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![‘I Did My Dobale’ – Tinubu Reveals Why He Fell At Democracy Day Parade [Video]](/media/k2/items/cache/22e02fd8cf1ab3aeda2eca19de4f05ee_L.jpg)
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has explained why he fell during a Democracy Day parade at the Eagles Square in Abuja.
Naija News reports that President Tinubu, on Wednesday, slipped and fell while boarding the parade vehicle at the venue of the 2024 Democracy Day.
The President had approached the vehicle shortly after he arrived at the Eagles Square, Abuja venue of the programme. The President lost his footing momentarily as he was about to step into the vehicle.
However, despite the slip, the President regained his balance and continued with the proceedings.
The development attracted several reactions from Nigerians on and off social media.
Speaking at a dinner at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday night, Tinubu said he did not fall but prostrated to great in commemoration of the Democracy Day celebration.
He said: “Earlier this morning, I had a swagger and it’s on social media.”
The president suggested that onlookers might have mistaken his misstep for the popular ‘Buga’ dance move or a traditional Yoruba way of prostrating to greet elders – ‘Idobale’ in Yoruba language.
“They were confused whether I was doing buga or babanriga,” Tinubu said.
“But it’s a day to celebrate democracy while doing ‘dobale’ for the day. I am a traditional Yoruba boy, I did my dobale,” the President jocularly said.
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The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah has called out the nation’s leadership, urging a focus on development and criticizing a culture of self-service.
Bishop Kukah stated this on Wednesday as Nigeria celebrated Democracy Day.
In his address, “Democracy and the Free Market Economy,” Bishop Kukah argued that Nigeria’s democracy is faltering because it hasn’t been adapted to the country’s context.
“Our democracy is in recession, in decline, precisely because it is evident to us that what we are working with is not something that has come from our own historical, cultural or even anthropological experiences.
“The only way democracy can work is that democracy has to be an instrument of development,’ Bishop Kukah said.
The Bishop emphasized the need for clear national goals, a strong moral foundation, and financial discipline.
“The legislators are preoccupied with determining their salaries, fringe benefits, and unnecessary foreign travels.
“As a result of our inability to cultivate the financial discipline and prudent management of our economy, we have come to depend largely on internal and external borrowing to execute government projects.
“The corrupt, inept, and insensitive leadership in the last years have been a source of immorality and impropriety in our society,” he added.
He argued that greed is a major obstacle, not just among the political elite, but among ordinary Nigerians as well.
He said: “The challenge for many countries in Africa, beginning with Nigeria, is how to restrain the greed of the political elite.
“Not only the political elite, but the greed and the appetite of ordinary Nigerians, because it is feeding this beast that has made it impossible for this country to grow.
“We cannot talk about people being corrupt when it is clear to us that the incentives for doing the right thing doesn’t exist.”
Bishop Kukah urged a return to core constitutional principles, including religious freedom and national unity.
He said Nigerians need to “redefine what it is to be a Nigerian. But we must also make sure that the elite claim this argument and claim this space.”
- MOSOP: it’s time to immortalise Saro-Wiwa
The family of the Founder of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Isiotan Fasehun, has protested the omission of their late patriarch from the list of June 12 heroes contained in yesterday’s Democracy Day broadcast by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Movement for The Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) also said the late environmentalist and writer Ken Sar-Wiwa ought to have been immortalised the way Chief MKO Abiola has been honoured.
In a statement in Lagos by the late OPC Founder’s son, Mr. Remi Fasehun, the family described the omission of Dr. Fasehun as uncharitable, ungrateful, and unpardonable.
“The President was a direct beneficiary of our father’s activism and sacrifice for democracy.
“Not only were they in the trenches together, (the late) Fasehun helped Tinubu to escape into exile.
“Several people, who escaped from the country into exile and joined NADECO-Abroad, including Pa Anthony Enahoro, were personally taken by boat and bush paths, through the NADECO Route, by Dr. Fasehun. He was at a point the link between Pa Enahoro-NADECO and NUPENG, the union that played a pivotal role in that struggle.
“He was thrown into prison several times by the General Sani Abacha junta, in Kirikiri, Ilorin, and Kuje. At the infamous Inter-Centre in Ikoyi Cemetery, he was held incommunicado for several months, an experience that inflicted immense damage on him, physically and psychologically, to the extent of leaving his vision impaired for life,” the family said.
In a statement in Port Harcourt by its Publicity Secretary, Saviour Oscar, MOSOP said the President did not recognise the sacrifices of the late Saro-Wiwa and other Ogoni patriots who fought for democracy while recognising the late winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, Basorun Moshood Abiola.
