June 12 Democracy Day: Why Nigeria celebrates

On June 6, 2018, then-President Muhammadu Buhari announced that May 29 would be replaced by June 12 as Nigeria's Democracy Day, a day set aside to celebrate the return of democracy after decades of disruptive military interference.

Before Buhari's announcement, May 29 had been celebrated as Nigeria's Democracy Day for 18 years after it was first set by the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2000.

At the time, Obasanjo had just been elected Nigeria's first democratic president after 16 long years of military rule that culminated in the death of autocratic military Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

General Sani Abacha was Nigeria's last true dictator [Reuters] Reuters

Before then, Nigeria had only experienced four years of democracy when Shehu Shagari governed as president between 1979 and 1983 after the military ruled the country for the previous 13 years.

Instituting May 29 as Nigeria's Democracy Day was a way of setting a day aside to commemorate the restoration of democracy, a return of civil liberties and an end to parasitic military dictators.

Starting in 2000, Democracy Day was usually declared a public holiday and the president typically addresses the nation about the works of his administration and strengthening the country's ideals with democratic tenets and ideals.

In 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari changed the date to celebrate Democracy Day from May 29 to June 12 [Presidency] Pulse Nigeria

Why June 12 is symbolic as a Democracy Day

Buhari's decision to change the date when Democracy Day is celebrated was informed by the need to immortalise an event that could have ushered the return of democracy much sooner than it eventually did.

When the military government of General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) seized power from then-Major General Muhammadu Buhari's government in a 1985 coup, he promised that it would be a transition government that would hand over power to a civilian government by 1990.

When a democratic presidential election was eventually conducted on June 12, 1993, businessman, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, was presumed to be the winner.

However, before the announcement of the result of the election, widely-considered to be free and fair, IBB annulled it by issuing a decree to repeal the Presidential Elections (Basic Constitutional and Transitional Provisions) decree and terminated the transition process to democratic governance.

MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential election, died in prison fighting for his mandate [Guardian] ece-auto-gen

After IBB handed over to a transition committee led by Chief Ernest Shonekan, it was soon overthrown by Abacha, the man who imprisoned Abiola. The two died just a month apart in 1998, both under mysterious circumstances.

Buhari admitted that his decision to make June 12 the new Democracy Day was an attempt to assuage wounded feelings and heal a grievous injury that was done to the country's democratic institution.

Every Democracy Day is a day for Nigerians to cherish what the return of democracy has done to the country even as they hope desperately that it yields more benefits than it has in over two decades.