It is not news that former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his self- righteousness refused to mention the yeoman sacrifices of those who laid down their life for keeping up the June 12 struggles.
Neither is it news that he loathed mentioning the name of the symbol,late Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Abiola ,with whom he maintained rivalry even till death.
However, it is praiseworthy that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has embarked on putting history in the right perspective by recognising the heroes of the struggle.
Thus, he has not only done well by reinventing and repositioning the country through tough economic decisions but also by operating fairness and justice in his dealings with all sections of the country.
He has done well and put the nation on the path of self rediscovery and realistic level of development.
Critics may fail to realise that this attitude perhaps is one of the reasons why Governors and politicians are jumping ship to his side and political party,the APC.
That he has tried in his own way, painful though, to sacrifice his popularity in order to put the nation on sound economic footing.
By doing what other previous leaders fail to do by taking fundamental but painful decisions on the economy is also commendable.
However, President Tinubu’s attempt at healing the nation’s wounds by recognising and honoring those who played one role or the other during the struggles to actualise the June 12 election commendable as it is,also portrays the lack of synergy between those who run government yesterday and today.
That the nominees as published are persons who had hitherto received one national honour or the other portrays a government that lacks checking its own record.
Since government is a continuum, one wonders why those bureaucrats and aides who compile those names refused to check the records. This is strange and unacceptable.
Strange, because they have all the time in the world to check records of previous awards but failed to do so and this amounts to a systemic failure. Or are they all preoccupied with identifying only the President’s known friends in the media in order to massage his ego? The list is top heavy.
Editors and Managing Director/Columnist alone cannot function without the real foot soldiers in the media .
The same applies to the military and other security forces where Generals cannot win wars without the lieutenants who implemented war plans.
While I quite agree with Presidential spokesman, Tope Ajayi who responded to my query that it is not possible to capture all in one speech,steps should be taken to research and propose a Hall of Fame dedicated to acknowledging the unsung Heroes of June 12.
Rwanda did the same to honour the memory of its own ugly past. Why not Nigeria?
After all, what has changed is the leadership, the system remains.
Yes,the Presidency published a rather long list but it fell far short in proper record keeping.
How come Labaran Maku who got a CFR before has now been given OFR?
Is this not a reversal of fortune or rather a demotion since CFR is higher than OFR?
Could we say there is no synergy among the government officials or that some overzealous aides smuggled in the names to help their friends or rather to show that the President is appreciative by remembering his friends in the media.
Unknown to them, the President has many friends and admirers who also contributed in their own way to sustain the struggle for the democracy we are all enjoying today.
How come Professor Bolaji Akinyemi who got CFR years ago is now CON? Is it a promotion or demotion?
The list also portrays an assemblage of ‘friends‘ and those who have had one relationship or the other with the President during his political journey.
In giving a lasting memory and legacy to the June 12 election which 32 years later remains the most peaceful and credible, the role of institution which contributed in no small way in making democracy a reality however flawed, is very important.
Since institutions all over the world are crucial to sustenance of any system, roles of such institutions cannot be wished away if we are to embark on appreciating the importance of the process and the indispensability of varied institutions-media, judiciary,civil societies and human rights groups like the Campaign for Democracy, CD, CLO and other such organisations which contributions make the June 12 date a reality.
This is important because without the contributions the military government would’ve scuttled the process through its internal anti- democratic forces and collective attitudes of the budding dictators within .
For a long and winding transition led by self-styled President Ibrahim Babangida that lasted eight years, sensititivity of the various institutions using the media as its tool has become the most potent weapon in forcing the military regime and establishment in keeping date with June 12.
As for the media, it would’ve been commendable if President Tinubu had mentioned the roles of leading private media outfits like The Punch, Guardian, Tribune and various news magazines that adopted guerilla tactics akin to anti- colonial struggle days to keep the citizenry informed.
What of journalists who lost their jobs to the closure of media houses which stood by June 12 and what it represents?
Media houses like Punch, The News had to resort to guerilla journalism to stay afloat and keep the struggle on even when the leading June 12 vanguards like General Alani Akinrinade, Bolaji Akinyemi and a host of others had fled to exile.
That a newspaper like Punch where yours truly was a Political Correspondent had to resuscitate, Toplife -a hitherto soft sell entertainment tabloid to continue the June 12 struggles and keep Hope alive after the proscription of the leading and credible media houses in November 1994 when late General Sani Abacha came to power is commendable.
For me, the proscription came six months into my marriage.
Aside from emotional trauma suffered by the staff of the proscribed media houses,the hazards of reporters and editors who had to produce their titles to keep the struggle on cannot be wished away.
Yes, while a single speech by the President couldn’t have captured those who struggled to keep the flame alive,institutional recognition of their roles would go a long way in placing them in the proper context of our history.
We also had countless others including unsung heroes of the NADECO struggles who acted as courier for fleeing NADECO activists through our borders.
What of those shot on the streets of Lagos by Abacha killer military squad during the various protests on the streets of Lagos and other cities?
What of journalists who practiced guerilla journalism just to keep the struggle alive at the detriment of their lives and that of their family.
They were neither mentioned nor acknowledged by the President.
I can count myself as one of the survivors of the struggle while with the Punch titles- Toplife and Theweek magazines.
As one of those who refused to work and align with other media houses who compromised with the tyranny of the late Abacha by complying with the no go areas of coverage,our suffering under the repression must be acknowledged and addresses to everyone as a tonic for the younger generation of patriots determined to protect and enthrone democracy.
A Hall of Fame could address the omissions which I think are not deliberate.
This is calling on President Tinubu to set in motion the establishment of a Hall of Fame of Heroes of Democracy (before the next anniversary), being enjoyed by relatively unknown politicians of today most of whom are either in bed with the military dictators then . Young men and women of today are too young to appreciate the yeoman job done by the unsung emotional and physical Heroes of June 12.
To fail to do this is to discountenance the saying by Thomas Jefferson that, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.It is its natural manure.”
