COSON to honour late MKO Abiola on June 12

MR Chibueze Okereke, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), has said that the organisation will honour late Chief MKO Abiola on June 12 at the new COSON House, Ikeja.

Okereke told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday that the honour would be in form of a lecture.

The title of the lecture will be: “June 12 and the Lessons of History.’’

He said that the Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Mr Dele Momodu, would deliver the lecture.

“Dele Momodu, who was a key figure in the June 12 Movement will give an historical account of that day.

“He will be speaking to a top selection of the media, artists, political and human rights activists and young people,’’ he said.

NAN reports that on June 12, 1993, Nigerians voted for the then Chief MKO Abiola, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic party (SDP) against Chief Bashir Tofa of the National Republic Convention (NRC).

The then military president, Gen, Ibrahim Babaginda, annulled the presidential elections held on JUne 12, 1993 adjudged by local and foreign observers as the most credible in the annals of Nigeria.

NAN also reports that MKO who was detained by another military head of state, Gen Sani Abacha for attempting to reclaim his mandate, however, died on July 7, 1998 during the regime of Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar.

Abubakar succeeded Abacha after his death on June 8, 1998.