By Eshioromeh Sebastian
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday led tributes to the heroes of Nigeria’s June 12 struggle at the national documentary premiere of MKO, held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Lagos.
The screening, part of activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary, drew a roll call of top government officials, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, and several state governors.
Produced by US-based filmmaker Ose Oyamendan, MKO chronicles the life and political struggle of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, and the pro-democracy campaign that followed.
Speaking for the President, his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, led the gathering in a minute’s silence for those who died in the struggle, then read out a roll call of pro-democracy figures — from Chief Anthony Enahoro and Chief Gani Fawehinmi to Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti and Chief Frank Kokori — saying their sacrifices must never be forgotten.
He also honoured the journalists, lawyers, students, workers and diaspora Nigerians who kept the struggle alive, including journalist James Bagauda Kaltho.
“Their sacrifice was not in vain,” Onanuga said, noting that Nigeria has enjoyed 27 years of unbroken democracy since 1999 and that Abiola has now been officially acknowledged as the winner of the 1993 election.
He commended the producers of the documentary for preserving an important chapter of Nigeria’s political history, adding: “We owe them more than remembrance. We owe them a duty to ensure that no authority ever again overturns the freely expressed will of Nigerians.”
Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy Hannatu Musa Musawa said the documentary honours “the men and women who gave their lives for the mandate of June 12, 1993 and for the democracy Nigeria enjoys today.” She urged citizens to guard the nation’s democracy jealously.
Oyamendan thanked the President for his support over the years and recalled interviewing him as a senator in 1992.
The President’s attendance, State House said, underscores his administration’s commitment to preserving Nigeria’s democratic history and honouring those whose courage paved the way for the current democratic system.
The event also drew First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, who accompanied the President; Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kwara State AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun; Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang; and Chief of Staff to the President, Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
Also present were Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Dr Jumoke Oduwole; Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation Engr Joseph Utsev; members of the National Assembly; former Ogun State Governor Chief Olusegun Osoba; and other distinguished personalities.
Onanuga’s tribute extended to the printers who defied the security clampdown to print banned publications, the lawyers who defended detainees, the students who staged protests on campuses and streets, the workers — especially NUPENG members who withdrew their labour — the academics who gave the struggle a voice, and the Nigerians in the diaspora who mobilised international support for the sanctity of democracy.
He also remembered those imprisoned without trial, those jailed as accessories to a coup d’etat, those driven into exile, those who lost their livelihoods, and those whose homes and businesses were attacked because they refused to surrender their democratic convictions.
He recalled “the countless unnamed Nigerians who filled the streets, endured hardship and stood firm in defence of the mandate freely given on June 12, 1993,” noting that many paid the supreme price and many carried wounds history may never fully record.
Musawa said MKO chronicles the events leading to the June 12, 1993 presidential election, its annulment by the military authorities, Abiola’s arrest in 1994 after he declared his mandate, and his death in detention in 1998. She said it was imperative to document the untold stories surrounding the election, adjudged one of Nigeria’s freest and fairest, so that many will know the democracy Nigerians enjoy today came at a precious price.
Oyamendan also lauded the President for his tenacity, courage and conviction on the principles of democracy, and thanked the individuals and organisations that supported the documentary’s production.
MKO is expected to help preserve Nigeria’s political history and offer audiences, particularly younger Nigerians, an opportunity to reflect on the events, personalities and sacrifices that shaped the country’s democratic journey.
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