DEMOCRACY DAY: Senate Passes “June 12 Holiday Bill”

Even as  democracy day is celebrated May 29 of every year in Nigeria, the Senate on Thursday passed the Public Holiday Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (HBs 918 & and 1529), making June 12 Democracy Day the official date, if signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Recall that there have been serious agitations across the country by stakeholders to make June 12 democracy day.

But, with the amendment of the Public Holiday Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019 which is concurrence with the House of Representatives, there are possibilities that if the President signed the Bill into law, June 12 would be made Democracy Day.

Other bills the Senate concurred with the House of Representatives includes: the Federal Capital Territory Area Councils Service Commission (Est, etc) Bill, 2019 (HB. 975),  and the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (Eat, etc) bill, 2019 (HB 1363).

Others are Projects Development Agency PRODA (Est.etc) Bill, 2019 (HB 1542), Good Samaritan’s Bill, 2019 (HB. 171) and Data Protection Bill, 19

Also , the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, while reeling out the programmes for the inauguration of President Buhari for the second term, had said that the President-elect will take his second term oath of office on May 29, 2019 under low key, and the celebration will take place on June 12, 2019.

Recall that President Buhari had last year immortalised Chief MKO Abiola, the  winner of Nigeria’s presidential election that was held on June 12, 1993.