One one of the NADECO foot soldiers in the 90s, Olive Udeh, an English trained lawyer and business man has said that the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the February 25, 2023 presidential election in Nigeria was a reward for NADECO, June 12 struggles.
Udeh who was said to have been on many occasions brutalised by the ruthless military boys while protesting against the military junta said a nation or society that fails to appreciate individual sacrifices will never progress.
In this a recent interview, he spoke on why Bola Ahmed Tinubu boldly declared that it was his turn to lead Nigeria, “what would have become the fate of Senator Oluremi Tinubu if her husband had lost his life during the June 12 struggle, how those who fought against democracy are now the ones reaping the rewards of democracy.
“There is a saying that a closed mouth is a closed destiny. Again, an adage has it that if a snake fails to act like one, children will take it as a rope and use it to tie fire wood. If he did not declare that, what happened to the dog would have happened to him.
“He fought for democracy and in the fight, he stalked his all, his life and everything. If he was killed like the others, Oluremi his wife would have been a forgotten widow. His children would have become fatherless at that very young age and those who did not participate in the struggle would be enjoying the fruit of his labour.
“Look as a young teenager living in Orile Igammu area of Lagos state, I was part of NADECO struggle burning Tyres on the streets of Lagos and inhaling tear gas from the ruthless military juntas and police.
“Many young men and women died in the struggle but they have been forgotten completely. So it is important that we teach our children history in schools so that posterity would not forget the different roles that we played. It is obvious that any man or woman that is 40 years or younger today didn’t know much about NADECO following the annulment of June 12 1993 elections which is 30yrs ago and the struggles for democracy that eventually gave rise to May 29th which today is a public holiday for the commemoration of Democracy Day in Nigeria.
“I was astonished when I was sharing my experiences regarding the wounds and brutality l suffered in the hands of the police in Ikeja part of Lagos and a man of 32 years of age was casting serious doubts regarding my ordeals in the hands of the ruthless policemen and military boys who were shooting at innocent young men and women.
“I went as far as showing to him the two scars on my head to buttress the reality.A lot of the youths also don’t know that it the NADECO struggle for democracy which was led by Bola Ahmed Tinubu that led to the release of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo from Yola prison and ensured that he became a civilian president in 1999.
“Such ignorance is painful and heart breaking. It is just like denying the reality of EndSARS brutality before the victims of that unfortunate incident at the Lekki Tollgate,” he emphasised
