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Opinion: Beyond the ‘Politricks’ of June 12
By Raymond Nkannebe
Many Nigerians, including this writer still share the considered view that the decision by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration last year to post-humously recognise Chief MKO Abiola as the winner of the controversial June 12, 1993 election, was a red herring of sorts, or as some persons have chosen to describe it, a Greek gift.
Giving the timing of that audacious move, only a political neophyte would not see it’s political undercurrents. Since the mishap of June 12, the South West of the Country have not had a last word on the matter. It continues to feel betrayed and cheated after one of its own was denied the seat of the presidency in broad daylight. Not even the surreptitious enthroning of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the president of the Country by the military hierracy in 1999 was enough to placate frayed nerves in the West for whom the abortion of the June 12 election was a non-compoundable evil.
The day had thus taken a life of its own and at least two states in the western region observed it annually as a public holiday with state-sponsored activities dedicated to its commemoration. Despite all entreaties made to successive Nigerian governments by the Yoruba intelligentsia since the return of democracy in 1999 to officially decorate June, 12 in the pantheon of Nigeria’s history, same have met a cold reception by Abuja.
While the administration of Good luck Jonathan came close to that with its contemplation of conferring post-humous National Award to the hero of June 12, it was talked out of it by the Justice Belgore award committee who was of the view that national awards cannot be conferred post-humously.
Apparently not persuaded by the sentiments of the award committee, and perhaps determined to consolidate his electoral chances in the South West in the permutations to the recently held general elections, president Muhammadu Buhari saw a political millage within a serious national question: June 12 and decided in vintage Machiavellian fashion, to kill two birds with one stone: boosting his acceptance in the West of Nigeria by the act of conferring even if post-humously, the highest Honour in the land to the acclaimed winner of the June 12 1993 elections, Alhaji Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola on the one hand, and rising to an instructive pan-Nigerian feeling-the genie of June 12 which over the years had become a national affair.
And I think the commendations that followed that deft move by the Buhari administration, even amongst those who acknowledge that it was a political move, says it all.
Of course no one can water down what June 12 represents in the historics of Nigeria. Not only was it an election that afforded Nigerians the opportunity to choose their leader democratically after the truncation of the second republic, it was a missed opportunity for Nigeria to consolidate on her traditional nemesis of division along ethnic and religious lines especially on socio-political issues.
After the ethno-religious sentiments that gave birth to the revenge coup of July 1966 and the civil war that it precipitated, Nigerians never had the occasion to speak on an issue with one voice without being overtaken by ethnic or religious bias. But June 12 was going to change the narrative.
Abiola, a Yoruba of the popular Egba clan and his running mate— Babagana Kingibe, a northerner of the Kanuri stock, were both Muslim candidates on the presidential ticket of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and contested the June 12 1993 election against Alhaji Bashir Tofa; the Kano-born billionaire and his running mate, Harvard trained and Mbaise-born Sylvester Ugoh; who ran on the ticket of the National Republican Convention (NRC). It was the calculation of the NRC hierracy at the time that it’s more “balanced” ticket would give it an edge above the Muslim-Muslim ticket of its opponent, apparently in a bid to cash-in on the ethno- religious sentiments of the electorate.
But as it turned out, Nigerians on June 12 under the A4 Option of Prof. Humphrey Nwosu queued behind the Abiola-Kingibe ticket and just before the announcement of the result was aborted by the Babaginda Junta, Abiola had garnered a whopping 8,341, 301 votes ahead of his opponent’s 5, 954, 087 votes as unofficial reports put it before the annulment of the exercise. Not only that, Abiola was leading in 19 out of the then 30-state structure ahead of his opponent who managed 11 states. Instructively, Abiola won Alhaji Bashir Tofa in his home state of Kano. It was the first time a southerner would defeat a northerner in his home base.
And the message out of that was loud and clear. The electorates gave no hoot about the religious persuasions of the candidates. As one analyst put it, “it was a day that religion meant noting as far as who governs the country was concerned”. More than anything else, it was the “HOPE” for a better Nigeria that Abiola promised, that resonated with many Nigerians at the time, as it should be. But all of that was not to be. It is therefore from this sense of collective loss on the part of Nigerians who were all equal partners in the June 12 project, that it’s subsequent national appeal derives.
