President Tinubu speaks to Nigerians on Democracy Day (Full Text)

TEXT OF PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU'S DEMOCRACY DAY NATIONAL BROADCAST ON JUNE 12, 2023.
comrades in Nigeria,
Today marks exactly 30 years since Nigerians exercised their unalienable right to vote for the President of their choosing to oversee the country's transition from a military dictatorship to a representative democracy.
Ironically, the military's decision to annul Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola's clear victory in the June 12, 1993, presidential election—up until that point, the fairest and free election in the nation's political history—turned out to be the seed that grew into the protracted struggle that gave rise to the democracy we have now, since 1999.
The substantial number of our people who took part in the fight to de-annul the election showed their fierce commitment to enthroning democracy as the form of government that best ennobles the liberty, the dignity of the individual, and the integrity as well as the stability of the polity by rising to vehemently oppose the arbitrary annulment of the will of the majority of Nigerians as expressed in that historic election. The intense resistance to the invalidation of the presidential election of June 12, 1993, and the unrelenting pro-democracy onslaught it unleashed were comparable to the struggle against colonial rule fought by our founding fathers that led to Nigeria's independence in 1960.

The pro-June 12 campaign, like the anti-colonial struggle, once again proved the eternal validity of historian Arnold Toynbee's theory that civilization and cultures advance as a result of being compelled to address environmental difficulties. A revived civil society responded to the unfair annulment of a generally accepted free and fair election with resistance, which ultimately helped us achieve our "second independence," as demonstrated by the restoration of democratic governance in 1999.
Fellow citizens, we commemorate a day that will forever be remembered as a turning point in the history of our country. Not just today, but every June 12, generations of Nigerians will always be reminded that the democracy that is steadily evolving to become the hallmark of our polity was not given to us on a silver platter.
We are well familiar with Chief MKO Abiola's sacrifice and martyrdom as the keeper of the revered mandate that was so ruthlessly revoked. He gave his life in a selfless, patriotic defence of the democratic values exemplified by his election as their legitimately elected President by his fellow citizens. For him, there was an easier option. To submit to the tyranny of power, he had to abandon the justice of his cause and choose the easier route. Abiola replied "No," much to his eternal honour and unfading splendour. He gave concrete proof of the age-old, timeless fact that some goals and beliefs are far more important than actual life.
Every day on this day throughout history, we shall remember various other democratic heroes like Kudirat Abiola, Chief Abiola's wife, who was ruthlessly slain while fighting in the trenches for the underdogs. We honour Major General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua (rtd) and Pa Alfred Rewane, two heroes of our struggle for freedom who were silenced by the military regime for advocating democracy. For the freedom we enjoy today, they sacrificed them yesterday.
It's important to remember that we should never take our democracy for granted. It must always be jealously guarded and preserved by us like a priceless gem. Because people cannot genuinely understand the liberties and rights that democracy grants them unless they lose them.

The dark, rocky path of dictatorship has been travelled before, and those who have done so can attest to the unbridgeable gulf between the dignity of freedom and the degrading and humiliating nature of tyranny. Some people may indeed find the acrimonious discussions, endless fighting, constant disputes, and savage election contests to be unappealing aspects of democracy. But they also bear witness to its worth and merit.
In this era since 1999, we have held seven elections in a row, and they have become sacred rites of our democratic practice.
The fact that the results of the election were hotly contested is itself proof that democracy is thriving in our nation. It is only normal for people who prevailed in the various elections to feel joy and fulfilment, while those who lost feel disenchanted and disappointed. However, the beauty of democracy is that those who succeed today may fail tomorrow, and those who fail today will have the chance to run for office and succeed in the subsequent round of voting.
The thrill of winning when it is their time to win should not be reserved for those who cannot handle and accept the anguish of losing an election. One of the reasons why democracy is still the best system of governance ever created is that, above all, people who disagree with the results of the elections are making full use of the constitutional provisions to seek redress in court.

Democracy is immortal in the eyes of Chief MKO Abiola, the figurehead of this occasion, whose memory June 12 became a national holiday.
It has to do with upholding the rule of law and having a strong court that can be relied upon to carry out justice and support institutions. It is vital to clarify right now that any further use of unneeded, illegal orders to limit or undermine democracy will not be permitted.
A crucial tenet of democracy, the rule of law, has recently been strengthened with the standardization of the retirement age for judges. The transformation just got underway.
Democracy is more than just the right to vote and the ability to elect people to public office; it also entails paying the shareholders the correct dividends. For our people, it entails social and economic justice. The best chance to combat and end poverty is provided by democracy, according to the June 12 election winner. He titled his campaign platform "Farewell to Poverty" thirty years ago because he believed that poverty is not inherently divine. It is a human-made issue that can be resolved by implementing well-considered social and economic policies.
This is why, in my inauguration speech on May 29, I put into practice the choice made by my outgoing president to remove the fuel subsidy albatross and release for widespread use the resources that had previously been siphoned off by a few wealthy individuals. I acknowledge that the decision will place an additional strain on the majority of our population. I can relate to your suffering. To prevent our nation from imploding and free our resources from the control of a few unpatriotic individuals, we must make this choice.
I have painfully requested that you, my fellow citizens, make a little bit more of a sacrifice for the future of our nation. I pledge that your sacrifice won't be in vain as a result of your faith and trust in us. The government that I run will pay you back by making significant investments in the infrastructure needed for transportation, education, a reliable electricity supply, healthcare, and other public services that will enhance people's quality of life.
Thank you all, and may God keep the Federal Republic of Nigeria in his blessings.
The democracy that MKO Abiola died for prioritizes the general welfare over the interests of the ruling class's power and allows the governed to live fulfilling lives. That was the hope that MKO Abiola spread over our nation in 1993. I implore all of us to renew our commitment to advancing the form of free peoples' government that has served as our model over the past 24 years on this year's Democracy Day. Particularly, those of us who have had the honour of being elected to positions in the executive and legislative branches of government at various levels must reaffirm our commitment to selflessly serving the public and keeping the electoral promises we made to the electorate.
I reaffirm my administration's and my commitment to carefully carrying out each provision of the "Renewed Hope" agenda we agreed to when we ran for office.
We'll be devoted to the truth. devoted to justice. and devoted to doing justice. We will always uphold the dignity of every one of our citizens as we exercise our power and responsibility to govern in a just and lawful manner.
I'd want to end by wishing everyone a happy Democracy Day and asking God to keep the flame of liberty burning brightly in our nation.