‘Declaration brings integrity to governance’

• NUPENG queries exclusion of past leaders from awards
• ‘It’s rare display of courage’
The Organised Labour praised President Muhammadu Buhari for the posthumous honour.

Its position was stated by a member of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and the General Secretary of the Textile Workers Union, Comrade Issa Aremu.

He said the action has rekindled faith in the sustainability of democracy in Africa’s largest democracy.

Aremu said the president “gave the correct signal that never again would any group of people violate the mandate of Nigerian people through mandate annulment.

The labour chief said: “President Buhari had brought integrity to governance by shunning the hypocrisy and shameless denials of past leaders of Nigeria, that June 12 was truly a watershed in the struggle for democracy in Nigeria.

He said labour agrees with the administration that June 12, 1993 was far more symbolic of democracy in the Nigerian context
than May 29.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has criticised Buhari for not including past union leaders for recognition on June 12.

NUPENG National President, Williams Akporeha, said in a statement yesterday.

He cited such leaders as the union’s former General Secretary, the late Frank Ovie Kokori, former President of NUPENG, Wariebi Kojo Agamene, former General Secretary of PENGASSAN, Milton Gilchrist Dabibi.

He said it was worrisome that these leaders were not honoured, despite the painstaking roles they played during the period to earn the country its democratic liberty.

Akpohera said: “Without contradiction, the democracy Nigeria enjoys today did not come on a silver platter, the leadership of these unions, as well as our members fought for it.

“This was won in some instances with our blood, tears, freedom, career, and regrettably some paid the supreme price,” he said.

Also, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has described the action as a rare courage to address the nagging question on the relevance of June 12 election in Nigeria’s democratic credentials.

The party’s Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun,said this in a statement.
He said the president has put to rest the pretensions and injustice inherent in the most peaceful and transparent election in the nation’s electoral process.