Every June 12, amidst nationwide reflections on the struggle for democracy, Lagos State’s Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, carries memories far more personal and poignantly.
On June 12, 1993, Nigeria held what became one of its most consequential and symbolically charged elections, the annulled presidential poll whose mandate is deeply respected to this day. For Wahab, then a youthful student, the day bore a devastating dual significance: while the nation selected its leader, his own mother, Muyi Wahab, passed away moments after casting her vote for the late Chief MKO Abiola.
The deceased was a prominent grassroots mobiliser in Epe and Sagamu, a dedicated supporter of MKO Abiola, and had gone to the polls in the hope of influencing Nigeria’s democratic future.
For Wahab, that day was never merely political, it was deeply intimate. He was a University of Benin student union leader, already vocally involved in political activism.
The loss of his mother at that critical juncture profoundly shaped his worldview and fueled his sense of purpose.
Decades later, Wahab channels the lessons of June 12, the resilience, public responsibility, and moral courage into his work. As an adviser on education and now as Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, he brings a mix of resolve and empathy forged through personal hardship.
Each June 12, Wahab honours his mother’s memory and recommits to the ideals they both cherished: democracy, justice, and sacrifice.
June 12, for him and for Nigeria, underscores both a national struggle and a personal narrative intertwined, showing how one loss can ripple outward, shaping a life in the service of all.
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