May 29. The date

            sounds ordinary, abstract even, to worth anybody’s attention, let alone sweat. Afterall, what is in a date? Nothing perhaps. Date is quite an ordinary English word, or better still a mere number on the Iunar calendar.

But in truth, date is more than an ordinary word or number in the life of a man. Life has no meaning without a date. Life, like a convenient milestone, runs on a date; the same way the twelve calendar months are punctuated by dates. There is nothing a man does that is not marked by date. There is a date for birth and a date for death. There is a date for joy and a date for sorrow. There is a date to assume office and a date to disengage. The whole life cycle of a man runs on a date.

Most times, we set the date for ourselves for what we want to do, as in getting married. Once a date is set, it becomes a social contract, more or less a bond that must be fulfilled. But sometimes, the dates are deflated by some intervening variables. In other words, no date is certain. The only date that is sure is the day of death marked for us on the calendar, by the mysterious hand, without our knowledge, let alone our approval.

Take for instance January 2, 1993, a date the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida military junta first set for its disengagement from power. Then, the hope of having a democratically elected civilian government was high. But along the line, something went wrong, and the best plan made by man became a nullity. Then, we moved to August 27, 1993.

Again, hope – that ultimate elixir began to rise. Just as IBB was planning his exit, Nigerians too, especially the supposed major beneficiary of that date, Late M.K.O. Abiola, were anxious to see the date come to reality. August 27, 1993 therefore became a signpost every Nigerian watched with bated breath.

For the umpteenth time, the date was punctuated by the intervening variables, making the hope of having a democratic elected government on that date a forlorn one, once again.

From August 27, 1993, we shifted towards May 29, 1999.

Given the cloud of political  uncertainty, May 29, 1999 looked like a date that would never come. But when eventually the date came with its  ultimate fulfillment, Nigerians could not hold their joy. They rolled out drums to welcome the dawn of a new beginning. Since then, May 29 has become an epoch in the political history of Nigeria.

The question then is, if truly a date is just an ordinary word or number on the calendar that is not worth significant attachment, why then do we cloth some dates in the garb of the monumental? May be, there is something mythical, mysterious even, about them. It is this mystery, I believe, that makes May 29 wear the garb of the monumental.

I have read many people argue both on newspapers and facebook that May 29 is not the ideal Democracy Day. They would rather concede that significance to June 12 which, they say marks the day the real struggle for democracy we are enjoying today started.

While I would want to share their sentiments, given the fact that without June 12, 1993 event, there wouldn’t have been May 29, I equally concede to the fact that  May 29 is significant because it carries the promise of a new beginning, not withstanding that June 12 bears the red flame of democracy.

Besides being Nigeria’s second most important day after October 1 which marks the country’s independence from colonial rule, May 29 marks the day Nigeria became liberated from the shackles of military rule that began with the 15th January, 1966 coup detat which threw up Major General Aguiyi Ironsi as the first Military Head of State. It marks the day the damning plague of military dictatorship that had cast a blight on Nigeria’s  future and development for almost 35 years was destroyed and burnt to flames. So, whatever makes October 1 an epoch-making date also gives May 29 a high degree of uniqueness.

Whether or not May 29 is the ideal Democracy Day should therefore not be a festering issue for debate. What should rather disturb the discerning minds is: how have we made good use of the opportunities May 29 offers us in the last 13 years? Have we fared any better?

By my own reckoning, the progress chart in the last 13 years has not recorded high points. If at all there has been any movement on the vertical axis, it is downward. The progress chart is there for everybody to see and assess. You have the right to disagree.

Boye Salau