Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State emphasized the need for Nigerians to unite, regardless of their tribe, religion, or ethnicity, in order to build a stronger nation.
During the 30th Anniversary commemoration of the June 12, 1993 Election held at the late Chief M.K.O Moshood Abiola’s residence in Ikeja, Sanwo-Olu, represented by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, called for unity as a catalyst for national development.
He highlighted the significance of June 12, when Nigerians joined forces to overwhelmingly vote for Late Abiola, envisioning him as a transformative leader for the country.
“It’s really unbelievable that it’s 30 years. But it just tells us that time waits for nobody. So time will not wait for our country and it will not wait for all of us.
“All that Chief MKO Abiola wants is good governance. Good governance so that we can elevate the destiny of these 200 million people out of poverty, that’s all.
“However, in his memory, we must remember what happened. Christians, Muslims, everybody came together to vote for a Muslim-Muslim ticket. So we did de-emphasise religion and ethnicity. We came together as a people.
“So we must unite as a people, come together as a country so that we can build this nation. It is natural that we have our differences but it is important that we come together to build this nation,” he said.
The governor said that in the memory of all the great men and women who were murdered because of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, citizens must come together to build the nation.
“So the essence is for us as a people to come together and to always say never again shall injustice rule in our country,” he said.
Speaking earlier, M.K.O Abiola’s daughter, Ayo Abiola thanked the state government for always acknowledging the struggles of her late father.
Abiola said that her late father had had cause to help people who had one problem or the other, hence, he felt that running for and becoming the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria would ensure he transformed lives and Nigeria further.
She said that a testament to the struggle of June 12 was seeing a member, now the president of the country, in the person of President Bola Tinubu.
“So we hope and we pray and we expect to see great things from this administration, and we know that they will hold the principles of June 12 dear and close to their hearts,” Abiola said.