President Tinubu confers CFR honour on Colonel Abubakar Umar for his role in the June 12 democratic movement, correcting earlier omission
President Bola Tinubu has honoured Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (Rtd) with the national award of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), recognising his prominent role in the struggle to uphold democracy during the June 12 movement.
Also read: Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lauds Tinubu for Honouring Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, Calls for INEC HQ Naming
The announcement came on Wednesday at the commissioning of a 300-bed hospital and vocational training institute in Kaduna State, where Tinubu described Umar as a “soldier of democracy” who stood firmly for justice during Nigeria’s most turbulent political era.
Colonel Umar, a former military governor of Kaduna State, had been conspicuously missing from the Democracy Day honours list announced on June 12, drawing criticism from many who viewed his omission as an oversight. Tinubu used the occasion to apologise publicly.
“Today, let me use this opportunity to correct an omission. Some of those people that I missed during the June 12 broadcast in the National Assembly is Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar. Today, let me correct that by honouring him with a national recognition of CFR,” the President said.
Umar is celebrated for his outspoken condemnation of the annulment of the 1993 presidential election and his continued advocacy for democratic governance in Nigeria, even while in military service.
On June 12, during a special address to a joint session of the National Assembly, President Tinubu had awarded national honours to several key figures in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle, including Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka (GCON), Catholic Bishop Matthew Kukah (CON), human rights lawyer Femi Falana (CON), and the late Kudirat Abiola, who received a posthumous CFR award.
Others recognised included veteran journalist Sam Amuka-Pemu, members of the defunct Ogoni Nine led by Ken Saro-Wiwa, and former electoral commission chairman Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, also honoured posthumously.
The Presidency has since dismissed a fake list of honourees circulating on social media, which included activist Aisha Yesufu among others.
It reaffirmed that only names publicly mentioned by the President during his official speech are valid.
Also read: Tinubu Recognises Guardian Publisher’s Role, Alex Ibru in Democracy at the National Honour CON Award
With the conferment of the CFR on Colonel Umar, President Tinubu has addressed a major gap in the June 12 recognition, reaffirming the government’s respect for those who championed Nigeria’s return to democratic rule.
