The South West of Nigeria has, for the very first time spoken with one voice to declare June 12 public holiday with the decision of Lagos State Government to join others in the zone in the holiday declaration to mark the June 12 anniversary.
Earlier during the weekend, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun and Osun states declared Monday public holiday.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tunji Bello, said the state remains committed to the ideals of the annulled 1993 Presidential election.
Ambode said the holiday was in honour of the ideals which June 12, 1993 Presidential election represented, being a day that the country experienced an election that was adjudged as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history.
He said that 24 years after, the ideals of June 12 are still worth celebrating, describing the day as one of the most defining moments of the country’s political history which had positively shaped its democracy.
The Governor urged Nigerians to go beyond the commemoration and strive to entrench a viable democracy.
He said that this was a way to immortalise the late winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, Chief M.K.O Abiola through the practice of true federalism and conduct of credible and fair elections.
“June 12, 1993 is a day we must not forget in the annals of our democratic history. Our present democratic experience may still be far from the ideal, but we must all make concerted efforts to entrench fiscal federalism which is the only way to achieve true nationhood.”
However, observers are curious to know if Kwara, Kogi and Edo States will join the train one day.
Packaged by Olayinka Agboola
