Hero of Democracy: A Tribute to Comrade Chima Ubani

As Nigeria reflects on June 12, a landmark in the nation’s democratic struggle, we must remember not only Chief MKO Abiola, the symbol of a stolen mandate, but also the unsung heroes who stood on the frontlines, gave their lives, and inspired generations. One such hero is Comrade Chima Ubani, a towering figure in Nigeria’s pro-democracy and human rights movement.

Chima was our own Che Guevara — a revolutionary bridge between thought and action, a committed Marxist, and a tireless advocate for the oppressed. He emerged as a powerful voice in the tumultuous years of military dictatorship, when the regimes of Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha turned their guns against the people. In the face of state repression, Chima mobilized, organized, resisted — and paid the price.

During the campaign for the revalidation of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, won by Chief MKO Abiola but criminally annulled, Chima stood tall. He traversed the country rallying the masses against military rule, even as the risk of arrest and detention by the State Security Service (SSS) loomed constantly over him. But he was undeterred. For Chima, democracy was not a slogan — it was a call to action.

Born in 1964 to a clergyman in Eastern Nigeria, Chima’s activism began at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), where he graduated as the best student in Crop Science. It was there that he first displayed the integrity, clarity, and courage that would define his life. When campaigning for the presidency of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Chima delivered a speech that remains etched in student activism history:

“I seek your mandate not so that I may lead you to go and burn down Ekpo Refectory. The Vice Chancellor does not eat there. Only students do. I seek your mandate not so that I may lead you to go and burn down the university library. The Registrar does not read there. I seek your mandate so I may say Yes when you say Yes and to say No when you say No.”

This was Chima: principled, strategic, and deeply committed to collective leadership and democratic accountability.

During his time at UNN, Comrade Emma Ezeazu, another revolutionary leader and icon of the democratic struggle, was serving as President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). When Ezeazu was abducted by the SSS for mobilizing students nationwide to protest IMF and World Bank-backed economic policies imposed by the Babangida regime, Chima rose in protest. He described Ezeazu as:

“the epitome of every Nigerian student’s aspirations.”

This was not mere rhetoric — it was solidarity in action. Chima’s leadership was forged in the fire of collective struggle, deeply rooted in empathy and grounded in the ideals of justice and liberation.

Throughout his adult life, Chima played pivotal roles in various pro-democracy movements. He served as General Secretary of the Campaign for Democracy (CD) under Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, Joint Secretary of the United Action for Democracy (UAD), and General Secretary of the Democratic Alternative (DA). As a strategist, mobilizer, and gifted orator, his speeches could electrify crowds, and his quiet strength could rally coalitions across ideological divides.

On September 20, 2005, Chima traveled to Maiduguri to participate in nationwide rallies protesting fuel price hikes under the Obasanjo administration. He died the following day, September 21, 2005, in a tragic car accident on the Potiskum road — a martyr in the service of the people.

At the time of his death, he was the Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), continuing his lifelong mission of defending the oppressed, amplifying the voice of the voiceless, and challenging authoritarianism in all its forms.

As we mark June 12, let us remember Comrade Chima Ubani — not just as a fallen hero, but as a living idea. His life is a reminder that democracy is built not only by those who win elections but by those who sacrifice comfort, safety, and ultimately life itself to make freedom possible.

“The memories of the dead weigh heavily on the conscience of the living.”

We owe it to Chima and all our heroes to keep resisting tyranny in whatever form it appears, and to build the just and democratic Nigeria they dreamed of.

Okechukwu Nwanguma

Executive Director, RULAAC