President Buhari announces June 12 as Democracy Day - Hafsat Abiola Celebrates.
On Wednesday, 6th June, President Muhammadu Buhari decleared in a public letter, June 12 as the new Democracy Day in place of the usual May 29.
According to President Buhari, "That was the date when for the second time in our history, an elected civilian administration took over from a military government. The first time this happened was on October 21st, 1979.
He also said, "...it was the day when Nigerians in millions expressed their democratic will..."
Therefore, "after due consultations, the Federal Government has decided that henceforth, June 12th will be will be celebrated as Democracy Day."
The Federal Government have also decided to give an 'after-life' award to "late Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of June 12th 1993 cancelled elections."
He further said "His running mate as Vice President, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, is also to be invested with a GCON." (Grand Commander of Nigeria).
He further said "His running mate as Vice President, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, is also to be invested with a GCON." (Grand Commander of Nigeria).
Many people have hailed Mr President on this act while others are frowed and called it illegal.
The former Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the 2016 National Award Committee, Salihu Modibbo Alfa Belgore (Rtd), as illegal.
According to Belgore, the award of GCFR, being the highest award in the country cannot be given posthumously. It must be for the living, Belgore said.
Belgore added that by virtue of the National Honors Act, only soldiers can be given posthumous awards for their gallantry and that he was never consulted by the Federal Government before the announcement was made.
Controversial Senator, Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West, has cautioned President Muhammdu Buhari against breaching the constitution in his latest move of conferring the honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on Moshood Abiola.
Dino, Citing Chapter 43(2) of the National Honours Act on Thursday, 7th June, argued that the act does not allow for conferment of the honours on non-Nigerians.Controversial Senator, Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West, has cautioned President Muhammdu Buhari against breaching the constitution in his latest move of conferring the honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on Moshood Abiola.
He also, like Justice Belgore claimed that Abiola is dead and that automatically makes him not to be a Nigerian.
“I am a democrat, I believe very sincerely that Chief M.K.O Abiola deserve even more than the president has pronounced because he is a true patriot, philanthropist and should be so decorated."
“But Mr. President, we are governed in the country by the constitution and extant laws. No matter how beautiful a situation is, the law of the land remains the law of the land.”
To buttress his point using the law he says, “Subsection 2 of the act says a person shall be eligible for appointment to any rank or holder unless he is a citizen of Nigeria. A dead man is not a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We should not be emotional about this. The law remains the law.”
“Subject to the next notice, a person shall be appointed to a particular rank of an order when the president receives him in person."
“Mr. President, they said in person for us to do what we are supposed to do, we would have to amend the provisions of this act because anything we need to do, we have to do in accordance with the provisions of the law," he concluded.
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| Hafsat Abiola |
Meanwhile, the Daughter of the late politician, Hafsat Abiola have taken to social expressing her joy and appreciation in form of poetry.
She says,
''Dear friends, words cannot truly express how happy I feel. Here is President Buhari's executive order declaring that June 12, the day of the election that my father won, would henceforth be Nigeria's Democracy Day and conferring on my dad the title of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, a title reserved for presidents. Twenty five years after June 12...I tried to capture my feelings in the (sort of) poem below.Please celebrate with me''
Read below:
The Former Minister of Culture and Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode is not left out.
"I commend @MBuhari for announcing June 12th as our new Democracy Day. This is long overdue and I am pleasantly surprised.I also commend him for honoring Chief MKO Abiola, the winner of the June 12th 1993 presidential election, with the posthumus award of GCON.This is great news!"
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