Commentary by His Excellency, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, CON Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria, REMINISCENCES ON JUNE 12 STRUGGLE AND ITS IMPERATIVES On the CELEBRATION OF THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF JUNE 12 AS NATIONAL DEMOCRACY DAY, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.

1. Commentary by
His Excellency,
Dr. Kayode Fayemi, CON
Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria,
REMINISCENCES ON JUNE 12 STRUGGLE AND ITS IMPERATIVES
On the
CELEBRATION OF THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF JUNE 12 AS NATIONAL
DEMOCRACY DAY
Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria,
Friday June 12, 2020
Reminiscence on June 12 Struggle and its Imperatives
1. June 12, 2020 marks the second anniversary of the declaration
of the June 12 as Democracy Day in Nigeria. It is also affords one,
the privilege of looking back at the journey so far and to recall the
historic moment, the heroes/heroines that made this possible,
lesson and significance of the Day in our national life.
2. One of the things that President Muhammadu Buhari would be
fondly remembered for, after his tour of duty, would be the
recognition of the significance of June 12 and its rightful
placement in our national diary. It is even more satisfying that the
symbol of the struggle for the enthronement of democratic order

2. in Nigeria, Basorun Mashood Kasimawo Olawale Abiola, the
winner of the June 12, 1993 election whom the previous
administrations had refused to recognize as the winner of the
June 12 1993 election, has now been duly acknowledged by the
President as indeed, the undisputable winner of the election. He
did not stop there, he also awarded, posthumously, the highest
honour in the land, generally conferred on presidents, the award
of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), on him.
3. This symbolic gesture has provided a psycho-social healing for the
people who sacrificed, including their lives, for the enthronement
of democracy. Human life is generally ritualized and practised
and that is the reason we talk of culture as an established conduct
that has gained repeated and entrenched value for some time
among a people. The declaration of June 12 as our National
Democracy Day therefore, means for me, a significant and
courageous move to further enculturate accountability even about
knotty and unresolved historical issues of national importance.
One therefore has to commend the president for this historical
righting of a wrong past.
4. As one of the protagonists of the June 12 Struggle myself, one
caught in the maelstrom whilst completing my doctoral studies
outside the country, I appreciate what the token of this Day meant
to my self-fulfillment if one were to reminisce on the cluster of
dangers that we confronted during the time. Those who have read
my exile memoirs, Out of the Shadows : Exile and the Struggle
for Democracy and Freedom in Nigeria will recall many of these
hair raising moments that I and many others encountered in our
determination to rid our country of military jack boots.
5. It would be recalled that the regime of Gen. Sani Abacha was
initially construed to be a corrective one to promptly conclude the
transition process truncated by the Babangida junta before it
became violently truculent and embarked on a scotched earth
destruction of pro-democracy figures. He unleashed an

3. unprecedented brutality on defenseless protesters peacefully
making legitimate demands like an army of occupation.
6. One can only look back now and thank God for surviving one of
the most horrendous eras in our national history. The return of
democracy in 1999 therefore, was a direct consequence of the
relentless agitation by a coalition of civil society groups, students,
labour movement, politicians, rights activists, journalists,
academics and a host of people in the diaspora and diplomatic
circles. It is one important moment that should never be forgotten
because the tree of our democracy was irrigated with the blood of
many known and unknown people who died as martyrs of
democratic struggle.
7. Arguably, June 12 was the second most significant national crisis
after the civil war of 1967-1970, because of the reverberating
effect that it had on the polity of the nation. The whole nation was
crippled to a standstill after the annulment of the election as a
result of the strike action by organized labour and the sustained
daily protest by the mass of the public. In response to this, the
panicked regime moved military tanks to the street to mow down
defenseless crowd of protesters.
8. In spite of this, the mass of the public remained undaunted but
rather re-strategized to confront the regime head on. It highlighted
the power in collective struggle and unity of purpose. It must be
noted that the blame of the annulment goes squarely to the
administration of Gen. Badamosi Babangida, who, after
supervising a great electoral process, inexplicably fell victim to the
lure of untrammelled power.
9. June 12 was not just an event of what happened on the Election
Day, it is a concept that aggregates the collective resolve of the
nation to see the end of military rule in Nigeria. It is therefore
gainful to note that some of the events that highlighted the
significance of the struggle preceded the election itself.

