The Osun Government has declared June 12 as public holiday to mark democracy day in the state.
Dr Obawale Adebisi, the Commissioner for Home Affairs, in a statement on Saturday in Osogbo, said the public holiday was in line with a policy of the state to observe June 12 as Democracy Day every year.
Adebisi said the present administration had since inception been observing June 12 as Democracy Day in remembrance of the 1993 presidential election, which was adjudged the freest and fairest in the history of Nigeria.
The commissioner said Gov. Rauf Aregbesola had always maintained “June 12, 1993 was the day democracy was born in Nigeria.
“Aregbesola’s stance on June 12 as Democracy Day had been justified by President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration of the day as Nigeria’s democracy day instead of May 29.
“We also commend the President for honouring Chief MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election with a posthumous award of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR).
“The state government of Osun commends the President on this righteous step of honouring June 12 and key players of the 1993 presidential election, 25 years after.
“The Government of the State of Osun has, therefore, declared Tuesday, June 12 a public holiday,’’ Adebisi said.
It will be recalled that Buhari had on Wednesday announced that effective 2019, Nigeria’s Democracy Day, marked every May 29 for the past 18 years, would be celebrated on June 12.
The move he said was to honour MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential election. (NAN)