President Bola Tinubu has announced national honours for dozens of activists, journalists, lawyers and military officers who played key roles in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle, using his 2026 Democracy Day address to pay tribute to the heroes of the June 12 movement.
Speaking on Thursday, Tinubu described the recipients as patriots who endured persecution, imprisonment, exile and death in defence of democratic governance.The President recalled the sacrifices of Chief M.K.O. Abiola, the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, his wife Kudirat Abiola, and others including Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Chief Bola Ige, Chief Alfred Rewane, Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti, Frank Kokori and Chima Ubani.
Among those listed for national honours were Debo Adeniran, Joe Okei-Odumakin, Femi Aborisade, Richard Akinnola, Major-General Ishola Williams (retd), Muyiwa Adekeye, Babajide Kolade-Otitoju and Ike Okonta.
Tinubu also recognised a group of military officers he described as “soldier-democrats,” including Major General M.A. Garba, Brigadier General Lawal Jaafaru Isa, Colonel Sambo Dasuki and Brigadier Jonathan Ndam Temlong.
The full honours list, he said, would be released in the coming days. In a separate announcement, the President said the completed Institute of Petroleum Studies in Kaduna would be renamed the General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Sciences and Engineering Technology, in honour of the late statesman’s contributions to Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
Tinubu called on Nigerians to build on the political freedoms won by the June 12 generation, saying the country’s next challenge was economic emancipation. “The heroes of June 12 secured political freedom. Our challenge is to secure economic freedom,” he said.