The statement reads: “We thank Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for addressing Nigerians on her 25th Democracy Day. However, it is very sad that Mr. President did not recognise or make mention of the struggle of the Ogoni heroes, led by Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others, who laid down their lives for the rights of the indigenous people.
“We, the Ogoni, have been very much supportive and have contributed so much to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP); so, it’s unfortunate that Mr. President recognised the struggle of MKO Abiola while failing to acknowledge that of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other Ogonis who paid the supreme sacrifice for what we enjoy today as a nation.
“It is still a painful experience for the people of Ogoni that we lost a generation of industrious sons who contributed immensely to the development of Rivers State and Nigeria at large and today, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, just like former President Muhammadu Buhari, recognised Abiola and the incident that led to his election bid and death while ignoring Ken Saro-Wiwa and others. It is painful and very worrisome…”
[TheNation]
A five storey building under construction on Wednesday collapsed in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Sources said the building collapsed around 7:15 am.
DAILY POST was unable to confirm if there were casualties in the incident which occurred at at DMGS Junction, close to the popular Dennis Memorial Grammar School.
“I was going to work this morning when I saw it. The entire building came down in rubbles.
“I don’t think there were casualties in the building because work was not ongoing on the project this morning.
“The cause of the collapse has not been ascertained, but many bystanders who watched from across the road suspected that it may be as a result of use of substandard materials,” the source said.
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A 200-level student from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Federal University Dutse (FUD) in Jigawa State has reportedly thrown her newborn baby from the upper-floor of the female hostel after giving birth.
A female student at the university confirmed to DAILY POST that the incident happened on Monday.
She said the occupants of the Morocco Female Hostel on the university campus woke up to the tragic incident.
According to her, “Early Monday morning, we woke up and saw the newborn baby girl on the floor, dead, thrown from a three-story building.”
She said the girl made the decision to bury her shame after giving birth out of wedlock.
Police spokesman, DSP Lawan Shiisu Adam, confirmed the incident in a statement issued to DAILY POST.
He said police received a report that a 200-level student gave birth and threw the baby from a three-story building, resulting in the infant’s instant death.
He said a team of policemen raced to the scene of the crime after receiving the report and conveyed the baby and mother to Rasheed Shekoni Teaching Hospital Dutse, where the infant was certified dead by a medical doctor on call.
Meanwhile, the suspect was admitted and is responding to therapy.
DSP Shiisu said an investigation is ongoing regarding the incident.
Controversial Nollywood star Yvonne Jegede has clarified that her recent endorsement of colleague, Yul Edochie’s second marriage was not intended to trivialise the pain of his aggrieved first wife, May Edochie.
Jegede had during a recent appearance on ‘The Honest Bunch’ podcast endorsed Yul Edochie’s controversial second marriage to Judy Austin, saying the actor has done “nothing wrong”.
Her comments earned backlash, with many accusing her of trivialising the pain of Edochie’s first wife, May.
Reacting in a statement shared via her Instagram page, Jegede claimed that her words were not articulated in a way that conveyed her true intentions.
“Upon reflecting on the interview, I realize that my words were not articulated in a way that conveyed my true intentions and have been misconstrued as insensitive, particularly towards Mrs May Edochie, a woman who has endured significant pain and hardship occasioned by estranged marriage.
“I deeply regret that my comments were perceived as adding to her distress. It was never my intention to cause any pain or disrespect. I am truly sorry,” the statement said.
She continued: “I want to clarify that my remarks about polygamy were meant to reflect its cultural context and to emphasize that how it is practiced is crucial. My goal was to convey that polygamy is part of our culture, but what matters is how it is approached. Unfortunately, this message was lost in my articulation.
“I want to stress that my comments were not intended to trivialize the pain of Mrs May Edochie or any woman going through a similar struggle. I do not claim to have advanced knowledge of the personal circumstances between Yul Edochie and his ex-wife.”
There is an outbreak of severe gastroenteritis in communities around Eti Osa, Lagos Island, Ikorodu and Kosofe local government areas of Lagos State, leading to the death of five persons while 60 others have been hospitalized
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed this while reacting to the state surveillance reports.
Abayomi was quoted as saying the state government has issued a call for heightened vigilance and the adoption of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of a potential cholera outbreak in the state.
The Commissioner further revealed that sadly five deaths have been recorded mainly from patients presenting late with extreme dehydration.
“We have activated a statewide heightened surveillance and response. The Ministry of Health Directorate of Environmental Health and the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) have been alerted to investigate a possible water contamination source in the Lekki Victoria Island axis. We suspect a possible cholera outbreak; however, samples have been taken for confirmation. As of April 28, 2024, Nigeria reported 815 suspected cholera cases and 14 deaths across 25 states,” he said.
