20TH ANNIVESARY OF JUNE 12, ANY HOPE? On the march again, on the march again. Nigeria on the march again, on the march again. MKO! He"s the man ooooooo. This was part of Chief Abiola"s presidential campaign jingles that rented the air during the presidential election period of 1993. Nigerians across all tribal divides, hoped and danced to the rhythm of this jingles as it wafted from the radio and televisions each time it is aired or played. Chief Abiola as it were, was the bastion of hope for the nigerian masses, no wonder his campaign slogan was HOPE 93. In him, the populace saw a new dawn of an era, a daniel being called to judgement, a purveyor of togetherness, a man who applied smidgen of common sense to unity of nigeria, he never saw things through the prism of christian/moslem dichotomy.The superfluity of his philantrophy transcended consanguinity. I believe these antecedents of his , snowballed into the overwhelming support showed to him during the election which resulted to his landslide victory in that election, though he was denied the mandate through outright annulment of the election. The rest they say is history Twenty years after the cancellation of the election, the abberation, the hoi polloi the military and their cohorts shoved down our throats as a result of the cancellation has not ameliorated. That election was adjudged the fairest in nigerian history. Didactic as it was, nigerian politicians have not learnt anything, the ideals Chief Abiola stood for has been bastardised by the politicians, some of his so called leutenants have really negated his ideals and what he stood for by the outlandish, purposeless and visionless style of leadership which has kept Nigerians improvished in perpetuity. I ask what has those champions of democracy, those June 12 apologists , activists learnt from the June 12 saga? Nothing! but converted the situation to their own gain, their own personal aggrandizement to the detriment of the struggle. Today, Charlatans, demagogues, underdogs have fallen head over heels in their quest to outsmart themselves in eulogising Chief Abiola. I ask, since the demise of this icon, who has deemed it necessary to look at the legacies he left behind? Who has cared to check how the family he left behind is fairing as a result of his struggle for his mandate? Yet, many political upstarts,jobbers, political nitwits have risen on the crest of June 12 to attain political authority cause that date remains indelible in the annals of nigerian history. Infact, politicians evoke emotional affinity from the populace each time they want votes by aligning with June 12 anthem, the gullibe nigerians will swallow their gimmick hook, line and sinker. My take on this , is that politicians should learn from the ideals Chief Abiola stood for and not involve themselves in rhetorics and praise singing Of Chief Abiola"s anteceddents
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:51:11 +0000
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