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| Chief Olusegun Osoba |
Former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, has said that the recognition of June 12 as National Democracy Day by President Muhammad Buhari indirectly recognised MKO Abiola as a past president of Nigeria.
Osoba said this during the celebration of the first National Democracy Day on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said that the Day was significant as past presidents from 1999 had refused to recognise the day or Abiola’s sacrifices for Nigeria’s democracy.
He said that the late Abiola, who refused to surrender his mandate, suffered and died in the struggle for democracy for the country.
“I have a lot of very bad memories about June 12, as a lot of people lost their lives for the struggle, a lot of families also suffered incurable damages, also a lot of people sold their properties to survive.
“I also suffered in the hands of Seargent Rogers, who made two attempts to kill me and I was in hiding for almost a year, along with others who paid the price.
“I also recall that when I was a governor with a former president from my state and all efforts that we should do something to immortalise Abiola did not make any impact.
“You can, therefore, see why we are grateful to President Muhammad Buhari who recognises the significance of June 12.
“The significance is the full price paid by Abiola that is making us enjoy democracy that is 20 years old now.
“One of my own benefited from Abiola sacrifice to become president but here is Buhari who indirectly accepted that Abiola was once past president of this country, so those sacrifices that we also suffered are no more in vain,” he said.
He commended the President, saying that democracy has come to stay in Nigeria.
