Chief-frank-ovie-kokori-the-hero-of-our-time-and-his-june-12-revolution
September 7, 2020 | News
CHIEF FRANK OVIE KOKORI – THE HERO OF OUR TIME AND HIS JUNE 12 REVOLUTION
Comrade Frank Kokori, former General Secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG)
Let me first start of by stating categorically here that I am writing this piece on Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, not because I am an Urhobo man from Delta Central like him, or that he is my brother and tribesman, but it is simply because we as a nation, have not honoured this great hero of our time, who has not been honoured the way he ought to be honoured. While there are some persons like him, Kokori remains one of the few dogged and die-hard Nigerian Patriots who had risked their lives and that of their families to join forces with other Patriots like Tai Solarin, Beko Ransome-Kuti, Gani Fawehinmi, Anthony Enahoro, Abraham Adesanya, Alex Ibru, Wole Soyinka, Frederick Fasehun, Kudirat Abiola, etc., to fight and force the military juntas in the 80s and 90s to usher in the Democracy that we now practice. Such a person deserves to be honoured while he is still alive, not when he is no more.
In a recent published interview, the former General Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, revealed, amongst other things, the role he played with others to revalidate the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, which was annulled by former Military Head of State, Ibrahim Badamosi Babaginda (IBB). Perhaps his book, “Frank Kokori: The Struggle For June 12,” would best give Nigerians the sort of sacrifice he and others played for Nigeria’s Democracy. The said book details, in depth, the events before, during and after the said June 12, 1993 election, up until the incarceration of Chief Kokori as well as the political fall-out which followed. Chief Kokori, with the NUPENG, did what many in higher authorities could not do in facing the then military government.
In Chief Kokori’s words: “I was one of those that fought for June 12 and I went to jail for it. What surprises me is that the struggle was recognized by the least expected person in Nigeria. I had thought that former President Obasanjo who benefited from the struggle would make June 12 Democracy Day but he didn’t. It is now coming from President Muhammadu Buhari, the least expected person to make June 12 Democracy Day. I have always said that there is no alternative to democracy even though that today, 20 years after, I’m disillusioned with the manner of democracy in Nigeria. I had expected that by now, Nigeria should have passed this era of corrupt politicians who don’t think about the masses, who think about their own pockets alone, I had thought that by now, oppression, killings and banditry would be a thing of the past…Many of us suffered and some even died. I was put in the worst prisons ever. I was held in solitary confinement at Bame Prisons. I didn’t know I would come out alive but I did. I’m disappointed by the democracy we have today but military rule is not an alternative. I know what I went through as the arrow-head of the oil workers.
“This country would have gone far in developmental issues. We wouldn’t be talking about these mischief, kidnappings, killings, herdsmen or banditry by now. When you practice true federalism, these problems wouldn’t be here.
When asked if perceive any likelihood of implosion in Nigeria, as many think Nigeria is an accident waiting to happen, Chief Kokori warned: “Obviously, that’s what could happen if nothing is done to tackle the problems besieging the country. If people are being cheated anywhere in the world, that’s what happens. An implosion will happen or why did we go for June 12 struggle? It is because the military was cheating us. Nobody put them there, they put themselves and were cheating Nigerians. That’s why we went for June 12 struggle. Talking is not enough. Action speaks louder than words and that was what June 12 struggle was about. We were saying enough is enough and that is what struggle is all about. During June 12, journalists suffered. There was the militant press and they were banned, they were shut down. I still remember those magazines: The News, Tempo, Punch, Guardian, Concord. They all joined the struggle. But now, everywhere has been monetised, every institution has been monetised including Journalists, Labour leaders. They have been monetised. The Judiciary is the major problem we have in this country. The declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day is much deeper than we think.
“The annulment of the election, considered Nigeria’s freest ever, and the detention of Abiola led to major protests and strikes by workers’ unions. NUPENG launched a nationwide strike in 1994 condemning the annulment and demanding that Abiola be freed and inaugurated. I was arrested in August of the same year and detained without charges by the Sani Abacha military government. I was put in solitary confinement in Bama Prison. I was released in 1998 when General Abdulsalam Abubakar, who succeeded Abacha came into power and ordered my release as well as that of other detained political activists and journalists. I was declared Prisoner of Conscience by the late Nelson Mandela and Pope Saint John Paul II in 1997 and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Amnesty International (AI) declared me prisoner of conscience between August 1994 and June 1998.”
