The Federal Government has called for a deeper understanding of June 12, warning against reducing the historic date to just another public holiday.
Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, made the call at the national premiere of MKO, a documentary on the late Chief Moshood Abiola.
The premiere was held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Lagos as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
Musawa said many young Nigerians now know June 12 mainly as a holiday without understanding the struggle and sacrifices that gave the date its significance.
“For too many young Nigerians, June 12 is simply a public holiday,” she said.
“This film tells them that our democracy did not arrive by chance. It was fought for. It was defended. It was paid for.”
The minister said the documentary was a tribute to those who sacrificed their lives and freedom in the struggle surrounding the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
She also charged the creative industry with preserving Nigeria’s democratic history through film and other forms of storytelling.
“A nation that forgets its past loses its way to the future. Nigeria has a story and our story deserves to be told,” Musawa said.
She also highlighted President Bola Tinubu’s participation in the pro-democracy struggle and his years in exile.
Director of the documentary, Ose Oyamendan, said the film was produced to honour Nigerians who fought for democracy.
Oyamendan linked the historical struggle around June 12 with the present administration, referencing “Hope ’93” and “Renewed Hope.”
“There was a man who sacrificed his life so we may have democracy,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to preserve the memory of the country’s democratic heroes.
Among those who attended the premiere were President Tinubu, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and several governors, ministers and National Assembly members.
