Hi friends, it's your boy @nevies again Also Known in some places As The Friendly Neighborhood Gangsta, Super Hero and all time good guy. How do you do, folks?
Your boy @nevies woke up to some good news this morning, a press release, stating that my birthday, June 12, has just been conferred the tittle of "Democracy Day" in Nigeria and thus, a public holiday. Here is the announcement made by the president:
As you see, they've given some reasons about how the truest form of Democracy in Nigeria was manifested on the elections held some years ago in June 12 and how that day is supposed to be celebrated as Democracy Day instead of 29th May, which is the former Democracy Day, bla bla bla. I'm just laughing as I look all these reasons they're giving because I know what really happened, I know what the real reason is.
On the 1st of June this year, I looked around me and thought, "well, my birthday is on the 12th, wouldn't it be nice to have something favourably different from now on?" So I put a call through to the Government house and introduced myself to them as who I am, The Friendly Neighborhood Gangsta, I sent them pictures of some of the notorious things I've been doing in the country recently:
And then I told them my birthday was the 12th of June and that I want it to be a public holiday or else! Then I hung up. I let them do the math, no one would like to mess with me at all for sure.
And after a few days of them being in sweats and panic they came together and arranged some reasons to tell the public and then they did as I said, made my birthday a public holiday. So there you have it.
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But, well, jokes apart, the 12th of June is a very remarkable day in Nigerian history. It's story is also a very sad one.
The Short Story Of June 12
It was on June 12, 1993, a Nigerian called Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (MKO Abiola in short) was elected as the President of Nigeria. Abiola was a man who was greatly loved by the Nigerian population, he was very philanthropic, and highly educated; a business tycoon and he had international renown with a first class degree in Accounting from Glasgow University, a distinction from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. And he had honorary doctorates from international Universities.
MKO Abiola
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The elections on the said day was viewed as the most free and fair elections ever held in Nigeria. But by then Nigeria was under Military rule and after the elections the military government annulled the elections and imprisoned MKO Abiola for 5 whole years until he died of poisoning in jail on July 7, 1998.
This was the sadness perpetrated by the military government in those days. Nigerians have not forgotten about all these and the memory of MKO Abiola lives on and the beauty of Democracy seen through the elections of the said June 12, 1993 has not been forgotten. The populace has long been clamouring for Democracy Day to be Celebrated on this day and just yesterday the current government has seen it fit to carry out this wish. In addition the late MKO Abiola has been conferred the tittle of GCFR (Grand Commander of the Federal Republic) and his Vice Baba Gana Kingibe (who is still alive) has been conferred with the tittle of GCON (Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger).
As we the good people of Nigeria (only the good people) strive to do the right thing in our country's politics and uphold Democracy, I'll end this in the words of Abraham Lincoln:
May the Government of the people, by the people, and for the people, not perish from the Earth
Thank you very much for reading.
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