The Commissioner noted that following recent rains, Lagos State has seen a notable increase in cases of severe vomiting and watery stools, adding that urban slums and crowded areas with poor sanitation are particularly at risk.
One of the abducted individuals, a student of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, revealed that the kidnappers demanded approximately N40 million in ransom before releasing them, along with 29 others.
PUNCH Metro reports on Monday that about 30 travellers, including some students of the polytechnic were abducted by kidnappers along the Abuja-Nasarawa Highway on Friday.
Punch correspondent had, on Sunday, gathered from a source who pleaded anonymity due to the nature of the incident that the kidnappers laid siege to the vehicles conveying the travellers and abducted them into a nearby bush in the Uke area of Nasarawa State.
The source stated further that a student among the abductees was travelling to her family in Abuja.
The victim who spoke exclusively with PUNCH Metro, on Tuesday, on the condition of anonymity for fear of attack by the kidnappers, stated that the seven-man kidnappers ambushed their vehicles, shot at the tyres and dispossessed them of their belongings before abducting them into a nearby bush.
The victim narrated further that after the kidnappers had led them into the thick bush, they (the victims) were made to take a rest when they realised that some of the victims were tired.
She disclosed further that at about midnight on Saturday, the kidnappers instructed them to call their relatives to demand N10m ransom each.
The victim narrated further that after several pleadings from the victims, the kidnappers grouped them into two categories of students and non-students and demanded that the students should collectively pay N10m while others should pay N10m each.
The victim added, “We, who are students, started calling our relatives and money was rallied around to make the payment. There is an Alhaji among the other group who raised about N20m and other people raised about N10m. The total money they got was about N40m.
“During the whole incident, we did not see any police officer come around till we were released. It was after they said they had got the money that they allowed us to go. We have gone to the police station but were told to write a statement.”
Meanwhile, a relative had earlier on Tuesday told our correspondent that the victim had reached out to the family informing them that the kidnappers had released them.
“She reached out to us this morning that they had been released. I am on my way to the police station because the number she called us with has not been reachable after the call. I will give you an update later.”
In a follow-up conversation, the relative disclosed that the victim had been reunited with the family.
“She has arrived home. We are grateful that she is safe. She is resting.”
Efforts made by our correspondent to get the reaction of the Nasarawa State Police Public Relations Officer, Rahman Nansel, proved abortive as messages sent to him were not responded to while calls made to his telephone line were unanswered as of the time of filing this report.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sympathised with President Bola Tinubu after the President slipped at the Eagles Square during the 2024 Democracy Day celebration.
Recall on Wednesday, Tinubu slipped at the Eagles Square while boarding the parade vehicle.
The President, however, quickly regained his balance and continued with the proceedings without further issues.
Reacting, Atiku expressed his empathy over the incident, hoping that all is well with the President.
He wrote on X, “I sincerely sympathise with President Bola Tinubu, @officialABAT, over this unfortunate incident as he was set to review the parade on Democracy Day. I do hope that all is well with him. -AA.”
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I sincerely sympathise with President Bola Tinubu, @officialABAT, over this unfortunate incident as he was set to review the parade on Democracy Day. I do hope that all is well with him. -AA pic.twitter.com/XDkm10nVOt
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) June 12, 2024
Veteran Nollywood actor, Dayo Adewunmi, popularly known as Sule Suebebe, is dead.
Naija News learnt that the popular Yoruba actor died on Wednesday morning at an undisclosed hospital in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
According to Punch, news of Suebebe’s death was announced by a popular Ibadan-based cleric, Pastor Ademola Amusan, also known as Agbala Gabriel, who had been caring for the actor in recent months.
Announcing the death via a Facebook post, Agbala Gabriel wrote, “It’s a pity, Baba Suebebe died at the hospital this morning. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.”
It would be recalled that Suebebe became a sensation online in 2023 when he reflected on his past, admitting that he once led a reckless life during his younger years.
Gabriel, a young pastor known for his philanthropy, also provided the veteran actor a new home last year.
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VIDEO: Presidency Reacts As Tinubu Falls During Democracy Day Event At Eagle Square In Abuja
AFOLABI
The presidency has reacted to the slip and fall by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday during the democracy day event held at the Eagle Square in Abuja.
While confirming the slip of the President during the event, the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun noted that it was just a minor incident.
He explained that the President only missed his step while climbing the parade vehicle but there were no issues as he immediately continued with the ceremony.