Chief Kokori even noted how the leadership of NLC at that time betrayed him, betrayed the revolution that he was leading. In his words: “We were almost taking out the military by force. We were close to removing Abacha. If I wasn’t captured, in a matter of weeks, that government would have fallen. The military were getting in touch with us at the time and we were succeeding... Democracy is what reigns now and nonody looks forward to a military revolution anymore. It is global and no reasonable person should call for it. The people at the helm of affairs are also ex-military… I guess, if the dead could laugh, all those who are part of June 12 struggle that have died would be roaring with laughter in their graves… No, they would be crying that after 20 years of democracy, Nigeria is still in mess. They will be happy that June 12 is now Democracy Day but when they see what’s going on in Nigeria, they will cry. Poverty has gone haywire in these 20 years of democracy. The only thing is that they won’t lock you up anyhow anymore and if they did, you would go to court to challenge them. After two or three weeks, they would release you even when you have stolen N20bn or N40bn. But even the dead, like former Head of State, General Abacha is still sending alerts from the grave… It’s not only Abacha that stole money, others did and they need to pay up too. Abacha died under his circumstances and that is why he is paying. Others who have been indicted are not paying. Nigeria has the highest number of rogue politicians in the world. All the people around him, the only person who is not making money is Buhari himself which I think is inbuilt in him. That’s why I said he should shine his eyes or these people will ruin his name.”
All we can say is that Chief Kokori is really a great man that needs to be honoured and given the right place in the Nigerian society. Chief Frank Ovie Kokori cannot be described as a rich man. In fact, all his life has been a struggle and fight for the common man. I believe this mentality in Nigeria where people that are national heroes are never celebrated and honoured when they are alive, should be done away with. We should not wait for someone to die before he/she is honoured. We should learn to honour our national heroes and those who have sacrificed for the good of all and sundry, while they are alive, so that they can at least enjoy the sacrifice they have made as patriots.
Today, Nigerians talk about Democracy but Chief Frank Ovie Kokori’s name is never or hardly mentioned. This is someone that ought to be honoured nationally. Not just being given a National Award/Honour, but we are talking about honouring him in a more tangible and concrete manner. An honour worthy of a “NATIONAL HERO” should be accorded to Chief Frank Ovie Kokori. We should not wait until he is no more before we start bringing out the drums, like we normally do, to celebrate his time and life. He should be honoured now that he is still very much alive and healthy.
Zik Gbemre.
We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes as if Those Were Our Causes
Comrade Frank Kokori, former General Secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG)
Let me first start of by stating categorically here that I am writing this piece on Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, not because I am an Urhobo man from Delta Central like him, or that he is my brother and tribesman, but it is simply because we as a nation, have not honoured this great hero of our time, who has not been honoured the way he ought to be honoured. While there are some persons like him, Kokori remains one of the few dogged and die-hard Nigerian Patriots who had risked their lives and that of their families to join forces with other Patriots like Tai Solarin, Beko Ransome-Kuti, Gani Fawehinmi, Anthony Enahoro, Abraham Adesanya, Alex Ibru, Wole Soyinka, Frederick Fasehun, Kudirat Abiola, etc., to fight and force the military juntas in the 80s and 90s to usher in the Democracy that we now practice. Such a person deserves to be honoured while he is still alive, not when he is no more.
In a recent published interview, the former General Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, revealed, amongst other things, the role he played with others to revalidate the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, which was annulled by former Military Head of State, Ibrahim Badamosi Babaginda (IBB). Perhaps his book, “Frank Kokori: The Struggle For June 12,” would best give Nigerians the sort of sacrifice he and others played for Nigeria’s Democracy. The said book details, in depth, the events before, during and after the said June 12, 1993 election, up until the incarceration of Chief Kokori as well as the political fall-out which followed. Chief Kokori, with the NUPENG, did what many in higher authorities could not do in facing the then military government.
In Chief Kokori’s words: “I was one of those that fought for June 12 and I went to jail for it. What surprises me is that the struggle was recognized by the least expected person in Nigeria. I had thought that former President Obasanjo who benefited from the struggle would make June 12 Democracy Day but he didn’t. It is now coming from President Muhammadu Buhari, the least expected person to make June 12 Democracy Day. I have always said that there is no alternative to democracy even though that today, 20 years after, I’m disillusioned with the manner of democracy in Nigeria. I had expected that by now, Nigeria should have passed this era of corrupt politicians who don’t think about the masses, who think about their own pockets alone, I had thought that by now, oppression, killings and banditry would be a thing of the past…Many of us suffered and some even died. I was put in the worst prisons ever. I was held in solitary confinement at Bame Prisons. I didn’t know I would come out alive but I did. I’m disappointed by the democracy we have today but military rule is not an alternative. I know what I went through as the arrow-head of the oil workers.
