Following the conferment of national honours on some prominent Nigerians on Democracy Day by President Bola Tinubu, a group, Goodnews Nigeria, has drawn the attention of the president to other Nigerians who deserve the honour.
Chairman of the group, Engr. Dauda Mbaya, said the former military governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar Dangiwa (rtd) deserves to be conferred with such honour, considering his contributions to the nation’s democracy, growth and development.
This is contained in a statement issued yesterday by Engr. Mbaya in Kaduna.
“What about the unsung heroes of the June 12 struggle? One of such persons is Colonel Abubakar Umar Dangiwa. A man of rare courage. A man who stood on the side of truth at a time when most people in uniform were either silent or complicit. He was not a politician. He was not a civilian activist.
“He was a serving military officer who dared to speak out against the injustice of the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. That election, won by MKO Abiola, was regarded far and wide as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history. It was a defining moment that could have transformed our country, but instead, it was stolen in broad daylight by the very institution that was meant to protect the people’s will.
“Colonel Umar did not keep quiet. As a military governor of Kaduna State and a respected voice in the military, he used his position to challenge the decision of the ruling military council. He criticised the annulment openly and called for the restoration of Abiola’s mandate. In doing so, he challenged not just General Ibrahim Babangida, who orchestrated the annulment, but also General Sani Abacha, who later took over and unleashed a reign of terror on pro-democracy forces.
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