President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has said that members of the National and State Assemblies were major beneficiaries of former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar’s decision to hand over power to a civilian government in 1999.
Akpabio stated this on Saturday at the public presentation of three books in honour of Abdulsalami and his 84th birthday celebration at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, Akpabio described Abdulsalami’s action as a patriotic sacrifice that restored democratic structures at both federal and state levels.
“Your Excellency, on behalf of my colleagues, I thank you for that patriotic action and decision you took on May 29, 1999. By that action, you restored democratic structures at both the national and state levels. We, the lawmakers, are major beneficiaries of that act of sacrifice in the last two decades,” Akpabio said.
He said lawmakers are awaiting Abdulsalami’s approval for a date to celebrate and honour him for his selflessness despite pressure from sycophants to extend his tenure.
“My colleagues are awaiting your approval for a date to celebrate and honour you for your selflessness and sacrifice for this nation despite pressure from sycophants in the corridors of power for you to extend your tenure by one year, three or six months,” he stated.
Akpabio saluted Abdulsalami’s courage for resisting pressure to elongate military rule, noting that no one would have challenged him if he had changed his mind.
“I salute your courage and sacrifice because you did not allow yourself to be misled by sycophants who came to impress it upon you to extend your handover date by either one year, six or three months. If you had changed your mind due to that pressure, nobody would have challenged you,” he said.
He added that Abdulsalami acted with integrity and the fear of God by keeping to his promise and handing over power as scheduled.
“But as a man of integrity with the fear of God, you ignored them and kept to your promise. When it was time, you put in place a democratically elected government with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the first beneficiary of that decision,” Akpabio said.
The Senate President said the occasion was too small for members of the National and State Assemblies to properly eulogise Abdulsalami because of his contributions to Nigeria’s democracy.
“Your Excellency, this podium is too small for members of the National and State Assemblies to eulogise and celebrate you because you did a lot for Nigeria and Nigerians,” he stated.
Akpabio noted that the legislature usually suffers the most during military rule, unlike the executive and judiciary, which remain intact.
“During military rule, the Executive and Judiciary are always intact. It is the legislature that is usually suspended, and that is why we have to celebrate you for restoring democracy in the shortest time,” he said.
He described Abdulsalami’s emergence as Head of State in 1998 as the fulfilment of God’s plan for him to lead Nigeria at a critical period.
“Your emergence as Head of State in 1998 was a fulfilment of God’s plans for you. You were destined to lead Nigeria, and no one could change it,” Akpabio added.
He prayed that Abdulsalami would live for many more decades and thanked him for documenting his thoughts in a biography for posterity.
“My prayers, and that of my colleagues in the NASS, for you is that you will live to see many more decades after today. Thank you for putting down your thoughts in the biography for Nigerians and for the enrichment of our history,” he said.
Akpabio concluded that generations yet unborn would remain grateful for Abdulsalami’s role in returning Nigeria to democratic rule on May 29, 1999.
“Nigerians yet unborn will ever be grateful for what you did on that fateful day,” he said.
