President Bola Tinubu has awarded Colonel Abubakar Umar (Rtd) the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR). The announcement was made on Thursday at the opening of a 300-bed hospital and vocational training centre in Kaduna.

Colonel Umar, a former military governor of Kaduna State, became one of the few officers who openly criticised the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

The election, widely seen as Nigeria’s freest and fairest, was won by the late Moshood Abiola.

Umar’s bold stance against the annulment by former military ruler Gen Ibrahim Babangida won him national respect and a lasting place in the country’s democratic history.

Speaking in Kaduna, Tinubu called Umar a “soldier of democracy” and apologised for leaving his name out of the list of June 12 honorees announced last week.  The president also thanked Umar for his contributions to Nigeria’s democracy, saying the honour was long overdue.

Tinubu praised the new hospital and training centre as a step forward for healthcare and education in Kaduna. He said it shows what is possible when people work together for progress.