Ex-military officer and one of the persons who fought for the restoration of the June 12, 1993 presidential mandate, largely believed to have been won by Moshood Abiola, Col. Abubakar Umar (rtd), yesterday listed 38 unsung personnel who supported the acclaimed winner of the poll.

In a statement, Umar, who accepted the national honour bestowed on him by President Bola Tinubu, stated that although the list was not exhaustive, the contributions of the ‘patriots’ needed to be acknowledged.

According to him, most of the 38 officers risked their lives and their careers in pursuit of the truth which the Abiola election represented.

“When the President called to inform me of his decision to magnanimously confer on me the the National Award of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) on account of my much advertised role in the struggle for the validation of the June 12th election and affirmation of Chief MKO Abiola’s mandate, my first reaction was why only me and not all those unsung heroes.

“Those officers and men who actively participated in that struggle, risking their careers and even lives. Although I was one of the leaders of that movement within the military, my contribution was by no means bigger than theirs. While I have been recognised and celebrated, including with a National Honour by the President, they have remained anonymous.

“It is therefore incumbent upon me to reveal the identity of these patriots if only to acknowledge and commend their contributions to the emergence of the current democratic dispensation,” Umar noted.

Earlier, the President bestowed national honours on several persons believed to have fought for the restoration of June, but was accused of missing out certain other important individuals. However, days later the President sought to correct the mistake by bestowing a CFR on Umar.

According to Umar, top on the list was his deputy at the Armoured Corps Centre and School, Col MA Garba, whose commitment was so strong that he continued with the execution of his plans after some of them were arrested, detained and retired in October, 1993.

According to him, Garba went on, as he should, to attain the enviable rank of a Major General in the army.

Others, according to Umar, were: Lt. Col. Lawal Jaafaru Isa; Lt. Col. UF Ahmed; Lt. Col. MS Dasuki; Lt. Col. ML Gwadabe; Lt. Col. J Temlong; Lt. Col. Musa Shehu; Lt. Col. Chris Eze; Lt. Co.l HM Dzarma and Lt. Col. Isa Jibrin.

Also listed were: Lt. Col JOS Oshanupin; Lt. Col. A Oloruntoba (Kabiyesi Olugbede of Gbede Kingdom); Lt. Col. Moke; Lt. Col. Happy Bulus; Lt. Col. Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Col. J Okai; Col. E. Ndubueze; Lt. Col. Yakubu Muazu; Lt. Col. Yahaya Abubakar (current Etsu Nupe) and Maj. Saad Abubakar (current Sultan of Sokoto).

Besides, he mentioned Maj. Abba Maimalari; Maj. Jamil Tahir; Maj. Buzugbe; Maj. LP Aprezi; Maj. MK Yake; Maj. J Dawah; Maj. Suleiman Wali; Maj. Dauda Komo; Maj. Lucky Torrie; Maj. JS Zaruwa; Maj. M Sumaye; Maj. Sani Bawa; Maj. Ndaliman; Maj. Ahmed; Maj. M Bawa; Lt. Col. JB Ahmadu; Capt. Junaid Bindawa and Capt. Lar.

According to him, the fact that Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12 election won over 80 per cent of the Armed Forces votes, clearly demonstrated the contribution of the other members of the military. “I should add that this list is by no means exhaustive,” he stressed.

Umar stated that there were a lot more participants who remained unknown to him since they served under others and apologised to all those whose names he must have missed.

“May God recognise and reward your sacrifice. I therefore accept this award with all sense of humility on behalf of all these officers and men. Obviously, it goes without saying that this award will be doubly more meaningful if the democracy we all fought for delivers the real dividends.

“This can happen only if leaders at all levels govern with the fear of God and in accordance with the tenets of democracy. It remains the hope and prayers of all patriots that nothing is done to derail this infant democracy. To achieve the stability and progress of our democracy, leaders must prioritise good governance over politicking for self-aggrandizement,” he added.

For Umar, the three co-equal branches of government must operate independently while cooperating with each other, urging President Bola Tinubu to shun all traces of sycophancy, especially coming from top government officials like the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

He stated that one enduring lesson from the conduct of the officers and men is their decision to operate above sycophancy but to hold their superior officers to account, explaining that sadly, this does not appear to have a positive impact on the country’s political leaders.

“Sycophancy everywhere has become the scourge of selfless and accountable leadership. It is the reason for the arrogance and vanity we see in our leaders at all levels. Men of straw are widely and falsely being elevated to the position of icons by self-seeking sycophants.

“Mr. President must lead in a war against sycophancy in all its forms. This must allow for no exceptions including the rapidly growing trend of naming and renaming public institutions, facilities and other infrastructure after a President or State Governor while in office.

“The other day, the Senate President was reported to have predicted that President Bola Tinubu would win the 2027 election with 99.9 per cent of the votes! Even allowing for the fact that this Senate President is widely known for his humorous incitement, Mr President will do well to shun such oracles,” he stated. (THISDAY)

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