June 12: Injustices to blame for agitations in Nigeria – Eze Ndigbo

The Eze Ndigbo of Ibadan, Dr. Alex Anozie, on Friday said the annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election was part of the injustices causing series of agitations in the country.

Anozie stated this in Ibadan while speaking at the 2nd anniversary of June 12, as Democracy Day and the presentation of a book, titled, “June 12, lest we forget” authored by the Ekefa Olubadan, Oloye Lekan Alabi, held at the Oyo state NUJ Press Centre.

The Eze Ndigbo said it was the accumulation of “all these injustices that is making the country no longer attractive to Nigerians resulting into series of agitations.”

He lamented that it was unfortunate that Nigerians “no longer see themselves as one family,” saying the Yoruba no longer “see an Igbo person as a brother; an Igbo person no longer sees an Hausa as brother. That is where we find ourselves now.”

“The annulment of June 12 is one of the worst things that have ever happened to Nigeria, because it was an injustice in its totality. We have seen accumulation of injustices; these injustices are making Nigerians no longer complementary to one another.”

Emphasising that religion and ethnicity should not be a problem in Nigeria, Anozie noted that if the 1993 election was allowed to stay, that would have been the best thing to have happened to the Nigerian history.

“Injustice is forcing us to do what we are doing now in Nigeria, religion and ethnicity has also been dividing us.”

 The Oyo state NUJ chairman, Alhaji Ademola Babalola, in his remarks, said the Late Chief MKO Abiola was a man of many parts who contributed immensely to the nation’s press, adding that he was also a detribalised Nigerian.

“In 1993, Nigerians put aside tribalism and sentiment and voted for the candidate of their choice as president, but the election was later set aside. He was a philanthropist who touched many lives,” he said.

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