We, the unsung heroes of June 12 — Femi Adeoti Column

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Caption: From left, Pa Akanji, Lam Adesina, Comrade Ola Oni, Femi Adeoti and others, after being released on bail from Agodi Prisons, Ibadan, at the Chief Magistrate’s Court, Iyaganku, on June 6, 1998.

FEMI ADEOTI COLUMN

The more they celebrate. The more they ignore us, the unsung heroes of
June 12. We’re the victims. We made June 12 tick and thick.
They don’t want to hear us out. Yes, we the “untrumpeted” warriors of
the struggle. We were and still are at the receiving end.
We sowed painfully with every pint of our blood. We put our lives on
the line. The sowers are left in the cold. To rot!
We are the “Prisoners of War” (PoW) of the June 12 struggle. Yet, we
remain unsung, unheard, 30 solid years after. Great pity!
We did not fret. We held on faithfully to the struggle. And we kept
the home front alive and living. The reason we are celebrating what we
are celebrating today.
They had laboured strenuously to curtail the unsung heroes of June 12
to the dustbin of our ugly history. It’s their tall dream.
That is why I am bringing this piece back. First published in my
column, Daily Sun, Thursday, June 14, 2018. Exactly 25 years after our
release from detention.
It was in response to the recognition of some individuals and
personalities. They were declared heroes of June 12 by former
president Muhammadu Buhari. That was on June 12, 2018.
None of us, 40 in all, was recognised or remotely mentioned. That has
not been addressed till date. We remain the unsung heroes of June 12.
The piece, titled, ‘The Unsung Heroes of June 12’, runs:
“Prisoners of War (PoWs), remember them? Sure, you must. If not, let
us risk a quick flashback.
“On May 1, 1998, Ibadan, Oyo State capital, was shaken to its
foundation. Protesters from three different locations invaded the
city. It was a bloody Friday.
“They were up in arms against the dictatorial regime of the despot,
General Sani Abacha. He had planned to rule us forever. The rioters
vehemently disagreed and displayed it.
“This was one of the violent spill-overs from the annulment of the
June 12, 1993, presidential election. It was presumed Chief Moshood
Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, GCFR, won the election. It was a struggle of
life and death.
“The Ibadan 1998 May Day riots consumed lives and properties. The
targets were Abacha’s cronies and everything associated with them. The
city was literally turned upside down and inside out.
“The following Sunday, I practically paved the way for my detention.
The Sunday Tribune, which I edited, went to town screaming. Its banner
headline was fearful. It roared, ‘Genesis of Ibadan Bloodbath: The
Untold Story.’ Nobody could ignore it, not even Abacha’s security
sycophants!
“When the dust settled, 40 of us lost our freedom at different times
and locations. We were framed up, clamped into detention.
“We were strangely accused of planning to overthrow a military junta
of Abacha mode. Our chief accuser and tormentor was the then Col.
Ahmed Usman (retd), ex-military administrator of Oyo State. To his
greatest delight, we were captured in the warfront. So, he came out
publicly to recklessly pronounce us PoWs. And it sticks till today.
“Sadly enough, none of our members made the list of honours for June
12 Pro-Democracy Heroes. To the compilers and masterminds of that
list, we never for once existed. That is the weird thinking of the
(then) Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation
(OSGF).
“Our team was by no means formidable. We had Chief Bola Ige as the
undisputed leader. The last public office he held was Minister of
Justice and Attorney General of the Federation in the Olusegun
Obasanjo civilian administration. He was initially his Minister of
Power.
“Ige was before this governor of the old Oyo State in the Second
Republic. That was between October 1, 1979 and September 30, 1983. He
was murdered in cold blood on December 21, 2001, in his Bodija,
Ibadan, residence.
“Other members included, Alhaji Lam Adesina (now late), former
governor of Oyo State; Comrade Ola Oni (late), the legendary rights
activist; my humble self (Femi Adeoti, Editor, Sunday Tribune); Alhaji
Lateef Akinsola, aka Tokyo, former chairman, state National Union of
Road Transport Workers (NURTW); Alhaji Billy Akanji, aka Baba 70
(late); Kehinde Adesina; and Sunday Morenikeji, aka, Baba Blessing
(late).
“None of us spent fewer than 32 days in detention while Abacha had his
way. We regained freedom through bail the second day he lost his life.
His gross loss was our bountiful gain. Such is life.
“But ex-president Buhari ignored the whole pack of us. He left us in
the cold; all alone to lick our wounds, all by ourselves. What an
unfriendly deal! Is it because we are not government-connected?
“We are not alone in the cold. Prominent National Democratic Coalition
(NADECO) chieftains were equally and embarrassingly left out. NADECO
was one of the major platforms used to fight for June 12.
“The affected NADECO chieftains included Chief Abraham Adesanya, SAN
(late). He risked his life many times over for the struggle. Abacha’s
foot soldiers were always on his trail. We were grateful to God we did
not lose him to the struggle.
“Others were Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Sir Olanihun Ajayi (late) and Air
Commodore Dan Suleiman (retd). There are several others of like minds.
“None of us could make the list in the reasoning of the compilers.
Pity! Only Chief Bisi Akande in that category made it. He was interim
chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC). He also ruled Osun State
between 1999 and 2003.
“Undoubtedly, the pillar of the struggle was Chief Alfred Rewane (also
late). As a matter of fact, he lost his precious life in the thick of
the agitation. He was the silent and main financier of NADECO. He was
shot dead because he strongly believed in the actualisation of the
June 12 mandate.
“Now that June 12 has been posthumously actualised in a way, Patriot
Rewane remained largely “unlauded” in his grave. He was a man of great
courage and discipline. He never pretended. He proudly showcased his
June 12 belief. And he lived for it. But here we are, all ignored.
“I have very strong conviction that we cannot celebrate June 12
without Patriot Rewane. He struggled with his heart and sweat. He
threw everything he had into it. We are forever proud of him.
“To be sure, no dispute about those ‘lucky’ to be so honoured now. And
certainly, no grudges against them not even one.
“If it took 25 years to recognise MKO. Then there is still hope for
the PoWs and others. We have clocked 25 years, having been detained in
May 1998.
“We, the PoWs never ran away. Some of us had ample opportunities to do
so. But we refused the urge and the pressure.
“Yet, we are all alive today. We never lost a life in the struggle
despite the agony and trauma we went through. That is God’s great
grace. Those of us (PoWs), who are no more, died after we were let off
the hook.
“Nevertheless, what is sauce for the goose is equally sauce for the
gander. There is no half way to it. No half measures either.
“What is worth doing at all is worth doing well. Any objections?”
The lie that Usman told the world in 1998 has come into the open. We
held sway in Ibadan. We dared the dreadful and powerful combination of
Arisekola Alao and Lamidi Adedibu. They could not hold us down.
They were the leading Abacha cronies and hatchet men in our mist. But
they failed to break us. They could not curtail us. Neither did they
penetrate or neutralise us.
Their worst was to send us to Agodi Prisons. Here we are, we are still
standing strong. We are they? They have gone with the whirlwind. It’s
the Lord’s doing. And it is marvellous in our eyes.
So? Today, we strongly believe a Daniel has come to judgement in
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We were in the struggle together. We have
waited this long for this Daniel to come.
Now that he has come, we humbly ask for the needful to be done. Better
late than never. It’s our turn to shine. The President’s guts inspired
and spurred us: “Egbe kini yi wa, emi lokan.” (Bring this thing it’s
my turn).
This is our humble submission: “Awa lokan.” (It is our turn).
Any objections? No, no, no!