Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (Rtd) was given the national honor of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) by President Bola Tinubu in recognition of his contribution to the June 12 movement’s struggle for democracy.
The President made the announcement on Wednesday when Kaduna State’s 300-bed hospital and vocational training facility were being put on the go-ahead.
Colonel Umar, a man dubbed the “soldier of democracy,” was not included in the list of June 12 honorees that were announced on Democracy Day.
President Tinubu publicly apologised for the oversight and described him as a “man who stood up for justice and democratic ideals when it mattered most.”
“Let me take advantage of this opportunity to make a correction for a mistake today.” Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar is one of the people I missed watching the National Assembly broadcast on June 12. Let me correct that by honoring the CFR with a national recognition, the President said during his commissioning speech.
Former military governor of Kaduna State Umar is renowned for his unwavering support for democratic governance in Nigeria and for his brave stance against the reversal of the 1993 presidential election.
June 12 Honors
President Tinubu gave several well-known Nigerians and democracy icons national honors earlier on June 12 during his address to a joint session of the National Assembly to mark the country’s 26th Democracy Day.
Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka (GCON), Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah (CON), Femi Falana (CON), human rights lawyer Femi Abiola (CON), and the late Kudirat Abiola, who was honored with a posthumous CFR award for her contribution to the June 12 conflict, were just a few people.
Sam Amuka-Pemu, members of the now-defunct Ogoni Nine led by Ken Saro-Wiwa, and former NEC Chairman Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, whose posthumous award came after a previously rejected Senate motion to immortalize him.
Meanwhile, the Presidency has since debunked a list that is currently available and features unauthorised people, including activist Aisha Yesufu, who calls it “fake news.”
Source: Channels TV
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