A former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central, Senator Shehu Sani has urged President Bola Tinubu to pardon those incarcerated over the #EndSARS protest in 2020.

Naija News recalls that in 2020, Nigerian youths took to the streets to protest police brutality.

However, during the protest, some police stations, formations, and offices were damaged across the country, leading to some arrests.

While some of the arrested protesters were released, others are believed to still be in detention in various police stations.

Speaking at a special dinner organised to mark Democracy Day held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, Sani said those who took part in the protest should also be considered champions of democracy.

According to him, he and other of his peers who were part of the fight to entrench democracy in Nigeria as the ENDSARS protesters learnt from President Tinubu to be dogged.

The dinner was attended by President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima alongside their spouses.

The President of the senate, speaker of the House of Representatives, secretary to the government of the federation, the chief justice of the federation, state governors, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), diplomats, traditional rulers, and lawmakers were among dignitaries that attended the dinner.

Russian police have detained two women accused of killing a man after he rejected their proposal for a threesome.

The suspects, aged 29 and 37, were drinking with the 63-year-old in a churchyard in Stavropol before the alleged attack took place.

According to a reports by The Mirror, the women allegedly killed the man by beating him after he refused to have sex with them.

Officers from Russia’s Investigative Committee were seen with the women at the alleged forest crime scene.

One woman demonstrated how she kicked the victim with a dummy, while another image showed one of the women being escorted by officers out of a police van.

In a statement, Russia’s Investigative Committee reported that the victim, known to both women, had suffered a vicious attack involving multiple blows to his head and torso with their fists and feet, resulting in his death at the scene.

The committee said, “In the course of an argument, the women gave the 63-year-old man multiple blows with their fists and feet to his head and torso.

“The victim died at the scene as a result of his injuries.

“Wishing to avoid responsibility for the offence, the accused dragged the body of the deceased to a wooded area and hid it in a hole.”

Rosa, 29, and Martha, 37, were remanded in custody for two months over the death of 63-year-old Alexander in the cemetery.

Social media was sent into a frenzy on Wednesday after President Bola Tinubu, slipped while boarding the parade vehicle at the venue of the 2024 Democracy Day celebration.
The President, however, quickly regained his balance and continued with the proceedings without further issues.

In this article, Naija News highlights other world leaders aside from Tinubu, who had a momentary fall during a public ceremony.

1. President Joe Biden: In March 2021, United States President, Joe Biden tripped on Air Force One stairs while scaling the steps to Air Force One to Atlanta to meet with Asian-American community leaders on a massacre.

2. Robert Mugabe: In February 2015, Zimbabwe’s 90-year-old President Robert Mugabe fell down a staircase as he walked off a podium after addressing supporters at Harare International Airport.

3. President Gerald Ford: Former President of the United States, Gerald Ford, slipped on Air Force One in 1975 while visiting Vienna in Austria for talks with Egyptian President Anwar Sada.

4. Cuba leader, Fidel Castro: Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, in October 2004, fell off the stage in Santa Clara, Cuba. Castro broke his knee and arm in the fall.

5. Barack Obama: In March 2015, former US President, Barack Obama came close to falling down the steps of Air Force One. Obama was returning to Washington DC from a golfing trip in Florida when he bounded from the plane door only to lose his footing. He recovered and continued across the tarmac with the same spring in his step.

6. Mike Pence: In June 2020, Vice President Mike Pence had a moment remarkably similar to President Biden’s upward slip. Pence was filmed running, then tripping, up the staircase of Air Force Two.

7. Tommy Tuberville: In October 2023, Senator Tommy Tuberville, who has previously criticised President Joe Biden for falling in public view, was mocked online after a video showing him falling down a flight of plane stairs himself went viral.

8. Hillary Clinton: The then-Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in 2011, was boarding a plane to Yemen when she slipped to her knees at the doorway and was only saved from further embarrassment when an aide gave her a helping hand.

9. Vladimir Putin: The Russian leader who loves to display his aura, saw himself on the floor during a 2019 hockey game he played in. He was doing a victory lap around Sochi’s Bolshoy Ice Dome and applauding fans when he slammed on the floor.

10. Boris Johnson: The former United Kingdom prime minister, was a victim of an epic fall after he tripped and landed on the floor during a charity tug-of-war game at a World War I commemoration event with Britain’s armed forces in 2015.

Super Eagles skilled winger, Ademola Lookman, has been named as Atalanta’s Player of the Month for both May and June.

Naija News reports that Lookman surpassed Gianluca Scamacca and Ederson in the voting process to clinch this prestigious award.

