Vice President Kashim Shettima has remarked that decades following the June 12 debacle, providence has handed the baton of MKO Abiola’s quest for the essence of Nigeria’s democracy to one of his most trusted associates, President Bola Tinubu.
He stated that while hope is an element that cannot be taken away or extinguished from the ultimate narrative of Abiola’s life, the faith in the realisation of Abiola’s vision has revitalised the nation’s optimism.
Naijaonpoint reports that Shettima made these comments during the Public Lecture Commemorating Nigeria’s 26th Democracy Anniversary, which took place at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday.
He characterised the late MKO Abiola as a patriot who devoted everything he possessed to the essence of Nigeria, and whose sacrifice has become the guiding principle of the nation’s democracy.
According to him, rather than perishing in vain, the late Abiola’s aspiration transformed into a collective commitment and unwavering determination for Nigerians “to advocate for what is just, to uphold the sanctity of choice, and to respect the blood that nourished the foundations of” the nation’s democracy.
The Vice President affirmed, “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 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 him, will 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,” he added.
He maintained that the life and times of the late MKO Abiola are “A reminder that the burden of democracy is not to be carried by one man alone.”
Therefore, Shettima urged Nigerians to rise collectively and build a fortress around the nation’s democracy, describing it as “an impenetrable edifice that no force of anarchy can breach, not even in imagination.”
Canvassing unflinching support for President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, he said, “Each of us here owes a sacred duty to support the President’s quest not just to renew hope, but to institutionalise governance, to deepen the roots of democracy, and to build a nation immune to the threats of regression.”