TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari will address the nation on Saturday, in commemoration of Democracy Day.

This was disclosed in a statement by Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, on Friday.

According to Adesina, the president will address the nation at 7am.

“To commemorate Nigeria’s Democracy Day, June 12, 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari will address the nation on Saturday, June 12, 2021, at 7am,” the statement reads.

“Television, radio stations and other electronic media outlets are enjoined to hook up to the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority and Radio Nigeria for the broadcast.”

In June 2018, Buhari had declared June 12 as the new date for Democracy Day.

“For the past 18 years, Nigerians have been celebrating May 29th, as Democracy Day. That was the date when for the second time in our history, an elected civilian administration took over from a military government. The first time this happened was on October 21st, 1979,” the president said in a statement on June 6, 2018.

“But in the view of Nigerians, as shared by this administration, June 12th, 1993, was far more symbolic of Democracy in the Nigerian context than May 29th or even the October 1st.

“June 12th, 1993 was the day when Nigerians in millions expressed their democratic will in what was undisputedly the freest, fairest and most peaceful elections since our Independence. The fact that the outcome of that election was not upheld by the then military government does not distract from the democratic credentials of that process.