earnestly for heeding our plea where others before you did not, whilst conveying the assurances of my highest esteem.”
Similarly, one of Abiola’s daughters, Mrs Hafsat Abiola-Castelo, praised the Federal Government for declaring the day as the new Democracy Day, saying this “has corrected Nigeria’s faulty democratic foundation.’’
She stated this on Thursday in an interview in Abeokuta, the Ogun capital.
Buhari had in a statement on Wednesday declared that June 12, 1993 was more symbolic of democracy in the Nigerian context than May 29 formerly regarded as the nation’s Democracy Day.
She described the action as courageous, noting that it had rooted Nigeria in the process that actually produced the nation\’s democracy.
Her words:”What the past leaders have been telling us since 1999 was that the June 12 issue is a South- West issue and I wondered why an election in which vast majority of Nigerians voted for one person could be so described.
“I have been wondering over the years if Nigerian leaders are so petty and without moral compunction as to limit and confine such activity and date to regional affair. President Buhari has, however, done the right thing and acceded to the yearnings of Nigerians and made it a national issue.
” I believe more Nigerians will now be ready to re-dedicate their lives to Nigeria and be ready to commit themselves selflessly and sacrificially to the nation like late Moshood Abiola did.”
She said that the development would also motivate and impact on the mindset of Nigerian leaders in taking bold steps to do the right thing, adding: “There was a time we had a president in 1999 whom Nigerians begged to recognise the date but refused and remained insensitive to the yearnings of Nigerians for eight years.
”The good Lord has proven that such insensitivity has limit and has raised another president who has now done the right thing 25 years after while that former president is still living to witness the glory he should have taken go to another president with a large heart.
”There is an arrogance to power but leaders should realise that the only thing that tempers the arrogance of power is the temporariness of power.’’ .
Also, Abiola-Castello noted that the development would further boost Nigeria’s image internationally as the world would begin to take Nigeria more seriously and relate with the nation with more respect. She encouraged Buhari to take more courageous steps to fix Nigeria, particularly in the areas of the economy and political structure. She commended the leaders and people of the SouthWest region of Nigeria for remaining resolute and committed to the June 12 struggle.(NAN)
