Democracy Day: The Need To Know Those Who Destroyed Nigeria

By Retired Journalist, Dr. Kemi Olunloyo

6/12/24

Dear Nigerians: Lets begin the murky history of Nigeria and June 12 cos everything you’ve heard is mostly lies. I interviewed my dad in 2013 and he’s been in almost every government as well as both APC and PDP. YOU need to know that General David Mark a former Senate President, Governor and Minister wanted to KILL MKO Abiola (himself) if “IBB” Ibrahim Babangida did NOT anull Abiola’s election. Mark brought a 10 member delegation to IBB stating his plans. My father was in the room and he was an eyewitness. June 12 is here again and it’s 31 years later. That should be our Election Day in Nigeria instead of their FAKE May 29th swearing presidents disrupting Biafra remembrance the next day, a genocidal past they want us to forget. David Mark went from from a 5 star General in the Nigerian army to the leader of the Senate making laws that put Nigerians in jail for supporting gays and being gay, so you need to know his past! I was not living in Nigeria in 1993, so were many Benue youth that voted David Mark into office, as many were not born📌Their parents did not educate them that he was one of the recycled leaders that destroyed Nigeria.

General David Mark KILLED democracy for our own Southwest Elected President MKO Abiola in the free and fair polls. Until 2021, IBB LIED saying there were challenges with the judiciary and the need for the courts to settle corruption allegations against the candidates amid vote-rigging on the day of the election. Like I said earlier in this write up, the David Mark 10 member delegation warned IBB to annul the election or else they would kill Abiola themselves. IBB potentially saved Abiola’s life but later lied to the Nigerian media in 2021 on Arise News that the “Mark-led” delegation also threatened him without mentioning Mark’s name just saying “top generals.” He claimed there would have been a bloody coup if Abiola was sworn in. He stepped aside for Ernest Shonekan out of Yoruba sympathy whose government was overthrown by Abacha in another coup.

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On the 20th anniversary June 12th 2013, I celebrated Democracy day a public holiday ONLY in South West Nigeria at the time. I held a community hangout at a club in Ibadan to educate youth about democracy and created #Kemocracy the art of voting for who you like not just political parties. In 2019, I voted and campaigned for Omoyele Sowore of the AAC. Since then I have distanced myself from politics no longer reporting it as a newsbeat or campaigning for any candidate. I did not vote 🗳️ in 2023 because I believe
#NothingchangesinNigeria a hashtag I created which Nigerians completely ignored. I left Nigeria early 2023 as I near my US work pensions.

David Mark, the former military Governor of Niger state and Abacha’s Minister of communications also once said cell phones were not for ordinary people banning MTN from Nigeria sending them back to South Africa. MTN then tried Ghana 🇬🇭 Kenya 🇰🇪 and other countries succeeding until 1999 when Obasanjo became President and called them back. Today even farmers have cell phones and many telecoms now operate in Nigeria. David Mark himself also has multiple phones 📱so does the average Nigerian. His late son Tunde died in 2022 at the age of 51yo and spent 2013 to 2014 trolling and threatening me on Facebook for what he called “disrespecting” his dad. Know Nigeria’s past. It shapes the future. Journalism is a rough draft of history. You will not see this factual write up ANYWHERE in a history book. I once followed my dad to an event (Wole Awolowo’s funeral) and David Mark arrived as Senate President and my dad walked out. He said he could not stand being in the same room as Mark.

FYI The Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. 47yo Hon Blessing Onuh in my freestyle collage, a member of the House of Representatives of Nigeria since 2019 representing Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency is the daughter of General Senator David Mark, something common in Nigerian politics having politicians’ children follow their footsteps simply because the ordinary masses don’t have the millions of Naira to buy forms and run. Mark’s salary as Senate President was approximately N600M a year with location allowance allotted to Senate Presidents of N1.2B. He went from military uniform to Agbada destroying the dream of Abiola.

Meanwhile IBB and 89yo Olunloyo remain good friends. My dad and late MKO were good Yoruba friends while Abiola was alive Buhari declared June 12th as #Democracyday in Nigeria 2018 a public holiday honoring Abiola. The ceremony was on live TV with pomp and pageantry from the same people that KILLED ABIOLA’s DREAM.

Happy Democracyday Nigeria