Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for immortalising the winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola, with the highest award of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Governor, who spoke during a media chat on Friday at the Government House, Yenagoa, reasoned that though the award was belated, the gesture would partly address the wrongs of the past and strengthen the nation’s democracy, stressing that it is better late than never.
Having bestowed the highest award only reserved for Heads of State, Presidents, Dickson called on Buhari to declare Abiola as a President that was never sworn in and urgently sponsor an executive bill to the National Assembly to legitimise it and back it up by Act of Parliament, when passed into law.
He said declaring June 12 as Democracy Day, giving national honour to Abiola’s running mate, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe as well as giving posthumous national awards to Abiola and the late legal luminary, Chief Gani Fawehinmi were in order.
The Governor, however, called on the President to show the same political will and patriotism shown on June 12 on the critical issue of restructuring Nigeria.
He said the President should ensure that Nigeria is restructured with power devolved from the centre to the federating units and fiscal federalism enthroned to guarantee balance, peace, prosperity, and stability in the country.
He said a restructured Nigeria would address the dysfunctional system, concentration of power at the centre, pseudo-federalism and the expropriation of the resources of the Niger Delta.
He stressed that those championing the cause of restructuring are the real patriots, saying that Buhari would etch his name on the sands of time and become “a Nigerian hero of all times if he restructures the country.”
The Governor also urged the President to honour the then Chairman of National Electoral Commission, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, with a national award for his uncommon courage and commitment to the conduct of transparent elections in June 1993, stressing that, what is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander.
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