RETIRED military officer and pro-democracy advocate, Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (Rtd), has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for recognising the contributions of military officers and other activists who played key roles in the struggle to actualise the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
In an open letter addressed to the President following his Democracy Day address on June 12, Umar expressed “profound appreciation” for the public acknowledgement of officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces who were honoured for their role in resisting the annulment of the historic election.
“I wish to offer my profound appreciation for your public recognition of the services rendered by some officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces whose names were read out during your Democracy Day Address on the 12th of June, 2026,” Umar wrote.
According to the former military governor, it was “fit and proper” that citizens who risked their lives in the struggle against the annulment of the June 12 election were publicly recognised.
He also praised the President for honouring civilian activists and other democracy advocates who made sacrifices in the campaign to restore the mandate widely believed to have been won by the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola.
“I must also thank you for honoring other non-military heroes mentioned in your address who made various sacrifices to upturn the ill-advised annulment of that election,” he stated.
Umar described June 12 as a defining moment in Nigeria’s democratic journey, saying its annual commemoration remained well-deserved.
“It is hard to overstate this fact, Mr President, that June 12th is a watershed moment in our march to democracy and its annual celebration is richly deserved,” he said.
While welcoming the recognition accorded to some democracy activists, Umar expressed confidence that others who had not yet been honoured would eventually receive similar acknowledgement.
“Because this is an annual event, I am sure other people, military, civilian, living or non-living, who deserve similar recognition but haven’t yet received it, will be duly identified and honored in due time,” he added.
Beyond the commendation, the retired colonel used the letter to reflect on the state of Nigeria’s democracy and governance more than three decades after the June 12 struggle.
Referring to President Tinubu’s observation in his Democracy Day speech that Nigeria’s democracy remains a work in progress, particularly in the area of security, Umar questioned whether the statement reflected humility or concern over the scale of the challenge.
“In the course of your address, Mr President, you acknowledged that the democracy we have today is still a work-in-progress, particularly as it relates to providing security for our citizens. Many people do not know what to make of this statement: were you displaying some humility or despairing of the task?” he asked.
He stressed that officers who opposed the annulment of the June 12 election had envisioned a democratic system founded on security, justice, accountability and economic wellbeing.
“What those officers envisaged when they put their lives on the line back in 1993, were, for want of better word, ambitious,” Umar wrote, adding that they regarded the security of citizens as “a raison de’tre, a minimum condition for the existence of any government, democracy or not.”
“If national security is missing, that would be the end of the discussion; nothing else matters. Nothing!” he declared.
Umar further outlined what he described as the core democratic aspirations that motivated many participants in the June 12 struggle. These included “separation of powers, independent and impartial judiciary that would dispense justice untainted by partisan or primitive considerations, a truly independent electoral umpire that guarantees free and fair elections, economic policies that safeguard citizens’ welfare as well as productivity.”
He added that the struggle was also driven by hopes for “a robust war against poverty, especially among the hapless masses at the bottom of the social pyramid.”
The retired officer said many Nigerians had believed in Tinubu’s commitment to fairness, inclusion and national development.
“As a long-standing advocate of equity, equality, transparency and inclusion, many of us saw no reason to doubt your commitment towards a better future and a renewed hope for all Nigerians as enshrined in chapter two of our Constitution,” he wrote.
Umar concluded by urging the President to ensure that the ideals that inspired the June 12 struggle remain central to government policy.
“So, in order that the sacrifices that those officers and other Nigerians made towards the achievement of the June 12th struggle do not go in vain, I advocate that those ideals become once again the cornerstone of your national policies,” he stated.
Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (Rtd) is a former military governor of Kaduna State who served between 1985 and 1988. A senior Nigerian Army officer, he became one of the most prominent military figures to oppose the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
After retiring from the military later that year, Umar emerged as a vocal advocate for democratic governance and civil liberties.
He has consistently been recognised as one of the leading military figures associated with the pro-democracy struggle that helped pave the way for Nigeria’s return to civilian rule.
In 2025, President Tinubu conferred on him the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) in recognition of his contributions to democracy.
Below is the full text of the open letter:
An Open Letter To President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Gcfr
Dear Mr President
Appreciation For Your Recognition of Services Rendered to Democracy by Officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces During the June 12 Struggle.
I wish to offer my profound appreciation for your public recognition of the services rendered by some officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces whose names were read out during your Democracy Day Address on the 12th of June, 2026. This subject matter formed part of the issues contained in my public statement on a similar occasion last year. It is indeed fit and proper that citizens who put their lives on the line in the struggle to redress the injustice of the annulment of the presidential election of June 12th, 1993 are publicly recognized. I must also thank you for honoring other non-military heroes mentioned in your address who made various sacrifices to upturn the ill-advised annulment of that election.
It is hard to overstate this fact, Mr President, that June 12th is a watershed moment in our march to democracy and its annual celebration is richly deserved. Still, because this is an annual event, I am sure other people, military, civilian, living or non-living, who deserve similar recognition but haven’t yet received it, will be duly identified and honored in due time.
In the course of your address, Mr President, you acknowledged that the democracy we have today is still a work-in-progress, particularly as it relates to providing security for our citizens. Many people do not know what to make of this statement: were you displaying some humility or despairing of the task?
What those officers envisaged when they put their lives on the line back in 1993, were, for want of better word, ambitious. In fact, they took the security of our citizens as given; a raison de’tre, a minimum condition for the existence of any government, democracy or not. If national security is missing, that would be the end of the discussion; nothing else matters. Nothing!
And, while we are at this, Mr President, allow me to remind you about what else motivated the officers back then. They craved for a democracy that included its most basic features; separation of powers, independent and impartial judiciary that would dispense justice untainted by partisan or primitive considerations, a truly independent electoral umpire that guarantees free and fair elections, economic policies that safeguard citizens’ welfare as well as productivity.
They also pinned their hopes on a robust war against poverty, especially among the hapless masses at the bottom of the social pyramid.
Mr President, as a long-standing advocate of equity, equality, transparency and inclusion, many of us saw no reason to doubt your commitment towards a better future and a renewed hope for all Nigerians as enshrined in chapter two of our Constitution.
So, in order that the sacrifices that those officers and other Nigerians made towards the achievement of the June 12th struggle do not go in vain, I advocate that those ideals become once again the cornerstone of your national policies.
We thank you Mr President. Please accept the assurances of our deepest regards.
Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (Rtd)
