{"id":19262,"date":"2018-06-18T20:32:46","date_gmt":"2018-06-18T20:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=19262"},"modified":"2018-06-18T20:32:46","modified_gmt":"2018-06-18T20:32:46","slug":"power-elite-who-signed-away-june-12-and-some-unsung-heroes-by-martins-oloja","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=19262","title":{"rendered":"POWER ELITE WHO SIGNED AWAY JUNE 12 AND SOME UNSUNG HEROES by MARTINS OLOJA"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><code><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- www.newsroom247.com.ng --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-2163942495525027\" data-ad-slot=\"1411897411\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/code><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The Federal Government, which was last week basking in the glory of its boldness in recognizing the June 12, 1993 election winner, Chief MKO Abiola spoke in tongues about the power elite who conspired against June 12 election result.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Even my brother, Olusegun Adeniyi in his \u201cJune 12: A Complicated Story\u201d(Thursday 14 June, 2018) referred to a tripartite committee comprising the military and representatives of the two political parties, the (defeated) National Republican Convention (NRC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), in the conspiracy against Abiola\u2019s mandate.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">It should be noted that \u201cThe Guardian\u201d (<span class=\"aBn\" tabindex=\"0\" data-term=\"goog_2028455518\"><span class=\"aQJ\">on Sunday<\/span><\/span>)then had on June 11, 2000 published a list of G-34 members who signed the tripartite agreement, which nailed the coffin of June 12 presidential election result.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The exclusive (lead) story I wrote for \u201cThe Guardian\u201d then as the Abuja Bureau Chief was a good reference point in Professor Olatunji Dare\u2019s (2010) book, \u201cDiary of a Debacle: Tacking Nigeria\u2019s Failed Democratic Transition (1989- 1994)\u201d.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The scoop with a headline: \u201cExposed: Men Who Signed Away June 12\u201d, contained the names of the power elite in the Federal Republic of the Nigerian Army then who signed away Nigeria\u2019s democracy and subverted Nigeria\u2019s sovereignty expressed on June 12, 1993.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">This was after General IBB then operating a strange diarchy, addressed what was constituted as a National Assembly operating then at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">So, 18 years ago, \u201cThe Guardian\u201d listed the following military officers and political leaders who signed on behalf of the Federal Government and their parties the document purporting to be setting up the Interim National Government (ING).<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, Vive President under the military presidency of General Ibrahim Babangida;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Lt. Gen. Joshua Dogonyaro, Commandant, Command &amp; Staff College, Jaji;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Lt. Gen. Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, then National Security Adviser;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Brigadier-General Anthony Ukpo, former Federal Commissioner for Information and later assigned to Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Brigadier-General David Mark, then serving with the National War College (now National Defence College) Has served as Senate President;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Brigadier-General John Shagaya, then serving as General Officer Commanding 1 Division Kaduna. (He died early this year);<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Also, Alhaji Abdulrahman Okene, then serving as Secretary for Internal Affairs in the Transitional Council, signed on behalf of the Federal Military Government;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The SDP members who signed the document setting up the ING to dismantle Abiola\u2019s mandate were:<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa General Shehu Musa Yar\u2019Adua, former presidential aspirant who had won the SDP presidential ticket in the primaries that were also annulled before Abiola came in. He died in Abakaliki prison where he was being detained by General Abacha;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Chief Tony Anenih, then SDP National Chairman, called Mr. Fix-it who declared that the day the ING document was signed was his happiest day. He later became Works Minister under President Obasanjo (1999-2003).<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Alhaji Sule Lamido, then Secretary of the SDP, later Foreign Affairs Minister under Obasanjo and had served as Governor Jigawa State;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Chief Jim Nwobodo, former governor of old Anambra state and later Senator in this dispensation;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Chief Dapo Sarumi, former Governorship aspirant, Lagos state, served the ING as Minister of Communications;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, former Kano State Governor and and a regular face in Abiola\u2019s residence in Lagos but later said, \u201cI am not in politics because of Abiola\u201d. He later served as Communications Minister under Sani Abacha,<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Dr. Patrick Dele Cole, former \u201cDaily Times\u201d Managing Director, Political Strategist to Abiola, former Envoy to Brazil later served Obasanjo as Special Adviser; and<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Okechukwu Odunze, then national Treasurer of the