Professor Odion Akhaine bemoans the current Nigerian authorities’ failure to uphold the country’s ideals. According to Vanguard, he tells his own terrifying June 12 incident, which is evidence of the sacrifices made in the nation’s struggle for democracy.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Recalling his detention during the struggle for the revalidation of the election, Akhaine paints a vivid picture of the perilous situation he faced. Detained multiple times, he recounts the uncertainty of whether he would emerge alive, especially after the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa by the Abacha regime. Akhaine vividly remembers his encounter with Saro-Wiwa, urging him not to return to Port Harcourt where he was subsequently arrested and later hanged.
In his words, “June 12 reminds me of the crisis of governance in this country. And like veterans, when you look back, you just thank God that you are still alive to even talk about it. I wasn’t sure I was going to come out of detention alive, particularly when I heard that Ken Saro-Wiwa had been hanged by Abacha. I was in Birnin Kebbi Prison at the time.
“Beko Ransome-Kuti and I met Ken Saro-Wiwa on the evening he was returning to Port Harcourt. And we were telling him not to go back and that he would be picked up. He was a stubborn man. He went back and they picked him up. That was the last time Saro-Wiwa saw freedom until the day he was hanged. I knew that Ken Saro-Wiwa wasn’t in Port Harcourt the day the killings he was accused of instigating took place. When I learnt he was killed, I lost hope because I was accused of seeking foreign assistance to form an army.“
He added that it was the intervention of individuals like Chief Anthony Enahoro that ensured his eventual release.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>