Former chairman of special committee on recovery of national assets, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla has faulted the award of national honours presented to some pro-democracy and human rights activists for their role in ending military dictatorship in Nigeria.
The award was done by President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in Abuja to mark Democracy Day in Nigeria.
In a statement issued in Calabar, Obono-Obla drew attention to an important oversight where they reportedly awarded a ‘posthumous award’ to Dr Edwin Madunagu who is yet alive in error!
Madunagu resides in Calabar but only lost his dear wife, Prof Bene Madunagwu, on 26 November 2024.
While commending the administration for recognizing those activists as a significant step in the right direction, but expressed unhappiness that many activists from the South-South Geopolitical Zone, who actively contributed to the struggle, were acknowledged.
He said there are many pro-democracy activists from Rivers (beyond the Ogoni Seven), Akwa Ibom, and the old South Eastern States who, despite not being based in Lagos, fought valiantly for democratic governance.
“As Chairman of the Universal Defenders of Democracy in Cross River State, I stood firmly in the fight for democracy alongside numerous human rights organizations.
“Unfortunately, due to media coverage predominantly focused on Lagos and Ibadan, the contributions from the South-South zone have not been adequately recognized in the national discourse.
“I urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to broaden the scope of recognition and ensure that all individuals who played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s democratic struggle, regardless of their region are honored in the next Democracy Day celebration in 2026.”;
He noted that the contributions of those recognised this year to Nigeria’s democracy are invaluable.
“Those individuals fought tirelessly and made tremendous sacrifices to ensure the return of democratic governance in 1999, particularly those who struggled for the revalidation of the June 12, 1993 election won by Chief Moshood Abiola but unjustly annulled by the military.”;