SDP<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alternativeadvert.com\/show.php?z=30&amp;pl=16470&amp;ad_type=59&amp;rl=180\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">Prominent among those who signed the ING document in the then NRC were:<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Dr Hamed Kusamotu, then Chairman of NRC (deceased);<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Arc. Tom Ikimi, former NRC Chairman and later \u00a0Abacha\u2019s combative Minister of Foreign Affairs;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, earlier declared, \u201cAbiola won fair an square\u201d earlier secured party ticket as presidential aspirant but was annulled by IBB; later served as Agriculture Minister under Abacha and later as Finance minister under Obasanjo;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Okey Uzoho, then National Publicity Secretary, NRC (deceased);<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Joe Nwodo who signed with unstated \u201creservations\u201d;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Theo Nkire;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Professor Eyo Ita;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Dr. Bawa Salka;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Prince Bola Afonja;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Alhaji Y. Anka;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Mr. Alba Muritala;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Alhaji Halilu Maina;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u25aa Alhaji Muktari A. Mohammed;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Also in the G-34 list were Alhaji Ramalan, later a traditional ruler in Nassarawa State, and Joseph Toba who signed that infamous document that sealed the June 12 death sentence then before general IBB was forced out of power on August 26, 1993.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">As I was saying here last week, no matter the tenor of debate over motives and all that stuff, President Muhammadu Buhari has stolen the thunder of June 12, 1993. We can tell it in Minna and publish it in the streets of Abeokuta, Katsina and Otueke that the spectre of June has been laid to rest.\u00a0 And so, the 25-year-old open wound (conscience) has been healed by some truth-and-reconciliation flash in the pan in Abuja.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Meanwhile. I agree with Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi in \u201cThe Verdict\u201d that drawing up a list of heroes and champions of June 12 can be a delicate business. Those who are not too young to run may also not be old enough too to remember the role of so many other significant champions and contributors.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Only the prominent ones can easily be remembered about the multidimensional June 12 debacle.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">A simple desk research from some institutional memories on the June 12 peculiar mess could have produced a more comprehensive guide on honours\u2019 list including NADECO, Campaign for Democracy (CD) chieftains such as Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Chief Abraham Adesanya, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, General Alani Akinrinade, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Dr. Amos Akingba, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Ayo Opadokun, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, etc who were quite bruised for singing redemption songs for June 12.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">A little diligence could have included foremost civil rights activists such as Olisa Agbakoba who founded Civil Liberty\u2019s Organisation (CLO), Clement Nwankwo, Chima Ubani, Festus Iyayi, Shehu Sani (Kaduna) among other civil rights activists then.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Who remembered Col. Abubakar Umar Dangiwa who lost his commission for weeping on the grave of Abiola? What of Bagauda Kaltho, a \u201cThe News\/Tempo\u201d journalist who was killed in Kaduna? Who would remember Mohammed Adamu, of the then \u201cAfrican Concord\u201d who was detained for one year by Major Al Mustapha\u2019s deadly squad who alleged that he (Adamu) a literary stylist, wrote a cover story (without a byline) titled, \u00a0\u201cAl Mustapha, The Ruthless Man Behind Abacha\u201d?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Did anyone remember Alhaji Bukar Zarma, publisher of the premier newspaper in Abuja then, \u201cThe Abuja Newsday\u201d, which the IBB military regime also closed down in the wake of the June 12 crisis?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Alhaji Zarma was arrested by security agents in his farm in Kaduna after the closure of his newspaper.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">I was the Editor of the newspaper in Abuja at the time. I escaped from Abuja to Lagos under very dangerous circumstances in July 1993.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Our trouble began when we didn\u2019t know the hidden agenda of those who didn\u2019t want Abiola in power despite the result of the June 12 election everyone already had and we started reporting the results and consequences including setting up of the transition committees.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Our first sin was a scoop we ran on the romance between MKO\u2019s Abiola\u2019s son, Deji and IBB\u2019s daughter, Aisha while the June 12 crisis was raging. We saw them together in many places inside Abuja while NADECO and other democratic forces were stoking wild fires for the actualisation of June 12 election result.