“Mr President missed his step while climbing into the truck at the June 12 Democracy Day celebration and tripped. It was a mild misstep. He immediately went on with the ceremonial rounds. No issues,” he wrote via X.
Recall Naija News had earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, slipped and fell while boarding the parade vehicle at the venue of the 2024 Democracy Day.
The President had approached the vehicle shortly after he arrived at the Eagles Square, Abuja venue of the programme. The President lost his footing momentarily as he was about to step into the vehicle.
However, despite the slip, the President quickly regained his balance and continued with the proceedings.
Watch the video below.
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— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) June 12, 2024
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday slipped while boarding the parade vehicle at the venue of the 2024 Democracy Day.
The… pic.twitter.com/9ogZtGX6g7
A group of protesters gathered at the Ikeja Underbridge in Lagos on Wednesday morning to express their grievances on the occasion of the 2024 Democracy Day.
Naija News understands that the development prompted a significant security presence in the area, with both officers of the Nigeria Police Force and officials from the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps present.
The protesters were seen united in their cause as they passionately sang songs of solidarity while holding up placards and banners to convey their message.
Some of the placards they were holding had inscriptions like: ‘President Tinubu, let the poor breathe’, ‘For another general strike with mass protest now’, and ‘Payment of living wage to all Nigerian workers now.”
According to The PUNCH, some civil society groups, including the Take It Back Movement, the Education Rights Campaign, the Coalition for Revolution and the Socialist Workers League, joined in the protest.
Naija News reports that the protest is coming shortly after President Bola Tinubu gave his assurance to Nigerians that the current national reforms are aimed at “fixing” the economy, not causing hardship.
Tinubu, speaking to the nation following the 2024 Democracy Day on Wednesday, emphasized that the reforms being implemented are aimed at establishing a stronger and more resilient foundation for future growth.
Tinubu sympathised with the masses, saying he understood the current economic difficulties ravaging the nation.
“There is no doubt the reforms have occasioned hardship. Yet, they are necessary repairs required to fix the economy over the long run so that everyone has access to economic opportunity, fair pay and compensation for his endeavour and labour.
“As we continue to reform the economy, I shall always listen to the people and will never turn my back on you.
“Our economy has been in desperate need of reform for decades. It has been unbalanced because it was built on the flawed foundation of over-reliance on revenues from the exploitation of oil.
“I say to you here and now that as we celebrate the enshrinement of our political democracy, let us commit ourselves to the fulfilment of its equally important counterpart, the realisation of our economic democracy.
“I understand the economic difficulties we face as a nation.
“As we continue to reform the economy, I shall always listen to the people and will never turn my back on you,” the president assured.
See more photos from the protest below:
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said Nigerians are angry over the hardship in the country.
The opposition party also said All Progressives Congress (APC) administrations since 2015 has desecrated the democratic principles, legacies and values which the late Chief MKO Abiola laboured and died for.
PDP, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba, to mark the Democracy Day, charged Nigerians to speak against the anti-democratic tendencies of the APC which, according to the party, is inflicting hardship and undermining the will and rights of the citizens.
“It is distressing that our nation is observing the Democracy Day under a system that relishes in brazen violation of the Constitution, election rigging, stifling and manipulation of opposition, muzzling of dissenting voices; undermining the judicial system and other democracy institutions in desperation to turn Nigeria into a one-Party State.
“More disquieting is that all the progress and gains made by successive PDP administrations in entrenching democratic practice in Nigeria have been reversed by the APC administrations.
“Nigerians can recall with nostalgia the glorious days of the PDP at the return of Democracy in 1999 to 2015, which period witnessed the expansion of democracy practice and dividend; notably the conduct of free and fair elections; adherence to the Rule of Law and Principle of Separation of Powers, economic transformation resulting in Nigeria becoming a preferred foreign investment destination in the world.
“Also, the PDP Government through its privatization and commercialization policy liberalized the economy and the consequential improvement in the fortune of Nigeria citizens.
“Democracy is all about the supremacy of the Will of the people, the Rule of Law and the pursuit of the security and wellbeing of citizens. These ideals have been completely violated by the APC administrations which leaders have no respect for public opinion but delight in burdening the people through multiple taxes and looting of treasury to finance their luxury appetite while subjecting other Nigerians to a life of fear, uncertainty, despondency and abject poverty.
“It is saddening that instead of celebrating freedom and good governance; the very of essence of democracy which Chief MKO Abiola stood for; Nigerians are in anguish over the exploitive, ill-implemented anti-people policies and programmes of the APC which has weaponized poverty in the country.
“The increase in fuel price and hike in electricity tariff with no corresponding tangible policy or programme directed towards the welfare of the people further show the anti-people stance of the APC administrations.
