Democracy, The Nigerian Military Junta And Their Interferences: June 12, President Ahmed Tinubu And Freedom Crusaders

Democracy saw to the independence of Nigeria and the exit of the British Colonists. Thanks to Nigeria’s founding fathers and doyens of yester-years, Nigeria got Her independence in 1960. May God show mercy to the souls of these founding fathers: Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello (the Sardauna of Sokoto), Sir Tafawa Balewa, Dr Michael Okpara, Chief Dennis Osadebe, Chief Okotie Eboh and many others. May their souls and the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

These compatriots and Nigeria’s first Republic democrats fought for the freedom and liberation of Nigeria from the shackles of British colonial subjugation and oppression. They worked so hard to mobilize the Nigerian citizens across the Niger and Benue rivers to boot out the British colonialists from the exploitation of our mineral resources, agricultural foods and administration of our communities and revenues collected from levies, taxes and royalties on goods and services of Nigerian citizens. The labour of these past heroes shall never be in vain. Amen.

The sad and low period of our history was the ugly and unfortunate distraction and interference of the Military Junta which occurred shortly after the Nigerian independence and it was carried out by Nigerian soldiers who were mostly youths in their late twenties and early thirties. These young men killed some of the founding fathers of the nation and for more than thirty-eight years, held the country to arbitrary military orders and decrees and subjugated the freedom of speech and association of Nigerians.

The military voyagers divided Nigeria as they wished and executed anyone who attempted to hold them accountable to the people or who dared to challenge their decrees and orders, by using firing squad, summary executions and assassinations. Their arbitrary actions and summary executions were to culminate in June 12, with the suspension and later cancellation of the results of the June 12, 1993 elections, which Chief MKO Abiola won with a landslide.

Like it is said, one crime begets another and repeated wrongdoings can gradually harden an individual’s conscience, making him capable of committing even more grievous offences. General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, popularly called IBB, brazenly and without apologies, cancelled the June 12 elections and installed a quasi-transition government, ostensibly as a part of a process that would eventually return power to him. He could then retire from the military and contest the Presidency as a former military ruler seeking to transform himself into a civilian politician. Unfortunately for him, he was not God and thanks to the current President of Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his fellow democracy advocates, civil society comrades and the Nigerian people, through civil disobedience resisted the wishes of IBB and his co-travellers in the military. The plans of IBB and co were scuttled despite the sudden and unexplained death of MKO Abiola in custody, the assassination of his wife, Kudurat, and many other civil society advocates. These defenders of the peoples’ fundamental human rights and freedom, fought and advocated till the Military junta pulled out from occupying the administrative headquarters of the capital cities of the Nigerian states and federal capital, and went back into their barracks where they rightly belong.

Reflecting on the events of those challenging years, one would rightly believe that it is the providential act of God that one of those defenders of our democracy and freedom, should today, be the sitting President of Nigeria. It is amazing that a man who was active in the trenches of the struggle of freedom in Lagos State, the capital of the nation at the time and where the fight for supremacy was the fiercest, is today, sitting as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of Nigeria.

Power belongs to God, and God chooses from among the people, whom he permits to be their leader. The people are supreme and their choices, voices and votes determine who occupies the seat of leadership of the nation. It is not the gun and bullets that determine and define leadership; the people do. Democracy is described as the government of the people, by the people and for the people and this is what makes democracy a beautiful and desirable system of government.

As we mark Nigerian’s sixty-sixth (66) Independence anniversary, let us all thank God that Nigeria has been through the dark years and we are on the path of total growth, development and full liberation from the shackles of subjection and oppression. Let us thank God for everything, because it could have been worse than it is today. Let us keep the hope alive and firmly trust that God will not abandon his people and all good Nigerians. The labours of our heroes past shall never be in vain.

Happy Independence Day to all Nigerians. May all our dreams for ourselves and for Nigeria never fall short. Amen.

Jude Okechukwu Udeachara is the PDP 2027 Abia North Senatorial Candidate and Abia State PDP Publicity Secretary