“This country would have gone far in developmental issues. We wouldn’t be talking about these mischief, kidnappings, killings, herdsmen or banditry by now. When you practice true federalism, these problems wouldn’t be here.
When asked if perceive any likelihood of implosion in Nigeria, as many think Nigeria is an accident waiting to happen, Chief Kokori warned: “Obviously, that’s what could happen if nothing is done to tackle the problems besieging the country. If people are being cheated anywhere in the world, that’s what happens. An implosion will happen or why did we go for June 12 struggle? It is because the military was cheating us. Nobody put them there, they put themselves and were cheating Nigerians. That’s why we went for June 12 struggle. Talking is not enough. Action speaks louder than words and that was what June 12 struggle was about. We were saying enough is enough and that is what struggle is all about. During June 12, journalists suffered. There was the militant press and they were banned, they were shut down. I still remember those magazines: The News, Tempo, Punch, Guardian, Concord. They all joined the struggle. But now, everywhere has been monetised, every institution has been monetised including Journalists, Labour leaders. They have been monetised. The Judiciary is the major problem we have in this country. The declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day is much deeper than we think.
“The annulment of the election, considered Nigeria’s freest ever, and the detention of Abiola led to major protests and strikes by workers’ unions. NUPENG launched a nationwide strike in 1994 condemning the annulment and demanding that Abiola be freed and inaugurated. I was arrested in August of the same year and detained without charges by the Sani Abacha military government. I was put in solitary confinement in Bama Prison. I was released in 1998 when General Abdulsalam Abubakar, who succeeded Abacha came into power and ordered my release as well as that of other detained political activists and journalists. I was declared Prisoner of Conscience by the late Nelson Mandela and Pope Saint John Paul II in 1997 and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Amnesty International (AI) declared me prisoner of conscience between August 1994 and June 1998.”
Chief Kokori even noted how the leadership of NLC at that time betrayed him, betrayed the revolution that he was leading. In his words: “We were almost taking out the military by force. We were close to removing Abacha. If I wasn’t captured, in a matter of weeks, that government would have fallen. The military were getting in touch with us at the time and we were succeeding... Democracy is what reigns now and nonody looks forward to a military revolution anymore. It is global and no reasonable person should call for it. The people at the helm of affairs are also ex-military… I guess, if the dead could laugh, all those who are part of June 12 struggle that have died would be roaring with laughter in their graves… No, they would be crying that after 20 years of democracy, Nigeria is still in mess. They will be happy that June 12 is now Democracy Day but when they see what’s going on in Nigeria, they will cry. Poverty has gone haywire in these 20 years of democracy. The only thing is that they won’t lock you up anyhow anymore and if they did, you would go to court to challenge them. After two or three weeks, they would release you even when you have stolen N20bn or N40bn. But even the dead, like former Head of State, General Abacha is still sending alerts from the grave… It’s not only Abacha that stole money, others did and they need to pay up too. Abacha died under his circumstances and that is why he is paying. Others who have been indicted are not paying. Nigeria has the highest number of rogue politicians in the world. All the people around him, the only person who is not making money is Buhari himself which I think is inbuilt in him. That’s why I said he should shine his eyes or these people will ruin his name.”
All we can say is that Chief Kokori is really a great man that needs to be honoured and given the right place in the Nigerian society. Chief Frank Ovie Kokori cannot be described as a rich man. In fact, all his life has been a struggle and fight for the common man. I believe this mentality in Nigeria where people that are national heroes are never celebrated and honoured when they are alive, should be done away with. We should not wait for someone to die before he/she is honoured. We should learn to honour our national heroes and those who have sacrificed for the good of all and sundry, while they are alive, so that they can at least enjoy the sacrifice they have made as patriots.
Today, Nigerians talk about Democracy but Chief Frank Ovie Kokori’s name is never or hardly mentioned. This is someone that ought to be honoured nationally. Not just being given a National Award/Honour, but we are talking about honouring him in a more tangible and concrete manner. An honour worthy of a “NATIONAL HERO” should be accorded to Chief Frank Ovie Kokori. We should not wait until he is no more before we start bringing out the drums, like we normally do, to celebrate his time and life. He should be honoured now that he is still very much alive and healthy.
Zik Gbemre.
We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes as if Those Were Our Causes