Democracy Day: Labour Institute Honours Abiola, Kokori, Others

Micheal Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin, Kwara State, has given a posthumous fellowship awards to heroes of Nigeria’s democracy, including the late Chief MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the annulled June 12,1993 presidential elections.

The institute also honoured a former general secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers’ Union (NUPENG), Chief Frank Kokori.

The director general of MINILS, Comrade Issa Aremu announced this at the Democracy Day event organised by the institute in Ilorin.

Aremu observed that given that  democracy is indispensable for the realisation of the core mandate of MINILS with respect to labour education, it was imperative to acknowledge and celebrate those who had sacrificed for building democracy in Nigeria and Africa.

He added that democratic process is indispensable for sustainable decent work and labour education in the country.

“The late MKO Abiola was not only a pillar of sports in Africa, an investor in printing and publishing, a progressive politician who proclaimed “farewell to poverty” but an  enthusiastic promoter of labour education through generous donation to NLC education fund in the 80s,” Aremu said.

Aremu hailed the June 12 speech of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu for acknowledging the singular sacrifices of the likes of Chief MKO Abiola, his late wife, Kudirat Abiola, Pa Alfred Rewane, and Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (retd.), “who were silenced by the military junta while in pursuit of democracy.”

He said Tinubu was right on point that dead and living heroes of democracy commendably “gave their yesterday for the liberty that is ours today”.

Aremu observed that  President Tinubu’s speech further renewed hope in democracy with affirmative commitment to the truth, equity,  fairness, respect for the rule of law, and the dignity of the citizens.

He  therefore   called on all stakeholders to be vigilant in the defence of human rights and good governance through reindustrialisation, job creation and poverty eradication.

Delivering a lecture titled “ Labour and Democratic Process, former special adviser on Labour Matters, Comrade AbdulMumin  Onagun, urged states across the country to emulate MINILS by remembering the heroes of Nigeria’s democracy.

He noted that democracy has guaranteed freedom of speech, freedom of association and fundamental human rights in the country.

Onagun added that democratic governance has enabled the organised labour to negotiate with government on issues affecting workers’ welfare in the country since the nation retuned to democratic governance in 1999.

In his goodwill message, the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Kwara State(NLC) , Murtala Olayinka, urged the judiciary arm of government to perform its constitutional role more effectively in order to ensure the sustainability of the nation’s democracy.

Also speaking, the state chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Tunde Joseph, hailed the MINILS for organising special programme to commemorate the democracy day.