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Updated: Buhari signs June 12 Bill into law

Buhari signs June 12 Bill into law

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday signed the June 12 Bill into law.

This was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters( Senate) Ita Enang.

Enang however did not expatiate further but noted that with the signing of the Bill into law, Nigeria can now celebrate June 12 as the nation’s Democracy Day.

President Muhammadu Buhari had in June, 2018 declared June 12 as Nigeria’s Democracy Day, in honour of Moshood Abiola, the presumed winner of the 1993 Presidential election which was later annulled

Buhari also posthumously awarded the nation’s highest national honour of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), an exclusive preserve of serving and former Heads of States and President’s on MKO Abiola.

Read Also: Food Security: starvation in Nigeria is inexcusable; Buhari

The President also conferred on Abiola’s running mate in that election, Babagana Kingibe, with the second highest honour of the Grand Commander of the Niger (GCON).

The Senate had on 16th May passed the Public Holiday (Amendment) of Act 2019, which seeks to add June 12 as a public holiday and as Nigeria’s Democracy Day.

The same bill was passed earlier by the House of Representatives in December, 2018 before it was transmitted to the Senate for concurrence.

Signing the bill confers legitimacy on the declaration of Wednesday June 12, 2019, as a public holiday and Nigeria’s Democracy Day, even as President Buhari also shifted the traditional Democracy Day of May 29th activities and celebrations to June 12.

Accordingly the program released for the Democracy Day celebrations, world leaders are expected to with the event as part of the programs put up for inauguration of President Buhari’s administration for the second term.

This BusinessDay gathered on Monday, was mainly responsible for the low key celebration on May 29 which also witnessed the absence of any speech by the President.

The President is expected to deliver his inauguration speech after the military parades at the Eagle Square, Abuja on Wednesday, where the invited world leaders will be in attendance