THE Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has called for a deeper meaning to be attached to June 12, saying the day must be seen as more than a public holiday.
Musawa said June 12 must be remembered as a sacrifice that gave Nigerians democracy, stressing the importance of preserving the history and struggles that shaped the country’s democratic journey.
The minister, according to her media aide, Dr. Nneka Ikem-Anibeze, stated this at the national premiere of “MKO”, a film on the late Chief Moshood Abiola, held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, Lagos, to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary. News Point Nigeria reports.
She said that 33 years after the June 12, 1993 presidential election, many young Nigerians know the date only as a public holiday, but the film had helped to turn the historic event back into memory.
“For too many young Nigerians, June 12 is simply a public holiday. This film tells them that our democracy did not arrive by chance. It was fought for. It was defended. It was paid for.
“This documentary is in honour of the heroes of June 12, the men and women who gave their lives for the mandate of June 12, 1993 and for the democracy Nigeria enjoys today,” the Minister said.
Musawa hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Chief Host, for his participation in the June 12 struggle and for paying the price in exile, adding that Nigeria’s creative industry would continue to tell the story of the country’s democracy with courage.
“Through film and the creative economy, Nigeria will preserve its history. A nation that forgets its past loses its way to the future. Nigeria has a story, and our story deserves to be told,” she said.
Earlier, the director of the investigative documentary, Ose Oyamendan, said the film was produced in honour and memory of the heroes who fought for Nigeria’s democracy.
“There was Hope ’93, and now there is Renewed Hope. There was a man who sacrificed his life so we may have democracy, and there is a man who almost lost his life fighting for democracy who is now helping build a lasting democracy.
“There was a great man called Bashorun MKO Abiola, and there is now another great man called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Democrats. Nationalists. Nation builders. Leaders of men and women. We must never forget our story. We must always honour and remember our heroes,” Oyamendan said.
The national premiere attracted top government officials and other distinguished dignitaries, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; the President’s wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Senate President Godswill Akpabio; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; and Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
Also in attendance were state governors, members of the National Assembly, ministers and other prominent personalities who gathered for the premiere of the documentary celebrating the life, sacrifice and democratic legacy associated with June 12 and Chief Moshood Abiola.