By Kayode Ogundamisi
I was privileged to be part of Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement, my sacrifice was nothing compared to the ultimate sacrifice of the following comrades.
Many comrades will never speak about the role they played in Nigeria’s pro democracy movement, not because they are not proud of the patriotic sacrifice, but because they know now is not the time for high fives, they understand today’s Nigeria 25 years after, is sure not the country we dreamt and fought for, we are yet to find the Nigeria of our dream.
However we can acknowledge the following Comrades and more I may miss out, who have left our world and gone to rest.
1. James Bagauda Kaltho: Gruesomely murdered by the junta.
2. Chris Abachi: Committed Comrade who gave his all.
3. Basil Chianson
4. Dominic Ogampa
5. Olaitan Oyerinde
6. Bamidele Aturu
7. Chima Ubani
8. Adams Kennedy Unaji
9. Dr. Shola Omoshola, the then Chief Security Officer of the Airport blown up by Abacha goons trough a bomb package at the Murtala Muhammed Airport link road in Ikeja for refusing to target NADECO activists.
10. Comrade Abdulrasheed Wale Salami a.k.a. The Don
11 Thousands of Nigerians who chose to be the foot soldiers, those who willingly took on extremely dangerous tasks, whose names you will never find in any Nigerian newspaper, who till today chose not to ever speak about the role they played as they know it is not yet huhuru.
12. Hundreds of Nigerians killed protesting, whom till today do not have a cenotaph in their name, buried across our beloved country in unmarked graves.
13. Millions of families who gave all but never benefited from the struggle.
14. Unknown Heroes and Heroines.
Without all of the above soldiers and many more, you can never have ‘Generals’ such as M K O Abiola, Ndubuisi Kanu Femi Falana, Alfred Rewane, Gani Fahweninmi, Wole Soyinka, Beko Kuti, NADECO, NALICON and all others who became the face of the movement.
I am hopeful that those who did the dirty work, those who made it possible for the military to catch cold when the people sneeze by carrying out legitimate resistance on behalf of the Nigerian people are never forgotten. The MAD 4 Richard Ogunderu and his Comrades who are sadly destitute today.
The cadres who met every military attack with will power and gave teeth to every threat of resistance by the known symbols of June 12, forcing the military to realise that the time was up.
The members of various self-determination groups who sacrifices much more in sustaining the momentum, lost several cadres and foot soldiers.
I am hopeful that some day as a country, as we honour the known names of our match towards a better Nigeria, we set a befitting monument aside for the Heroes and Heroines.
May we never see the dark days of the rule of the gun, may the rule of the box get better as we learn from the missteps of our yesterday.
May our history never be rewritten to serve the interest of the usurpers who replaced yesterdays oppressors.
Have a blessed June 12 Democracy Day
Kayode Ogundamisi