Full text of the Epetedo, Lagos proclamation delivered by the late M.K.O.
\nAbiola on Saturday, June 11, 1994.<\/p>\n
People of Nigeria, exactly one year ago, you turned out in your millions
\nto vote for me, Chief M.K.O. Abiola, as the President of the Federal
\nRepublic of Nigeria. But politicians in uniform, who call themselves
\nsoldiers but are more devious than any civilian would want to be, deprived
\nyou of your God-given right to be ruled by the President you had
\nyourselves elected.<\/p>\n
These soldier-politicians introduced into our body politic, a concept
\nhitherto unknown to our political lexicography, something strangely called
\nthe \u201cannulment\u201d of an election perceived by all to have been the fairest,
\ncleanest and most peaceful ever held in our nation.<\/p>\n
Since that abominable act of naked political armed robbery occurred, I
\nhave been constantly urged by people of goodwill, both in Nigeria and
\nabroad, to put the matter back into the people\u2019s hands and get them to
\nactualise the mandate they gave me at the polls. But mindful of the need
\nto ensure that peace continues to reign in our fragile federation, I have
\nso far tried to pursue sweet reason and negotiation.<\/p>\n
My hope has always been to arouse whatever remnants of patriotism are left
\nin the hearts of these thieves of your mandate, and to persuade them that
\nthey should not allow their personal desire to rule to usher our beloved
\ncountry into an era of political instability and economic ruin.<\/p>\n
All I have sought to do, in seeking dialogue with them, has been to try
\nand get them to realise that only real democracy can move our nation
\nforward towards progress, and earn her the respect she deserves from the
\ninternational community.<\/p>\n
However, although this peaceful approach has exposed me to severe censure
\nby some who have mistaken it for weakness on my part, those with whom I
\nhave sought to dialogue have remained like stones, neither stirred to show
\nloyalty to the collective decision of the people of their own country, nor
\nto observe Allah\u2019s injunction that they should exhibit justice and
\nfair-play in all their dealings with their fellowmen.<\/p>\n
Appeals to their honour as officers and gentlemen of the gallant Nigerian
\nArmed Forces, have fallen on deaf ears. Instead, they have resorted to the
\ntactics of divide and rule, bribery and political perfidy, misinformation
\nand (vile) propaganda. They arrest everyone who disagrees with them. Even
\nthe 71-year old hero of our nation, Chief Anthony Enahoro, was not spared.
\nHow much longer can we tolerate all this? People of Nigeria, you are all
\nwitnesses that I have tried to climb the highest mountain, cross the
\ndeepest river and walk the longest mile, in order to get these men to obey
\nthe will of our people.<\/p>\n
There is no humiliation I have not endured, no snare that has not been put
\nin my path, no \u201csetup\u201d that has not been designed for me in my endeavour
\nto use the path of peace to enforce the mandate that you bestowed on me
\none year ago. It has been a long night. But the dawn is here.<\/p>\n
Today, people of Nigeria, I join you all in saying, \u201cEnough is Enough!\u201d We
\nhave endured 24 years of military rule in our 34 years of independence.<\/p>\n
Military rule has led to our nation fighting a civil war with itself.
\nMilitary rule has destabilised our nation today as not before in its
\nhistory. Military rule has impoverished our people and introduced a
\ndreadful trade in drugs which has made our country\u2019s name an anathema in
\nmany parts of the world. Even soccer fans going to watch the Green Eagles
\ndisplay in America are being made to suffer there needlessly because
\nNigeria\u2019s name is linked with credit card and fraud and \u201c419.\u201d
\nPolitically, military rule has torn to shreds the prestige due to our
\ncountry because of its size and population.<\/p>\n
The permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council that should be
\nrightfully ours, is all but lost. For who will vote for Nigeria to get the
\nseat if Nigerian military rulers do not respect the votes of their own
\npeople?<\/p>\n
Enough of military rule. We are sickened to see people who have shown
\nlittle or no personal achievement, either in building up private
\nbusinesses, or making success of any tangible thing, being placed in
\ncharge of the management of our nation\u2019s economy, by rulers who are not
\naccountable to anyone.<\/p>\n
Enough of square pegs in round holes. We are tired of then military
\nrepetitive tendency to experiment with our economy: Today, they say \u201cno
\ncontrols.\u201d Tomorrow; they say \u201cFull controls\u201d. The day after, they say
\n\u201cFine tuning\u201d.<\/p>\n
The next day, they say \u201cDevaluation.\u201d A few days later, they say \u201cRevalue
\nthe same naira upwards again Abi?\u201d All we can see are the consequences of
\nthis permanent game of military \u201cabout turns;\u201d high inflation, a huge
\nbudget deficit and an enormous foreign debt repayment burden, dying
\nindustries, high unemployment and a demoralised populace.<\/p>\n
Our youths, in particular, can see no hope on the horizon, and many can
\nonly dream of escaping from our shores to join the brain drain. Is this
\nthe Nigeria we want? We are plagued also by periodic balance of payments
\ncrises, which have led to a perennial shortage of essential drugs, that
\nhas turned our hospitals and clinics into mortuaries.<\/p>\n
A scarcity of books and equipment has rendered our schools into desolate
\ndeserts of ignorance. Our factories are crying for machinery, spare parts
