Ogun and Lagos State governments have declared Monday June 12, 2006, a work-free day as a mark of honour for Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.
The June 12, 1993 election was adjudged locally and internationally as the freest and fairest in the nation's history.
According to a statement issued by Ogun State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Niran Malaolu, the work-free day is in consonance with the policy of Governor Gbenga Daniel's administration to honour illustrious citizens of the state who make remarkable contributions to the development of the state and the nation.
The government said the work-free day is also to afford the citizens and residents of Ogun State the opportunity to reflect on the monumental contributions to the socio-economic and political development of Nigeria by Chief MKO Abiola, who died July 1998, while in detention in the course of fighting for a democratic country.
As part of the activities to commemorate the day, a public lecture will be delivered by Mr. Lanre Arogundade, senior journalist and human rights activist, at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta at 11.00 am.
Governor Daniel and scores of top government officials are billed to grace the occasion.
In its own statement issued by the Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Mr. Dele Alake, the Lagos State government said the day was dedicated to the memory of the martyrs who died in the struggle to revalidate the June 12, 1993 election in which Abiola emerged as the winner of the presidential election.
According to Alake, "Just as it is impossible to write the history of the First Republic in Nigeria without the prodigious contribution of martyrs of the Iva Valley Massacre, the Cost of Living Allowance Strike and radicals like Sir Herbert Macaulay, it is equally impracticable to attempt to write the history of the current Republic and constitutional democracy without allotting chapters to the martyrs of the struggle for the revalidation of the June 12 election such as the winner, MKO Abiola, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, Pa Alfred Rewane, Ken Saro-Wiwa and many others ."
Alake said it was therefore important that private and public institutions should endeavour to observe the holiday, so as to collectively assert the sanctity of the cause of democracy, without which political stability and economic prosperity would be a mirage.
It would be recalled that Nigerians trooped out in their millions to elect a president based on the open-ballot system between the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, MKO Abiola and his National Republican Convention counterpart, Alhaji Bashir Tofa, on June 12, 1993.
The results showed that Abiola won the election, but the regime of President Ibrahim Babangida annulled the results plunging the nation into chaos and instability until a new regime was sworn in 1999.
