Epetedo community on the Lagos Island is the place Bashorun Moshood Abiola declared himself the President of the country on June 11, 1994. Residents recall what happened on that fateful day with Senior Reporter MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE.
AFTER it became obvious that the Gen. Sani Abacha-led military junta was not going to hearken to the voice of the people, Bashorun Moshood Abiola, the winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, stormed Epetedo community, on the Lagos Island, on June 11, 1994, to declare himself the president. That declaration did not only rattle the late General Sani Abacha’s administration, it also brought the Epetedo community into international limelight.
Twenty-five years after, residents of the community recall with mixed feelings how they surmounted the challenges of the declaration. They said after the storm on Epetedo settled, it became obvious that things may not change after all for the community and other poor Nigerians in general.
Mr. Adeniyi Adetunji, one of those who came to the venue where Abiola made gave his remarks, said he had not witnessed the type crowd that converged in the area when Abiola came to give his message of hope.
He said: “Like a thunderbolt, news filtered in that Abiola was in the community, a day before the declaration. We learned Abiola was within the community and that he was going to declare himself president. People started trooping to the venue where he was expected to make the declaration.
“The crowd was so large that I could not even get close to him. We used to have the Premier Palace Club in the building, not as large as what we have now. When Abiola addressed the crowd, people responded with a loud ovation, because we expected that with the declaration the baton of leadership would be given to him immediately.
Read also: The Epetedo declaration by MKO Abiola
“It rained heavily, but the people did not mind the torrential rain. In fact, Abiola himself barely had the space to freely move around. So, when he finished took his bodyguard some hectic moment to clear the way for him to go.”
Adetunji said that less than 10 minutes after Abiola left the venue, stern-looking military men and police stormed the venue.
He added: “Some people were arrested, the police even shot sporadically into the air to disperse the people who came to the place. The luck the community had was that majority of the people had left the venue as soon as Abiola drove away. Otherwise, many people would have been hurt due to stampede.
“Today, the venue in almost in ruin, the Abiola bust is not as magnificent as it used to be. This place needs a total facelift, because we are very certain that if Abiola had been around, he would have transformed the place. Politicians have come and gone, promising to revive the place just to get our votes, but nothing has changed.”
Sixty-five year old Alhaja Ronke Oshodi, a resident of Epetedo, said Abiola probably was not destined to be president, because Nigerians came out to support him. She said it was unfortunate that the power that be denied him the opportunity to rule.
She said: “I was actually not around the day he came, but I quickly rushed to the place because I wanted to witness the declaration. On getting home, I met a crowd that was unprecedented in Epetedo. We expected him to be president, but those at the helm of affairs then refused to give him power.
“There was little we could do, but God knows best why it happened that way. However, we are happy that President Muhammadu Buhari has honoured him, by recognising June 12 and made the day a public holiday.
“He will be remembered for the struggle and for democracy. The Epetedo people equally played important role, because Abiola probably felt this place was the right place to make the declaration and we gave him the support. The police came here to harass us for some days before the siege ceased.”
Lagos Island All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Segun Adams, said it was not just the declaration that matter, but making its impact felt by the people. He said government should reach out to the Abiola family who has his manifesto, urging government to explore if for the benefit of the people.
“We expected him to be released to take over from Ernest Shonekan, particularly when the Interim National Government (ING) was declared illegal by the court. Our expectations were really high and we believed that by the time he became president Epetedo will be rebranded.
“We believe that Abiola’s manifesto was pro-people, government should look into that manifesto. I thank God that the family said the manifesto is with them. The masses should be catered for because we all came out to vote for Abiola. Epetedo has been neglected; we are using this medium to seek government support to remember the people in this community.”
Community leader, Alhaji Mohammed Ali-Bolaji, commended government for making the June 12 significant. He said the recognition was long overdue, noting that good people always face challenges that threaten their lives.
He said: “This ought to have been done long ago, because if somebody sacrificed his life for the survival of democracy such a person should not be forgotten. Again, if we pretended that there is no problem, we are fooling ourselves.
“God who made everything to go the way it went will not overlook what happened. My own is to tell you that all those who perpetrated havoc on our collective will cannot go unpunished.
“Abiola’s declaration ought to have been appreciated, but the forces of evil came to frustrate the efforts. They tried to kill the mandate and the person concerned. It is really unfortunate that whenever people who have the heart of making the country better emerge, those in the axis of evil tried to kill such a person.
“They even tried to kill Buhari, if not for God who spared his life. And by the grace of God all the enemies of the country that are working for its down fall will fall in our present and their families too will fall. They have been the beneficiary of the confusion they created in the country.”
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