\nand raw materials. But each day that passes, instead of these economic
\ndiseases being cured, they are rather strengthened as an irrational
\nallocation of foreign exchange based on favouritism and corruption becomes
\nthe order of the day.<\/p>\n
Enough is enough of economic mismanagement! People of Nigeria, during the
\nelection campaign last year, I presented you with a programme entitled
\n\u201cHOPE \u201993. This programme was aimed precisely at solving these economic
\n(problems) that have demoralised us all. I toured every part of Nigeria to
\npresent this programme to you the electorate. I was questioned on it at
\npublic rallies and press conferences and I had the privilege of
\nincorporating into it much of the feedback that I obtained from the
\npeople.<\/p>\n
Because you knew I would not only listen to you but deliver superb results
\nfrom the programme, you voted for me in your millions and gave me an
\noverwhelming majority over my opponent. To be precise, you gave me 58.4
\nper cent of the popular vote and a majority in 20 out of 30 states plus
\nthe Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Not only that, you also enabled me
\nto fulfil the constitutional requirement that the winner should obtain
\none-third of the votes in two-thirds of the states.<\/p>\n
I am sure that when you cast an eye on the moribund state of Nigeria
\ntoday, you ask yourselves: \u201cWhat have we done to deserve this, when we
\nhave a president- elect who can lead a government that can change things
\nfor the better? Our patience has come to an end.<\/p>\n
As of now, from this moment, a new Government of National Unity is in
\npower throughout the length and breadth of the Federal Republic of
\nNigeria, led by me, Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola, as President and
\nCommander-in-Chief. The National Assembly is hereby reconvened. All
\ndismissed governors are reinstated.<\/p>\n
The State Assemblies are reconstituted, as are all local government
\ncouncils. I urge them to adopt a bi-partisan approach to all the issues
\nthat come before them. At the national level, a bi-partisan approach will
\nbe our guiding principle. I call upon the usurper, General Sani Abacha, to
\nannounce his resignation forthwith, together with the rest of his illegal
\nruling council. We are prepared to enter into negotiations with them to
\nwork out the mechanics for a smooth transfer of power.<\/p>\n
I pledge that if they hand over quietly, they will be retired with all
\ntheir entitlements, and their positions will be accorded all the respect
\ndue to them. For our objective is neither recrimination nor witch-hunting,
\nbut an enforcement of the will of the Nigerian people, as expressed in
\nfree elections conducted by the duly constituted authority of the time.<\/p>\n
I hereby invoke the mandate bestowed upon me by my victory in the said
\nelection, to call on all members of the Armed Forces and the Police, the
\nCivil and Public Services throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to
\nobey only the Government of National Unity that is headed by me, your only
\nelected President.<\/p>\n
My Government of National Unity is the only legitimate, constituted
\nauthority in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as of now. People of
\nNigeria, these are challenging times in the history of our continent,
\nAfrica, and we in Nigeria must not allow ourselves to be left behind. Our
\nstruggle is the same as that waged by the people of South Africa, which
\nhas been successfully concluded, with the inauguration of Mr. Nelson
\nMandela as the first African President of that country.<\/p>\n
Nelson Mandela fought to replace MINORITY rule with MAJORITY rule. We in
\nNigeria are also fighting to replace MINORITY rule, for we are ruled by
\nonly a tiny section of our armed forces. Like the South Africans, we want
\nMAJORITY rule today, that is rule only by those chosen by all the people
\nof Nigeria as a whole in free and fair elections.<\/p>\n
The only difference between South Africa and Nigeria is that those who
\nimposed minority rule on the majority rule whether it is by black or
\nwhite, remains minority rule, and must be booted out. I call on you,
\nheroic people of Nigeria, to emulate the actions of your brothers and
\nsisters in South Africa and stand up as one person to throw away the yoke
\nof minority rule for ever.The antics of every minority that oppresses the
\nmajority are always the same. They will try to intimidate you with threats
\nof police action. But do not let us fear arrest. In South Africa, so many
\npeople were arrested, during the campaign against the Pass Laws, for
\ninstance, that the jails could not hold all of them. Today, apartheid is
\ngone forever.<\/p>\n
So, let it be with Nigeria. Let us say goodbye forever to minority rule by
\nthe military. They talk of treason. But haven\u2019t they heard of the Rivonia
\ntreason trial in South Africa? Did those treason trials halt the march of
\nhistory? People of Nigeria, our time is now. You are the repository of
\npower in the land.<\/p>\n
No one can give you power. It is yours. Take it! From this day, show to
\nthe world that anyone who takes the people of Nigeria for fools is
\ndeceiving himself and will have the people to answer to. God bless you
\nall. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Long live the Government
\nof National Unity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Full text of the Epetedo, Lagos proclamation delivered by the late M.K.O. Abiola on Saturday, June 11, 1994. People of Nigeria, exactly one year ago, you turned out in your…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39594,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n