4. 10. For example the processes that led to the fielding of Basorun
MKO Abiola and Ambassador Babagana Kingibe was a major
milestone in our walk to a nation where religion did not signpost
our electoral decision. Both presidential candidate and his
running mates were Muslims. Even though Abiola was a a Yoruba
man from Abeokuta Ogun State, he defeated his National
Republican Party’s rival, Alhaji Bashir Tofa in his Kano state base.
This greatly showed that the idea of tribal bloc voting did not play
a strong role in the election. So, a new nation was in the womb of
time, waiting to be born until the midwife did the unthinkable.
And this new era held a great importance to the destiny of Nigeria
and that of the black race as a whole. Unfortunately, the optimism
of the benefits of the spirit of the time for a new direction for the
nation never materialized.
11. In spite of the disappointing end of the electoral process and the
chain of events that followed, one major feature of the time was a
new spirit to work together across the Niger in our quest for a
national consensus on how to go ahead. For example, Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo formed an group named Association for
Democracy and Good Governance in Nigeria, ADGGN with
personalities like General Muhammadu Buhari, Gen. Joe Garba,
former Minister of Foreign Affairs, civil war hero and former Chief
of Army Staff, General Alani Akinrinnade, Late Prof. Adebayo
Adedeji among others as members.
12. June 12 also forced the mass of the political elite to come
together in their own enlightened interest. This led to the
formation of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) was formed
as part of effort to have a pan-Nigeria approach to the struggle
against the military rule. This group was led by the likes of Chief
Adekunle Ajasin, Pa Alfred Rewane, Anthony Enahoro, Abraham
Adesanya, Chief Bola Ige, Chief Arthur Nwankwo, Senator Ayo
Fasanmi, Chief Olu Falae, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Air Cmdr Dan

5. Suleiman (rtd), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Olusegun Osoba and
a host of others.
13. There were also a plethora of independent groups, coalitions
and individuals within the civil society fraternity. The National
Liberation Council of Nigeria, (NALICON) led by Prof Wole Soyinka
with whom I worked as a liaison between it and other
organisations like Campaign for Democracy led by Beko
Ransome-Kuti, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights led
by Femi Falana, Democratic Alternative led by Chima Ubani,
National Conscience Party led by Chief Gani Fawehinmi,
Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People led by late Ken Saro-
Wiwa, Arewa Defence League, Academic Staff Union of
Universities led by Attahiru Jega, National Association of Nigerian
Students (NANS), Frank Kokori of NUPENG, and our own New
Nigeria Forum led by me, Tajudeen Abdulraheem, Bisi Adeleye-
Fayemi, Tayo Oke, Olu Oguibe and other brave activists of the
time.
14. There were individuals, especially media personalities who were
also part of the movement. Many were incarcerated, brutalized,
dehumanized, framed up on trumped-up charges, exiled, maimed
or killed. Among these were personalities like the Late Bagauda
Kaltho, jailed Kunle Ajibade, Dapo Olorunyomi, Bayo Onanuga,
Seye Kehinde, Niran Malaolu, Babafemi Ojudu, Sylvester Odion
Akhaine, Onome Osifo - Whiskey, Chris Anyanwu, Osa Director,
Richard Akinnola, and others too numerous to mention.
15. When we recall the many sacrifices of these individuals, we
would appreciate that the journey to our democratic nationhood
was not an easy one. We must therefore, not only consciously tell
the story of the significance of having June 12 as a National
Democracy Day, we must also continue to re-engage ourselves in
the useful conversations about how to re-enact the spirit of the
time at a time of fractured unity.

6. 16. The greatest take away from June 12 is that of the possibility of
a new Nigeria where our so-called fault lines would no longer
matter as our best lines. I therefore urge that we start a new
conversation around a democracy that instills confidence in the
citizenry, enables unrestrained breathing and holds a promise of
a better life for all irrespective of whom they are or where they
come from. This, for me, was the most significant lesson of June
12 and we must teach it, learn it and keep it etched in our sub-
conscious in the certainty that a new Nigeria, a better Nigeria is
possible.
Happy Democracy Day 2020
Dr. Kayode Fayemi, CON
June 12, 2020.