It is understandable however why the Yoruba have kept it closer to their heart. Not only was their son directly in issue in the political mishap, he would go on to die a very controversial death after prolonged incarceration by the Abacha junta and reportedly on a day he was due to be released. But beyond that, his beloved wife would also pay the supreme price following from her sundry activities in reclaiming the mandate of her beloved husband. It is along this context, I think, that June 12 remains an emotional affair for many Yorubas as Biafra is to the Igbo. However, that does not operate to take away it’s national allure, or make it a Yoruba-affair; hence why the signing into law of the bill marking June 12 as the official Democracy Day by president Muhammadu Buhari the other day, would go on after many years to become one of the remarkable acts of his presidency; to the extent that it was a move that struck at the chord of our journey as a nation.
Yet, it is not the mere commemoration of June 12 as Democracy Day that lays the ghost of Abiola finally to rest. That would be reducing the mysticism of the day. It must take a whole lot than the pomp and pegeantry that would pervade most government houses today to underscore the essence of June 12. As against being a day for outlandish celebration, it calls for serious reflection; not only on the life and times of the eponymous hero of the event, but also on the concept of democracy as a cherished system of Government in the 21st century and whether after 20 years of experimenting with Democracy, Nigerians could be said to have been given the “HOPE” the hero of June 12 promised.
In the United States for example, when the Martin Luther King day was declared, it was meant not just to honour him, but to uphold the principles and ideals he stood for as a champion of Civil Liberty whose campaign against racial segregation made America a better place. In much the same way, the celebration of June 12 would remain a cosmetic affair or another presidential pet project, if the ideals and values that go with it are not imbibed and internalised.
Without a doubt, two of those values stand out in the context of the June 12 election namely: free and fair electoral process and, the choice of leaders without recourse to narrow ethnic and religious considerations. Unfortunately, on both scores, Nigeria continues to wobble. The voting pattern in the last two presidential elections leaves a gory picture of a country deeply divided along ethnic and religious lines. Such voting demographics speaks volumes and portends a great danger for national cohesion. Certainly, those were not what June 12 looked like.
Away from the disturbing optics of the voting pattern in the referenced elections, is probably the more serious problem of electoral malpractices. It is to the collective shame of Nigeria and Nigerians that we continue to refer to an election conducted some 26 years ago as the freest and fairest in all our history despite the advancement in technology that could have been deployed to make the process a lot better. One of reasons why many pro-democracy activists enlisted in defence of the Abiola mandate was because of the consensus around it as a freely and fairly conducted election. It was therefore a cause worthy to die for. It is difficult to hazard a guess that anyone in our current patently rigged electoral process, would put their lives in the line for any candidate at an election; as it has become an open secret that politicians go to the polls to out-rig themselves.
If 26 years after, June 12 remains the model election for Nigeria, then it raises serious concerns for the hoopla about 20 years of uninterrupted democracy. It is an indictment that we have not made any progress in arguably the most fundamental ritual of any democracy: fee and fair franchise; which is what June 12 is most popular for. And there is no better proof of this than the cauldron of pre and post election cases now littered in our courts and tribunals.
It is in these key collateral failings that discourses around June 12 must be situated. Beyond the politics and Politricks of the event therefore, current and subsequent administrations must be seen to commit to the key values and ideals the absence of which brought about the mistake of June 12. It is only when this is done, that the memory of Abiola could be said to have been honoured and the essence of June 12 as a latter Democracy Day fully served. Not in its panegyrics.
Raymond Nkannebe is a legal practitioner
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has announced plans to commence an indefinite nationwide strike starting November 1, 2025.
NARD President, Mohammad Suleiman, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying the strike directive was issued after the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum earlier given to the Federal government over unresolved demands.
This latest action comes after a five-hour meeting of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) on Saturday.
“The NEC has marshalled out minimum demands, strike monitoring directives, and ‘no work, no pay/no pay, no work’ resolutions needed for a successful execution of this action,” the statement reads in part.
According to Suleiman, the decision followed the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum earlier issued to the Federal government to address its demands.
“Today, after a 5-Hour Extra-Ordinary National Executive Council Meeting, the Members of NEC have issued out new marching orders to us once again.
“The NEC has unanimously directed us to declare a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike action to commence on Friday 31st October 2025 at 11:59pm.”
Suleiman said the National Officers Committee (NOC) has been mandated to ensure full compliance with the directive and to implement strike monitoring and enforcement measures across all centres.
He added that the association’s centre presidents and general secretaries have been directed to convene emergency congress meetings to brief members on the resolutions.
