Chief Dele Momodu, publisher of Ovation magazine, has expressed gratitude for being left out of the national honours list announced by President Bola Tinubu during his Democracy Day address.
In a statement on Thursday, Momodu suggested that receiving an honour from the Tinubu administration would have been an embarrassment, given his concerns about the administration’s commitment to democratic values.
Momodu stated that he had no regrets about being omitted from the list, considering the current state of democracy in Nigeria under the Tinubu administration.
He questioned the credibility of the Tinubu administration in upholding democratic values, implying that an honour from this administration might be seen as a compromise.
Momodu expressed gratitude for being rescued from what might have been misconstrued as compromise or disrespect if he had accepted an honour from President Tinubu, whom he considers a friend but disagrees with on political views.
Despite his reservations, Momodu congratulated all the honorees on the list.
He said: ”RE: JUNE 12 NATIONAL HONORS’ CONTROVERSY”I wish to humbly disagree with all those who have reached out to me protesting or complaining that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ‘deliberately’ missed out my name in the JUNE 12 HONORS’ List released earlier today. I will like to make the following observations:
“It is the prerogative of every government to determine those it wishes to recognise and honor.
“Honorary awards are endless and can be given now, later or never. There are well deserving heroes whose names were clearly omitted.
“JUNE 12 1993 has been extremely kind to me by offering me the opportunities to fight for Democracy in various capacities. I was amply compensated by the collective sacrifices made by Nigerians. I returned from exile with so many goodies as ordained by almighty God, including the global brand, Ovation International, a second address & citizenship in the UK, a third address in Ghana, worldwide fame & acclaim, and so on.
“I would have been embarrassed to be recognized by a regime that’s unapologetically trampling on tenets of democracy and dangerously leading our dear beloved nation down the slope of dictatorship and full-blown tyranny. On the other hand, it would have been considered rude and impudent of me to reject such a National honor from a man I still consider my Big Brother and friend, despite my vehement disagreement and displeasure with him over matters of political views…
”I wish to sincerely thank the President for rescuing me from what might have been misconstrued as compromise, arrogance or disrespect…Massive congratulations to all the honorees…”
