12th June, 2018
Guests, including those who played critical roles in the historic June 12, 1993 poll presumably won by the late business mogul, MKO Abiola, assembled at Aso Rock conference hall on Tuesday to witness the Special National Honours Investiture on June 12 champions.
The event will also involve the presentation of awards by President Muhammadu Buhari to late Chief MKO Abiola, Babagana Kingibe and late Gani Fawehinmi.
Early callers at the event were members of families of the recipients and other invited guests.
The Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Bayo Onanuga, Mr Ayo Abe of Civil Society Organisations and Chief Frank Kokori from Labour movement were expected to deliver goodwill messages at the event.
Others to deliver goodwill messages are Sen. Bola Tinubu, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Fidelis Tapgun, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Sen. Jonathan Zwingina and Mr Femi Falana.
President Buhari had on June 6 directed that from 2019, Nigeria’s Democracy Day, marked every May 29 for the past 18 years, would now be celebrated on June 12.
The President directed Malam Shehu Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, to take immediate steps to publish the Presidential Order in Federal Gazette as follows: “Chief MKO Abiola-Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (Posthumous).
He also directed Malami to gazette Alhaji Babagana Kingibe – Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, Chief Gani Fawehinmi – Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (Posthumous).
The President said these should be done so that the June 12 award ceremony could go on as planned.