Acting Leader of pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; chieftains of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Mr Ayo Opadokun, Dr Amos Akingba, Hon. Wale Osun, Chief Supo Shonibare, Fred Agbeyegbe, among others on Tuesday paid tributes to the late former military administrator of Lagos State, Rear-Admiral Ndubuishi Kanu, even as they called for rejuvenation of the pro-democracy group that led to the struggle for the de-annulment June 12 election won by Chief MKO Abiola.
Kanu, who was the chairman of NADECO, died on January 13, 2021, aged 77.
This was just as Opadokun, who is Secretary-General of the group, while paying tributes to the military administrator, demanded that the country “must return to Federal Constitution Governance as we had in the 1960 and 1963 Constitution to save Nigeria from imminent but avoidable consequential balkanization and conflagration.”
Chief Adebanjo, Prof. Adebayo Williams, Chief Shonibare, Dr. Akingba, Chief Jumoke Ogunkeyede, and others, while calling for rejuvenation of NADECO, noted sadly that the democracy, resulting in sending the military back to the barracks, which the organization attained with the efforts of people like the late Kanu had been rubbished by bad governance now in place, and, therefore, the need to return Nigeria back to where it was supposed to be.
Speaking at the event, which took place at the Airport Hotel, Lagos and attended by the state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, Chief Adebanjo recalled that he received the news of the death of Kanu with lot of shock and sadness which lasted for days due to closeness he enjoyed with him in the struggle for a better Nigeria, and being one of the people who held the country together with his detribalized disposition as a true patriot.
According to the Afenifere leader, the late NADECO leader, Kanu, should be seen as a “man of the moment” to fight the ongoing tyranny in the country, noting that the ongoing tyranny under which the citizens had found themselves and currently battling with was worse than what the country witnessed under the despotic rule of late General Sani Abacha.
“People should remember that he did what he did in the struggle for democracy and return to democratic governance religiously and courageously, and damned the consequences, even though he was a retired military man.
“He should be man of the moment to fight this tyranny because the tyranny we are fighting now in the country is worse than what we had under Abacha,” Adebanjo said.
“It is an occasion like this that would remind one that we have lost a man of great attributes. A man like Kanu is a rare gem,” he added.
Chief Adebanjo thanked the wife of the late NADECO leader, Gladys, and all the children of the deceased, and prayed for them.
He also thanked the organizers of the event for their efforts to keep Kanu’s memories alive.
Also speaking, Prof. Williams, posited that there was still a formidable struggle ahead, noting that it was true that the country had sent the military packing but yet to enjoy good governance.
Williams, while noting sadly that those of them that were in the struggle to bring about democratic rule back to the country had been sidelined, pointedly said NADECO still had a struggle to pursue like it did during June 12 era, adding that the organization needed to do this to see the citizens to the promised land.
“We have been sidelined and relegated. There is still a formidable struggle ahead. We have seen the end of military rule but have not seen an end to bad governance in the country.
“NADECO still has a struggle to see us through to the promised land,” he said.
Paying tributes to the late Rear-Admiral Kanu, Prof. Williams described him as “a profoundly serious man,” who never sought for government contracts and who was also not a racketeer, adding that “we are very proud of him.”
“Your father lived a honourable and distinguished life. He was a man of outstanding naval gate. Let there be a celebration of the renewal of NADECO, our ranks are shrinking.
“We are waiting for the celebration of renewal so that whatever happens we can take our country back,” he said.
Another speaker, Chief Jide Ajilore, in his remarks, said NADECO would continue to be alive as long as there existed some people who were out to destroy what the organization struggled to achieve for Nigeria, expressing the belief that a better Nigeria would be brought about come what may.
“NADECO is still alive as long as some people are destroying what we fought for. The struggle continues. We will see a better Nigeria,” he declared.
Ajilore described Kanu as a real Nigerian, and a real soldier, who he said was a detribalized individual, adding: “This man has no colour for Nigerian, whether you are a Yoruba, Igbo or Hausa.”
On his part, Dr Akingba said the late military administrator was a man worthy to be emulated, even as he also urged for a good country that would serve all as was also canvassed and struggled for by the late Rear- Admiral Kanu.
Akingba described Kanu as a democrat, one who fought for people’s rights and never carried himself in a way that was draconian, even though he was a military man.
“I was happy to know him. I think we can emulate him, he would be happy wherever he is.
“We are here for a short while, we would all go to our Creator. Please, let us have a good country that would serve all. That’s the tribute we can all pay to late Kanu,” he said.
Chief Shonibare, in his own remark, also acknowledged the good attributes of the late military administrator, saying he was a great man as other speakers had observed, recalling that “he was the one we had to depend on when many leaders left the country.”
“He was the leader that continued to let us remember the June 12 through the annual rally he holds. We would miss him, he would be remembered in the annals of Nigeria’s history,” Shonibare said.
Another speaker, Chief Ogunkeyede, who was described as the engine room of the struggle for the actualization of June 12 in Diaspora, said it was sad that Nigeria was yet to get to the promised land, pointing out that NADECO was yet to finish that struggle for a better country while calling for rejuvenation of the organization for that purpose.
“Can we rejuvenate NADECO? It would be a tall order. If we rejuvenate NADECO, we would again have Nigeria I would be proud of. Nigeria is not where it is supposed to be,” he said.
Opadokun, while calling for a return to the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions, saying doing this would enable ethnic nationalities who had been sidelined, discriminated against and treated as inferior citizens to achieve their self-determination pursuit as endorsed by NADECO and also enshrined under the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 as well as the African Charter of Peoples Right adopted in 1998/1999 in Adisa Ababa.
This was just as he assured that NADECO would “intensify its credible, responsible and patriotic campaign through all legal and legitimate actions to ensure that the current unsustainable and unacceptable national structure which is warped, skewed and lopsided and had given an undue and dubious advantage to a section of the country is restructured so that Nigeria can have a balanced, just and equitable economic and political space for an all- inclusive society.”
The wife of the deceased, Mrs Gladys, in her response, thanked everyone for their support, and also blessed them for attending the event to honour the late military administrator.
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