During these two months, the 26-year-old talented winger managed to score six goals and provide three assists, showcasing his exceptional abilities on the field.

Concluding the season with a total of 17 goals and eight assists in various competitions, Lookman truly proved to be a valuable asset for Atalanta.

Naija News reports that Lookman has been a revelation for Atalanta since joining them in 2022.

His contributions have been significant, both statistically and in terms of the team’s overall success:

Lookman has been a prolific scorer. In his two seasons at Atalanta, he’s amassed a total of 30 goals, finishing as Atalanta’s fifth-highest scorer in Serie A during his first season.

Lookman’s biggest moment came in the 2023/24 Europa League final. He single-handedly secured Atalanta’s first European trophy with a stunning hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen, held at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, becoming the first player to achieve this feat in a one-legged European final since 1969.

The Nigerian player brings more than just goals for Atalanta. His pace, dribbling skills, and ability to create chances for teammates make him a constant threat on the wing.

Nigeria’s crude oil output hit a new low in the month of May, dropping to 1.25 million barrels per day, as reported by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Naija News reports that OPEC’s monthly report on the global oil market for June indicated that Nigeria’s daily average production was 1.25 million barrels per day in May, marking a 2.34% decrease from the 1.28 million barrels per day seen in April.

The OPEC noted that the data on production was gathered through direct conversations with Nigerian officials.

The organization receives information on crude oil production from two main sources: direct communication with member countries and secondary sources like energy intelligence platforms.

Further examination of the report revealed that production levels were at 1.3 million barrels per day by the end of the fourth quarter of 2023 and the beginning of this year.

Despite the drop in production, OPEC acknowledged that the fight against crude oil theft and pipeline damage by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had shown some improvement.

The decline in production was observed despite the reported efforts to curb these issues.

However, OPEC highlighted that Nigeria still maintained its status as Africa’s top oil producer, followed by Libya, which produced 901,000 barrels per day in the month under review.

OPEC also mentioned that Algeria was the third-largest oil producer, with production reaching 264,000 barrels per day in May.

On the other hand, the OPEC report pointed out that data from secondary sources suggested Nigeria’s crude oil production had increased by five percent to 1.41 million barrels per day from the previous month’s 1.35 million barrels per day.

These figures were lower than Nigeria’s quota set by the OPEC for the year 2024, which was 1.5 million barrels per day.

The OPEC report stated: “According to secondary sources, total OPEC-12 crude oil production averaged 26.63 million barrels per day in May 2024, 29 million barrels per day higher than the previous month.

“Crude oil output increased mainly in Nigeria, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, while production in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya and Congo decreased.

“At the same time, total non-OPEC DoC crude oil production averaged 14.29 mb/d in May 2024, 152 tb/d lower, m-o-m

“Crude oil output increased mainly in Mexico, while production in Russia and Kazakhstan decreased.”

Unresolved corruption probes in Nigeria have remained a significant concern, begging the question of why millions of public funds are allocated to probes when there are no plans to convict offenders.

In Nigeria, probes come with a lot of theatrics: first the announcement of investigative panels, then the media rounds, photo ops, and press outings, with long-winding sessions running into months and years but never ending in indictments or prosecutions.

Not forgetting the huge sitting allowances often allocated to such probe panels, another avenue for graft and appeasing political allies—a case of “the more you look, the less you see.”

Some of the high-profile corruption cases involving top politicians and government officials, mostly initiated at the National Assembly, remain unresolved, leading to public frustration and distrust in the government.

Social critics believe that corruption probes are merely a means of appeasing aggrieved citizens. However, for many Nigerians, justice would mean seeing corrupt officials sent to jail.

A report recently released by the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CFTPI) through its Probes Monitor Portal showed that a total of 614 grand corruption probes were initiated by various administrations between 1999 and 2023. However, only three of these have been brought to a logical conclusion.

This huge gap, according to the centre, highlights the lack of accountability and transparency by successive governments, much to the detriment of the public good.

For instance, in the Petroleum Subsidy Scandal of 2012, billions of dollars were allegedly embezzled through fraudulent fuel subsidy claims. Investigations and arrests were initiated, but many did not lead to convictions.

In the Dasuki Gate scandal of 2020, former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a $2 billion arms fraud. The conclusion of this probe is yet to be seen.

Also, recall the probe of over N1.8 trillion in federal government interventions in the power sector since its privatization from 2012 to date by the Senate, the probe of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) over the spending of N17.16 billion ($40 million) in 2013, the investigation of the alleged diversion of N525 billion by a former Abia State Governor by the EFCC, and the probe of former minister Stella Oduah over the N255 million armored car scandal by the House of Representatives, among many others.

