Musawa urges Nigerians to honour sacrifices of June 12 heroes
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has urged Nigerians to honour the sacrifices of the June 12 heroes who fought for the country’s democratic journey.
Musawa spoke at the national premiere of “MKO”, a documentary on the late Chief Moshood Abiola, held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Lagos to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
She said 33 years after the June 12, 1993 presidential election, many young Nigerians knew the date only as a public holiday, adding that the film was aimed at preserving the memory of the events surrounding the election and its aftermath.
“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,” Musawa said.
She said the documentary honoured the men and women who sacrificed their lives for the June 12 mandate and commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his participation in the struggle and the sacrifices he made while in exile.
“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 documentary, Ose Oyamendan, said the film was produced to honour those who fought for the June 12 mandate, drawing parallels between Abiola’s political struggle and Tinubu’s role in the pro-democracy movement.
President Tinubu, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, state governors, National Assembly members, ministers and other dignitaries attended the premiere.
