Naming institutions after Abiola dubious – Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to posthumously declare the acclaimed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, late Chief Moshood Abiola, an elected president.

He described the renaming of government facilities after the late businessman as dubious.

Soyinka said this at an event marking the 14th anniversary of Abiola’s death held at his Ikeja, Lagos State residene on Saturday.

In his message read by the President of Campaign for Democracy and Women Arise, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, Soyinka described the antagonists of Abiola in the desire to honour him after his death as “compulsive deniers.”

He said, “Nothing can restore Nigeria’s murdered president to life but the consequences of the original denial remain with us till today. Trust is gone. Political treachery is paraded as political morality. There shall always be a call, however, to restore truth and redress history. It goes beyond dubious renaming ceremonies which generate needless and distracting controversies.

“MKO Abiola was the nation’s elected President; let that fact be enshrined in the nation’s records. Then, we would have embarked on one of the tributaries to the amplitude of the true national reconciliation.

“Abiola proved himself the personification of rare political courage. This nation owes him. All who have held, and hold office today since his death are permanently indebted to him and to his terminal sacrifice, it is a moral demand that the incumbent president exercises a fraction of his exemplary courage, and re-establish Abiola, albeit posthumously, as Nigeria’s democratically elected president.”

The Convener of the Save Nigeria Group, Pastor Tunde Bakare, said Nigerians would continually honour Abiola whether the government honours him or not.

Odumakin, in her remarks, also said Abiola must be regarded as a former president of the country.

She said, “The CD enjoins Nigerians to continue to insist on the gazette of June 12 election results as belatedly declared by Humphrey Nwosu. We insist on the posthumous recognition of Abiola as president of Nigeria and his portraits to be displayed among past Nigeria’s Presidents and Heads of State.”

Also, the National Coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress, Mr. Gani Adams, described Abiola’s death as a great sacrifice to Nigeria. He called on Nigerians to declare July 7 as MKO Abiola Remembrance Day, just as the June 12 anniversary.

Abiola’s daughter, Mrs. Kudirat Abiola-Costello, said the honour people gave to Abiola after his death had been a source of courage to the family, adding that he did not die in vain.