Former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, has credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for deeming it fit to remember some of the heroes of the June 12 Struggle.
The ex-governor applauded Tinubu on Thursday during a Channels Television special June 12 event tagged ‘Nigeria’s Democratic Journey: An Inter-Generational Conversation On Building A Better Nation’.
He however confessed that Nigeria has yet to achieve real democracy fought for by many, including himself. This is irrespective of her successful transition from military administrations to civilian rule in 1999.
While spotlighting his role in the June 12 Struggle, he said he and other pro-democracy activists operated Radio Kudirat to propagate their activities and campaigns under the General Sani Abacha administration.
He said, “It’s not that we were not afraid or we were aimlessly bold; we just didn’t fully think of the enormity of the threat it constituted beyond wanting to do the right thing.
“I mean, I carried the transmitters of Radio Kudirat on an Air France flight that was destined for Cotonou in the Benin Republic and made a detour to Lagos in the heat of the crisis.
“I could have been picked up on that flight, I would have been history by now as many found themselves to be. During the Oputa Panel Commission, some of the characters mandated to eliminate the struggle’s leaders came up with their stories.
“So, we shouldn’t make light of what happened and I don’t by any stretch of imagination want to create the impression that we were invincible in what we did, I think some of us are just fortunate that we are still alive. Those who lost their lives were not stupid in what they did, they were following their convictions.”
He further stated:
“What we mustn’t do is to conflate elections with democracy. What we got was to reestablish the right to vote for our leaders into office in 1999, what we are yet to get is real democracy in my view.
“We got civilian rule, we are proudly on the journey — we now have a semi-democracy, but now we don’t have full democracy. The effort that the previous president and now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has put into it, we all must build on that,” he said.
Fayemi, however, praised President Bola Tinubu for recognising and honouring some of the actors in the democratic struggle with national awards.
