The man who had been on the side of the oppressed since his adolescent years, Prof. Wole Soyinka, yesterday described Leah Sharibu, the student of the Federal Government College, Dapchi in Yobe State, who was kidnapped and was still being held by her captors, Boko Haram, as one whose courage could be likened to that of late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, the wife of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Bashorun MKO Abiola.
Speaking yesterday during the 22nd remembrance anniversary of late Kudirat held in Lagos, Soyinka said Leah Sharibu’s refusal to succumb to the will of her abductors despite threat and intimidation, resonated the late Abiola’s wife spirit for freedom and liberty.
Soyinka while commending Sharibu’s courage, said he was quite happy that there were young women taking up the struggle for a better democratic society just as spearheaded by the late Kudirat Abiola, adding that such women already have in them the spirit of Kudirat, which speaks for humanity.
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He said: “I was quite impressed with what I saw in that young girl, Leah Sharibu, who told her abductors that, ‘No, You can’t take away from me, my freedom.’ I saw in her, the spirit of Kudirat Abiola. When she said No, she spoke for all of us. Irrespective of our differences, irrespective of our faiths and different ideologies, she represents all of us.
“She spoke for our collective humanity. And I will implore us not to forget such name in our minds. Let us understand what they stand for and what they are fighting for.â€
Also speaking at the occasion, Leader of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (rtd), stressed the need for Nigeria to be restructured, nothing that; “If we don’t have a federal structure, we will continue to experience what we have in government today.
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In her address, President of Women Arise for Change Initiative, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, said 22 years after Kudirat was hacked down gruesomely, many ordinary Nigerians were still being lost in inexplicable circumstances.
“The impunity must stop. All killers should be seen as terrorists. Government must be more responsible in protecting the lives of the people. In memory of Kudirat Abiola, all eligible voters must ensure that they get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), participate in the election and ensure that their votes count. We must not allow anybody to annul our election like it happened in 1993,†she said.
Speaking at the graveside of her mother, Mrs. Hafsat Abiola-Costello, said what Nigerians want from government is good results; he therefore advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to seek re-election if he knew that he doesn’t have the energy to steer the ship of Nigeria beyond 2019.
“I am sad that despite my mother’s death and the sacrifice of many people, who fought for Nigeria’s democracy, people are still suffering and Nigeria is not progressing. Government is doing something, but the effect is not enough; what we need is result. We should do something for Nigeria to be a great country.â€
www.sojworld.com © June 4, 2018
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