The Vice President, Kashim Shettima has said history chose to return the baton in the struggle for the soul of democracy to one of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola’s most trusted lieutenants, President Bola Tinubu, decades after the June 12 debacle.
He noted that while hope was one thing that they could not take or extinguish from the final account of Abiola’s life, it was the faith in the promise of Abiola’s vision that has renewed the nation’s hope in what he termed the great theatre of providence.
Shettima, who represented the President, made the observation yesterday during the Public Lecture Commemorating Nigeria’s 26th Democracy Anniversary held at the Presidential Villa.
He described the late MKO Abiola as a patriot who surrendered all he had for the soul of Nigeria, and whose sacrifice became the compass of the nation’s democracy.
He said: “It is this faith in the promise of Abiola’s vision that has renewed the hope of this nation. “And in the great theatre of providence, history has returned the baton to one of Abiola’s most trusted lieutenants in the struggle for the soul of democracy in Nigeria: His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
“The ticket once denied Nigerians—the Abiola-Kingibe ticket—has found resonance and vindication in a second coming that mirrors it in composition and conviction, in President Bola Tinubu, a man who has kept the democratic flame alive through seasons of fire and storm.
“I am honoured to share in the weight of this history and the depth of this memory.” Shettima further observed that while Nigeria currently stands on the shoulders of unsung heroes and unheard voices, who sacrificed their comfort, freedom, and even their lives for the nation’s democracy, Nigerians – including himself, would ever remain grateful to be “stewards of a government that listens to all.
“And there is no doubt that President Tinubu has kept that covenant, extending a hand across political divides, ethnic frontiers, and generational gaps to build a Nigeria that works for everyone.”