The challenge, according to Umar Yakubu, the Executive Director of CFTPI, is not only that these probes are never completed, but also that Nigerians are never informed of their status even when decisions are made.

Yakubu worries that by abandoning these probes and leaving the public in the dark, the government gives the impression that these actions are mere political theatre designed to placate the masses temporarily. He asserts that transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of any democratic society.

Without these principles, the very foundation of democracy is at risk. The lack of transparency in publishing the findings of these probes allows corruption to continue unchecked, as those who engage in corrupt practices feel emboldened by the lack of consequences.

Currently, Nigeria is gravely paying the price for corruption with a persistent economic downturn, unemployment, social injustice, poverty, and underdevelopment.

This is because funds that would have been utilized for the general good have found their way into private pockets.

Dr Otive Igbuzor of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, insisted that corruption may never be overcome unless proactive steps are taken to entrench sanctions, sincere probes, sentences, and convictions.

He said, “The media has a great role to play in holding the government to account and promoting social justice, transparency, and accountability in society.”

“The challenge before us is what should be done to ensure that the probes are completed and acted upon and ultimately reduce corruption in Nigeria. I suggest citizen engagement and advocacy, media activism, developmentalist coalitions, participation in politics, and movements for change.”

He advocated sincere legislative oversights to ensure allocated funds are properly utilized, systems that expose corruption, and internal checks for every organization handling government money.

Although analysts attribute unresolved probes to judicial inefficiencies, political interference, lack of political will, or failure of anti-graft institutions, Prof Okey Ikechukwu of the Development Spec Academy warns that they are also forms of corruption.

He noted that the government must also begin to check the misapplication of public funds and the wrong prioritization of projects where funds are deployed to areas that do not address the immediate needs of society.

“For example, spending public money to deploy computers in a school where no teacher is computer literate or building a bridge in a community where only three people have motorcycles,” he said.

He described such situations as procurement corruption involving political allies.

Prof Ikechukwu also cautioned against the glamorization of corruption and ill-gotten wealth, warning that young people would always emulate what society prioritizes.

While Nigerians demand that agencies fighting corruption in the country wake up to their responsibilities, they await a time when probes will be completed and sanctions meted out to offenders.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has reacted to the Democracy Day Speech by the President, Bola Tinubu, where he gave assurance of a new minimum wage for the workforce, saying he failed to give them the much expected gift on June 12.

Ag. President of NLC, Comrade Prince Adewale Adeyanju who reacted on behalf of the union said the President may have accurately recounted parts of our democratic journey’s history, but that it is evident that he has been misinformed regarding the outcome of the wage negotiation process.

He said they expected the President to harmonize the two figures submitted to him by the Tripartite Committee in favour of workers and masses, stating that it would have been a fitting Democracy Day gift.

Quoting Mr. President; “As we continue to reform the economy, I shall always listen to the people and will never turn my back on you.

In this spirit, we have negotiated in good faith and with open arms with organized labour on a new national minimum wage. We shall soon send an executive bill to the National Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of our law for the next five years or less.

In the face of labour’s call for a national strike, we did not seek to oppress or crack down on the workers as a dictatorial government would have done. We chose the path of cooperation over conflict.

No one was arrested or threatened. Instead, the labour leadership was invited to break bread and negotiate toward a good-faith resolution”

Adeyanju said the organised Labour appreciate the President’s commitment to those fine democratic ideals which allowed the work of the Tripartite National Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee to proceed unhindered despite some hiccups.

He said Labour had expected Mr. President to have used this understanding as one of those who was in the vanguard of the struggle with us around the nation to rescue Nigeria from the hands of the military to harmonize the two figures submitted to him by the Tripartite Committee in favour of workers and masses. It would have been a fitting Democracy Day gift.

According to the Acting NLC President, the NLC would have expected that the advisers of the President would have told him that we neither reached any agreement with the federal government and the employers on the base figure for a National Minimum Wage nor on its other components. Our demand still remains N250,000 (two hundred and fifty thousand Naira) only and we have not been given any compelling reasons to change this position which we consider a great concession by Nigerian workers during the tripartite negotiation process.

“We are therefore surprised at the submission of Mr. President over a supposed agreement. We believe that he may have been misled into believing that there was an agreement with the NLC and TUC.

“There was none and it is important that we let the President, Nigerians and other national stakeholders understand this immediately to avoid a mix up in the ongoing conversation around the national minimum wage. We have also not seen a copy of the document submitted to him and will not accept any doctored document.