Today, under the APC, prices of food, medicines and other essential commodities increase uncontrollably and soaring beyond reach.”
The party added that it is provocative for APC leaders to be relishing in opulence, while other Nigerians cannot afford their daily meals and other basic necessities of life
“The recent opening of the N21 billion luxury mansion for Vice President Ibrahim Shettima by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a country of collapsing infrastructure; with over 40% unemployment rate; where millions of citizens are literally starving; and where our schools and hospitals lack the basic operation equipment and tools is only a glimpse into the insensitivity, arrogance, impunity and reckless misdirection of resources that pervade the APC administrations.
“Our Party urges President Tinubu to use the occasion of the Democracy Day to have a deep reflection on the state of the nation under his watch, especially given the growing public agitation over hunger and high cost of living in the country.
“The PDP again reminds President Tinubu that there is destitution in the land and that the reaction of a hungry people is better imagined. Mr. President should, in keeping with democratic tenets, listen to Nigerians and review policies that are suffocating life in the country.
“Nevertheless, the PDP salutes Nigerians for their belief in Democracy and urges them not be discouraged by the failures of the APC administrations since 2015,” the party said.
[Leadership]
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Former Currency Operations Director at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Ahmed Bello Umar stunned a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama that the directive of former President Muhammadu Buhari on naira redesign was not followed.
He told the court that the redesigned naira notes produced under ex-Governor Godwin Emefiele were different from the specifications approved by the former president.
Umar, who said he was in office during the naira redesign, said although President Buhari gave approval on October 13, 2022 for a specific design of the 1000, 500 and 200 naira notes, the approved specification by the then president was allegedly altered.
He was testifying in the trial of the former CBN boss on alleged unlawful printing of naira notes.
Led in evidence by prosecuting lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), Umar said the CBN Act requires that when new notes were to be printed there should be a recommendation of the CBN Board of Directors to the president.
He added that the Act said the president shall approve the form, design and devices on any new currency note to be produced.
The witness said that in the last currency redesign, there was a recommendation by the CBN board, which the president approved.
According to him, the president also approved that the new notes should be produced locally.
The witness noted that what was eventually produced, which are the new 1000, 500 and 200 notes, were different from what the President approved.
When asked to differentiate what was produced from what the president approved, the witness said the notes approved by the president had the “QR code” (Quick Response code).
He added: “The positioning of the portrait on the one approved by the president was on the right side, while what was produced is on the left.
“The numbering style on the approved notes is different from the one produced.”
Under cross-examination by defence lawyer, Mahmud Magaji (SAN), the witness said he was the CBN Director of Currency Operations during the naira redesign.
Umar said he was not part of the decision making on the issue of currency redesign, adding that it was wrong for the lawyer to assume that all decisions about currency must have his contribution.
“My roles as the Director of Currency Operations include the distribution of notes and replacement of notes that are burnt by fire.
“I do not have powers to award contract for minting of notes.”
Umar said that as the director in charge of currency operations, no currency becomes legal tender without his signature and that of the CBN governor.
He said the three copies of the redesigned notes carry his signature and that of the CBN boss.
The witness said he was not at the launch of the redesigned currency notes by the president.
Umar confirmed the notes in circulation as the ones launched by the president.
The second prosecution witness, Ahmed Halilu, who is the Managing Director of Nigerian Security Printing and Minting (NSPM) Plc, confirmed that the specification of the redesigned notes that was approved by the president was altered.
[TheNation]
While being led in evidence by Oyedepo, the NSPM boss said he was invited sometimes in October 2022 by Emefiele (then as the CBN governor) to his office.
“He (Emefiele) told me that he has the presidential approval for the redesign of the currency. That is the N1000, N500 and N200 notes,” Halilu said, adding that Emefiele also told him that the currency was to be produced locally.
Halilu said his team at the NSPM Plc noticed that it would be impossible to deliver on the new notes at that time.
He said: “As at October 2022 when the issue of naira redesign came up, it was impossible for us to implement what has been designed.
“We did not produce what was approved. The NSPM Plc suggested then that Delarue of the United Kingdom (UK) should be engaged to redesign the three higher denominations of N1000, N500, and N200, taking note of the capacity, capability and machineries that we have.”
He said that the UK company was later engaged to redesign the notes which were a variation of what was already approved by the president.
When asked to identify the differences in the features of the approved and the altered designs, Halilu said the QR code, the numbering system, and the position of the watermark on the substrate (the paper) in what has been redesigned by Delarue could be compared to the one with the presidential approval.
He added: “It is almost the same with what had been approved by the president.”