President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has said that members of the National and State Assemblies were major beneficiaries of the decision of former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar to handover power to a civilian administration in 1999.
Akpabio stated this at the public presentation of three books in honour of the former head of state and his 84th birthday celebration on Saturday at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential villa.
A statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom quoted Akpabio as saying, “Your Excellency, on behalf of my colleagues, I thank you that patriotic action and decision you took on May 29th 1999. By that action, you restored democratic structures at both the National and states level. We the lawmakers are major beneficiaries of that act of sacrifice in the over two decades.
” My colleagues are awaiting your approval for a date to celebrate and honour you for your selflessness and sacrifice for this nation despite the pressure from sycophants in the corridors of power for you to extend your tenure by one year, three or six months.
“I salute your courage and sacrifice because you did not allow yourself to be misled by sycophants who came to impress it on upon you to extend your handing over date by either one year, six or three months. If you had changed your mind due to that pressure no body would have challenged you. But as a man of integrity with the fear of God, you ignored them and kept to your promise and when it was time, you put in place, a democratically elected goverment with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the first beneficiary of that decision.
“Your Excellency, This podium is too small for members of the National and State Assemblies to eulogise and celebrate you because you did alot for Nigeria and Nigerians. During Military rules 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 at the shortest time.”
Akpabio noted that “your emergence as the 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. My prayers and that of my colleagues in the NASS for you is that you will live to see more decades after today.
Thank you for putting down your thoughts in the biography for Nigerians and for the the enrichment of our history. Nigerians yet unborn would ever be grateful for what you did on that fateful day.”
Jackson Udom
Special Assistant To President Of The Senate On Media.
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