No June 12 holiday in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo

Indications have emerged that this year’s celebration
of the anniversary of the June 12, 1993 presidential
election in the South-West may not be marked with
the usual.
Unlike what obtained before, only Osun State declared
a public holiday for the event while Lagos will only
hold a talk cum symposium. Other states,
investigations, revealed, have no definite programmes
lined up for the day. There are six states in the South-
West geo-political zone.
In Ekiti, Governor Ayodele Fayose said he would not
declare a public holiday in Ekiti State to celebrate
June 12.
His Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, simply
said, “No” when asked by our correspondent if the
governor would declare a public holiday.
Adelusi did not give a reason for the decision.
The Ondo State Government said it did not declare a
public holiday to commemorate June 12 because the
day fell on a Sunday which is a resting day for public
and private workers.
But the state Commissioner for information, Mr.
Kayode Akinmade, said apart from the day being a
Sunday, the state has a special way of celebrating
June 12.
He said, “ We have our own special way of marking
June 12, tomorrow (today) will mark four years of our
Free Shuttle Bus Scheme and what it stands for is to
ensure that we democratise access to good things of
life and we want to ensure that we use the
instrumentality of government to help the less-
privileged.
“Abiola’s philosophy when he was alive was
egalitarianism; life abundance for all. It is not about
organising events to mark the day, it is about
practising the tenet, and the practice can be seen in
our programme in Ondo State.”
The Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Taiwo
Adeoluwa, told one of our correspondents that the
state government would not declare Monday a work-
free day in marking this year’s June 12 celebration.
Adeoluwa said all the events for June 12 would be
held on Sunday.
He disclosed that there would be democracy walk by
government officials, civil society organisations, and
students, among others to the Oke-Ido ancestral home
of the late Abiola.
He said, “Every June 12 of each year is declared a
work-free day in the state. This year it fell on a
Sunday, and we shall mark it on that day. We will not
kill another working day by declaring Monday another
work-free day.”
A source in the Oyo State Government said there was
no event slated for the celebration of the day by the
state government.
“As far as I am concerned, I am not aware of any
event or activity slated for the day by the government.
I am also not aware that a public holiday may be
declared,” the source told one of our correspondents.