In his address this morning to mark the 30th anniversary of the annulment of the acclaimed 12th June 1993 election won by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, President Bola Tinubu said that he acknowledged the hardship Nigerians are facing as a result of the fuel subsidy removal. He assured that his administration would “reward” the citizens’ sacrifices with “massive investment” in transportation infrastructure, education, regular power supply, healthcare, and other public utilities that will improve their quality of life”.
The President said that the “temporal discomfort” was necessary to save the country from going under.
“I feel your pain. This is one decision we must bear to save our country from going under and take our resources away from the stranglehold of a few unpatriotic elements”, President Tinubu said in what was his maiden Democracy Day address as President.
In his inaugural speech upon assuming office on 29th May, the President stated that subsidy can no longer justify its ever-increasing costs in the wake of drying resources. Therefore, it had to go.
The aftermath of the announcement was the increase in petrol pump price from N195 to N537 depending on the part of the country, alongside an ancillary price increase.
Addressing the aftermath of the move, President Tinubu said: “It is for this reason that, in my inauguration address on 29th May, I gave effect to the decision taken by my predecessor-in-office to remove the fuel subsidy albatross and free up for collective use the much-needed resources, which had hitherto been pocketed by a few rich.
“I admit that the decision will impose an extra burden on the masses of our people. Painfully, I have asked you, my compatriots, to sacrifice a little more for the survival of our country.
“For your trust and belief in us, I assure you that your sacrifice shall not be in vain. The government I lead will repay you through massive investment in transportation infrastructure, education, regular power supply, healthcare, and other public utilities that will improve the quality of lives”.
President Tinubu hailed the winner of the 12th June 1993 presidential election, Abiola. He described the late businessman who died in suspicious circumstances after his election was annulled by General Ibrahim Babangida, as the symbol of democracy.
On the rule of law, the President said his administration would not condone conflicting and illegal orders that undermine Nigeria’s democracy.
He also described the bill he signed into law on 8th June for the harmonisation of the retirement age for judicial officers as one of many policy reforms to come.
“For Chief MKO Abiola, the symbol of this day, in whose memory 12th June became a national holiday, democracy is eternal.
“It is about the rule of law and vibrant judiciary that can be trusted to deliver justice and strengthen institutions. It has become imperative to state here that the unnecessary illegal orders used to truncate or abridge democracy will no longer be tolerated.
“The recent harmonisation of the retirement age for judicial officers is meant to strengthen the rule of law, which is a critical pillar of democracy. The reform has just started”, he said.
President Tinubu described the February and March elections as a true testament of Nigeria’s democratic journey, adding that the current legal contestations of the results are the “beauty of democracy”.
He said: “This year, we held the seventh in the cycle of elections that have become sacred rituals of our democratic practice in this dispensation since 1999.
“That the polls were intensely contested is in itself positive evidence that democracy is well and alive in our land. It is only natural that even as those who won and experienced victory in the various elections are elated and fulfilled, those who lost are disenchanted and disappointed.
“But the beauty of democracy is that those who win today can lose tomorrow and those who lose today will have an opportunity to compete and win in the next round of elections.
“Those who cannot endure and accept the pain of defeat in elections do not deserve the joy of victory when it is their turn to triumph.
“Above all, those who disagree with the outcome of the elections are taking full advantage of the constitutional provisions to seek redress in court and that is one of the reasons why democracy is still the best form of government invented by man”.
Reminiscing on the 1993 struggles that ushered in a civilian government in 1999, the President venerated Abiola, Kudirat Abiola, Chief Alfred Rewane and Major General Shehu Yar’Adua (rtd.) who were silenced by the military junta saying, “they gave their yesterday for the liberty that is ours today.
“We can easily recall the sacrifice and martyrdom of Chief MKO Abiola, the custodian of the sacred mandate that was so cruelly annulled.
“He sacrificed his life in unyielding, patriotic defense of the ideals of democracy as symbolised in his choice, by his fellow countrymen and women, as their duly-elected President.
“There was an easier choice for him. It was to forgo the justice of his cause and opt for the path of ease and capitulation in the face of the tyranny of power. To his eternal credit and immortal glory, Abiola said no. He demonstrated the time-tested eternal truth that there are certain ideals and principles that are far more valuable than life itself”.
Therefore, he urged Nigerians not to take the liberty they now enjoy for granted as it was obtained through great sacrifice.
“The point is that we must never take this democracy for granted. We must forever jealously guard and protect it like a precious jewel.
“For, a people can never truly appreciate the freedoms and rights democracy guarantees them until they lose it”.
He pledged his administration’s commitment to diligently fulfill every component of its electoral pact with the people – the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda.
“We shall be faithful to truth. Faithful to equity. And faithful to justice.
“We shall exercise our authority and mandate to govern with fairness, respect for the rule of law, and commitment to always uphold the dignity of all our people”, the President further said.