“We have reported to NEC and NEC has decided. The NOC will carry out this directive to its latter and in full compliance.
“NEC has also decided that centre Presidents and General Secretaries shall go back and call Emergency Congress Meetings to brief Members on the details there-in.
The NARD President accused some government and non-government actors of “evil and exploitative plans” against resident doctors, adding that the union will “collectively resist” such moves.
He also called on members of NARD to use the next few days to hand over patients, engage community and religious leaders, and sensitise the public ahead of the strike.
The industrial action is expected to cripple medical services in hospitals nationwide, as resident doctors constitute the backbone of clinical care in the nation’s healthcare system.
On September 26, NARD issued one-month ultimatum to the Federal Government to address the lingering issues affecting the welfare and training of resident doctors and medical officers across the country.
Part of the grievances listed by the association are excessive and unregulated work hours, nonpayment of outstanding arrears from the 25 and 35 percent upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), and the unjust dismissal of five resident doctors from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja.
The resident doctors also expressed frustration over the non-payment of promotion arrears to medical officers in various federal tertiary hospitals, as well as the failure of the government to pay the 2024 accoutrement allowance despite repeated assurances from the Ministry of Health.
They further cited bureaucratic delays in upgrading resident doctors’ ranks following the completion of postgraduate medical examinations, leading to non-payment of new salary scales and accumulated arrears.
NARD also condemned their exclusion from the specialist allowance, despite their critical role in providing specialist-level care to patients across the country.
The association faulted the exclusion of medical and dental house officers from the civil service scheme — a policy it said denies them rightful salaries, professional recognition, and career progression.
NARD also decried the downgrading of newly employed resident doctors from CONMESS three Step three to CONMESS two Step two, resulting in reduced earnings and unpaid salary arrears in several federal hospitals.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Secrets are exclusive preserves of certain individuals or institutions. They are one’s advantage over others, in the sense of ‘there’s something I know, which no one else knows. No one can ever claim that they don’t have a secret, either in the good or bad light.
Secrets therefore, exist in the family circle, business terrain, academic environment, career/professional pursuit, health management, spiritual connectivity and even in everyday personal living. It is an undeniable fact that everyone has a secret that works for them.
Let’s take a minute to discuss some of the aforementioned secrets.
Family
Every family has a secret. It will be foolhardy for anyone to disclose family secrets. Most families die with their secrets. To understand how family secrets work, imagine the Coca-Cola company. The family is said to be the only one in the world that has the formula for the beverage; a trade secret that originated with its creator, John Pemberton.
It is said that not even all family members enter the room where Coca-Cola is mixed or manufactured for fear of the secret being divulged. Imagine where spouses have access to the room and the marriage goes south, there’s a tendency that a spiteful divorced partner might leak the secret and the rest as they say is history.
There are many secrets that bind many families which only the immediate family members know. In some cases, only the parents or grandparents know. They can decide to share the secret to either the first male child, first female child or even a member of the family that one considers rational. For instance, imagine where a family is faced with a peculiar life threatening illness which ordinarily might scare anyone who wants to get married into that family, it will be stupid for anyone to spit it out, that act alone can make the intending spouse to reconsider his/her plan to marry from the family.
Business
Every business has a trade secret. Trade secrets are what makes a business unique. Every business has a unique selling point. (USP), which is a distinct benefit that sets the business or product apart from its competitors. A shrewd businessman will never leak his secret to his employees or competitors. The best his employees will know are the values, the operational systems or structures of the business and how his mindset works. But what makes the business stand out is the mystery that one will need to unravel.
Academic
Every student has a distinct trait that makes him/her succeed academically. This unique trait makes the student exceptional. For any student to succeed in their academics, he must know himself and what works for him. While some might study at night, some might study during the day, others might just listen during the lecture and understand the key points.
It’s sad to see students, who haven’t discovered who they are and what works for them following students who have discovered who they are. For example, while some students have good listening and understanding ability, and can listen to lectures and read a little and pass their examinations, some other students will have to read the course material before the lecture, listen during the lecture, read after the lecture and read thoroughly for examination before they can get a decent grade.
In some cases, they might not get the desired grade. Some students will even party hard during the day and at night they study, while some will party at night and study during the day. So, you can see that while some students have discovered themselves and what works for them, some others follow them sheepishly. Moral: Know what works for you and do what works for you because according to Oscar Wilde, “be yourself because others are taken”.