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Then the last straw was another exclusive story we ran on a secret night meeting between MKO Abiola and General Ibrahim Babangida, inside Aso Villa. The headline was, \u201cIBB, Abiola in Secret Meeting\u201d. The scoop contained details of the nocturnal meeting Abiola attended with his wife, Simbiat and his first son, Kola without the knowledge of the grieving Party (SDP) officials who were meeting in Benin over the June 12 crisis at the time.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">I recall as if it were yesterday that when an aggrieved June 12 election result fighter could not get a copy of \u201cThe Abuja Newsday\u201d, containing the scoop) in Lagos, he called to inquire if he could get a copy should he send a person to collect it in our Wuse Zone 6, Abuja Office.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Unknown to us, the angry supporter in Lagos asked his office assistant to fly the Nigeria Airways then just to collect a copy of the newspaper and read the incredible story: that Abiola and IBB actually met secretly in Abuja while June 12 supporters were being harassed in the streets all over the country? The man called to thank us for \u2018opening his eyes\u2019 to what he called Abiola\u2019s hypocrisy at the time for meeting IBB secretly with only members of his family\u2019.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Who would remember those who suffered under the despotic General Abacha after consolidating powers in 1993-1994 through 1995?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Who would remember \u201cThe Guardian\u201d, which was shut down for publishing a\u00a0<span class=\"aBn\" tabindex=\"0\" data-term=\"goog_2028455519\"><span class=\"aQJ\">Sunday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0lead story, \u201cInside Aso Rock: The raging battle to rule Nigeria\u201d, Sunday August 14, 1994)?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The remarkable scoop was anchored by the newspaper\u2019s Editor then, Mr. Kingsley Osadolor.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">I can also recall that \u201cThe Guardian\u201d coined the June-12 crisis reporting terms then such as \u201cMKO, Abiola, the man generally believed to have won\u2026, \u201cthe presumed winner\u201d, the acclaimed winner of\u2026\u201d for the Nigerian press.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Who would remember \u201cThe Guardian\u201d members of staff who suffered 11 months closure in those days? Who would remember that \u201cThe Guardian\u201d publisher Dr. Alex Ibru was also targeted and shut at as Mrs. Kudirat Abiola, Chief Alfred Rewane and other heroes who didn\u2019t survive the gunmen of the perilous time?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Did anyone remember the significant roles of Joe Igbokwe and S.M.O. Aka who were writing letters daily to all Nigerian newspaper editors then on June 12?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Specifically, Joe Igbokwe, who introduced himself then as an engineer who was writing from Surulere, Lagos (now APC Publicity Secretary in Lagos state) was so prolific that all media houses and activists knew him in the country then.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Joe insulted me on Facebook the other day for writing about \u201cthree years of excuses and 19 years of anomie\u201d. He is now in partisan politics, I can understand.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">But despite that, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, who later compiled his historic \u201cLetters to the Editors\u201d into a book, deserves a place in \u201cJune 12 Hall of Fame\u201d.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Did anyone remember last week, Mr. Alex Kabba, a journalist with \u201cThe News\/Tempo\u201d who fled (without his family) to the United States at the time through the NADECO routes? Alex, a fiery reporter then, got a tip-off that he was no longer safe. He fled. He is still in New York City where he publishes \u201cAfricans Abroad\u201d. There are more unsung heroes.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">All of the heroes of June 12 cannot be identified and honoured now. But the only honour that will touch all of us is this: there should be more attention to security and welfare of the people, which is the primary purpose of government!<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><a href=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Sheriff.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19048\" src=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Sheriff.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"685\" height=\"195\" srcset=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Sheriff.jpg 1080w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Sheriff-300x86.jpg 300w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Sheriff-768x219.jpg 768w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Sheriff-1024x292.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 685px) 100vw, 685px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Federal Government, which was last week basking in the glory of its boldness in recognizing the June 12, 1993 election winner, Chief MKO Abiola spoke in tongues about the power elite who conspired against June 12 election result. Even my brother, Olusegun Adeniyi in his \u201cJune 12: A Complicated Story\u201d(Thursday 14 June, 2018) referred [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":19152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[4778,4142],"class_list":["post-19262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-june-12","tag-nadeco"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/JUNE-12.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4oswh-50G","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19262"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19263,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19262\/revisions\/19263"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}