Career/Profession
Every career professional has a secret that works for them. In the same way, every industry knows what makes it stands out. The secret of what makes someone in the entertainment industry successful is quite different from what makes someone in politics or law enforcement, energy, education, legal, or health sector different. They all have different strokes, and the ability of one to do the needful in addition to playing the associated game can be the game changer.
Health
Health is a personal thing. Nobody knows you more than you know yourself. To show you how secretive and important one’s health is, it’s been said that there are three kinds of life: Public life, private life and secret life.
Your public life is the life that is generally known by everyone. It is the character we exhibit in the public space. It can also be regarded as the image perception lifestyle; we don’t generally go around revealing our health status in the public domain except where necessary. The private lifestyle; this is the kind of life only our family and close friends know.
Again, we don’t disclose such pertinent information to them only where and when necessary, then we have the secret lifestyle which only us and our creator knows. In some cases, we go to the graveyard with this. Do you see why health is a personal issue which needs to be kept in a secret place?
Personal
As mentioned earlier, everyone is unique. One of the best things that can happen to anyone is knowing themselves, and knowing what makes them different. I strongly believe we all have seeds of greatness in us. What works for Mr. A might not work for Mr. B. Like I always say, you can copy my style, but you can’t be me because imitation is a limitation.
For instance, I have unique energy and inspiration when it comes to writing. I have developed a keen interest and passion for writing. If tomorrow I become very successful or attract a unique opportunity, and someone decides to try writing to attract similar opportunities, the person might fail because God is the one that decides what opportunities come to anyone nor matter how hard someone may work.
Spiritual
This is another interesting aspect of life. Life is indeed spiritual. There’s nothing that happens physically without taking place spiritually. Everyone has a covenant point that was assigned to them at birth. Once that covenant point is touched that fellow might lose their blessings, anointing or what makes them strong.
There have been many testimonies about this. For instance, in the Bible, Samson’s touching point was his hair. He knows his power lies in his hair, that’s why Delilah tried so many times to know the secret of his strength, but Samson refused to tell her. She tried to make him drunk, but Samson still has the power. Samson repeatedly lied to Delilah about the secret of his strength, first saying it was new bowstrings, then new ropes, and finally by weaving his hair into a loom. Each time, he easily broke free, but Delilah continued to pressure him.
Weary from her constant questioning, Samson finally confessed that his strength was tied to his hair, which had never been cut because he was a Nazirite from birth. Delilah then called for a man to shave Samson’s seven locks of hair while he slept in her lap. His secret was revealed. His hair was cut. He strength was gone.
Do you see that Samson’s secret place was his hair?
In conclusion, depending on what we are working on, we all have our secret strength and place. The onus is on us to cultivate and dwell on this secret place to avoid losing power and focus.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
Amid growing insecurity in different parts of the country, Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, has urged residents to defend themselves against persistent bandit attacks.
He insisted that his administration would neither negotiate with nor pay ransom to criminals under any circumstances.
Bago made the declaration during a visit to the Rijau and Magama local government areas, where several communities were recently attacked by bandits operating from the Kontagora axis.
The governor said the State has reached a critical stage that demands collective action, warning that ransom payments would only embolden the criminals and turn kidnapping into a profitable venture.
“I will not negotiate with bandits. I will not pay ransom.
“The moment we start paying, they will open shop on our heads and continue kidnapping people,” he said.
“The situation has reached a state of war that requires collective resistance. We are surrounded by enemies, but we will not give up.
“The constitution gives us the right to defend our lives and property, and we will do just that,” the governor added.
Describing the recurring attacks and displacement of residents as “embarrassing and unacceptable,” Bago announced plans to recruit and train 10,000 personnel into the state’s joint task force to strengthen community security and restore peace.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Print Media, Aisha Wakaso, the governor also announced a total ban on all mining activities across Zone C of the state.
The affected local government areas include Magama, Kontagora, Rijau, Wushishi, Mariga, Borgu, Mashegu, and Agwara.
Bago explained that illegal mining had become a major driver of insecurity in the zone, noting that many miners had unrestricted access to forest areas considered unsafe for residents.
“It is suspicious that miners can enter the forests freely, yet the bandits don’t touch them. I have ordered the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to arrest anyone caught engaging in mining activities,” he said.
Governor Bago also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ending the cycle of violence and restoring lasting peace throughout the state.