“However, we want to reaffirm our belief that the President on whose table the Tripartite Committee’s report presently resides would prepare an Executive Bill which content will reflect the true demand of Nigerian workers. We think that this is an opportunity for him to demonstrate his love for Nigerian workers and masses by shunning the pieces of advise that may be coming from those whose intentions are continuously focused on hurting the poor and struggling workers of Nigeria. Mr. President should not allow these individuals and groups to sabotage his promise of lifting Nigerian workers out of poverty.

“President’s advisers obviously did not tell him the truth that the leaders of the trade unions were intimidated and harassed. It is therefore important that Mr. President understands that we were threatened severally by his operatives perhaps without his consent.

“Series of media Propaganda calculated to intimidate and harass us were, and, are still being waged against the trade unions by senior officials of this government. Fully armed soldiers surrounded us while we were in a negotiation with the Government and despite denials, recent statements by senior officials of the Government reaffirmed our fears contrary to the assurances by the Government. However, we remain assured that the President’s democratic credentials will come to the fore in favour of Nigerian workers and masses.

“It is also important that Mr. President should know that most of his officers are working round the clock to set up the leadership of congress and the trade unions. We never agreed on a 5-year duration of the minimum wage Act though we acknowledge that the President mentioned 5 years or less. We also agreed that inflation should be pegged at a level for certain amount to be agreed as minimum wage. This is to bring clarity to what the report should contain.

“Once again, we reiterate that it will be extremely difficult for Nigerian workers to accept any national minimum wage figure that approximates to a starvation Wage. We cannot be working and yet remain in abject poverty. We seek justice, equity and fairness for all Nigerians and this we hope would also drive the actions of Mr. President who promised a Living Wage to Nigerian workers. This is an opportunity to show that he listens to Nigerians as he promised!

“Together, we can build a stronger democratic nation based on equity which guarantees prosperity to the majority of the citizenry and not one where few individuals monopolize our collective resources. That is the only way to build a sustainable democracy. It is the true democracy that we all yearn for as a people!

Veteran Nollywood actor Jide Kosoko has opened up on the profound changes in his life following the tragic demise of his wife, Henrietta.

Speaking exclusively to Punch, Jide Kosoko disclosed how his home transformed into what he described as a “hotel” in the aftermath of his wife’s demise.

The actor, shared the emotional toll of losing his spouse and the unexpected consequences it brought to his household.

“After Henrietta passed away, my home gradually turned into a hotel,”  Jide Kosoko said.

Kosoko, reflecting on the challenges he faced after the loss, admitted to feeling compelled to remarry to restore order and stability in his home.

“I was tempted to take a second wife,” he added.

The actor, who has faced his share of controversies and false accusations, also addressed the hurtful labels that have been unfairly attached to him.

“I have been blackmailed many times,” Jide Kosoko stated, referring to accusations of involvement in money rituals and other baseless claims.

Reflecting on his upbringing and personal beliefs against polygamy, Jide Kosoko acknowledged the advice of his doctor, a woman who encouraged him to consider remarriage for his well-being.

This counsel eventually led him to marry two wives again, Henrietta and Alhaja Bimbo.

In his words;

 have been blackmailed many times, but I sailed through. They have called me a ‘ritualist’ before, which means I am a murderer.

Initially, as a human being, I felt bad. But my skin is too thick for all that rubbish. Instead of feeling bad, I will go on my knees and pray to God to give His judgment.

“And I always see these people get their judgment. I don’t want to mention names. I don’t know anything about what is happening to Kemi Olunloyo and I don’t follow her on social media. Apart from her, there are other people who have rubbished my name in the past

“Becoming a polygamist wasn’t my design. With my upbringing, I am not supposed to be a polygamist.

Though my father was a polygamist, he didn’t marry the number of women I have married.

“My first wife, Sola’s mother, was working with the Nigerian Customs Service. She was not involved in my industry and then I would travel for two months.

“So, I was tempted to take a second wife. But unfortunately for me, in the circumstances I cannot explain till today, I lost two wives within a year.

You can imagine that! So, I decided not to remarry again, though I had girlfriends; I was a ladies ’ man.
“Two of my girlfriends were very close to the house and my friends too would come with their girlfriends.

“So, we were almost turning the house into a brothel. Later, my doctor, a lady, visited me and advised me to remarry.

“She said it was the best for me, insisting that I was too young to be without a woman. I lost my two wives in 1992 and 1993 respectively, and I was not up to 40 then.

“I agreed to take a wife in the long run, but I had two women who were intimate with me – Henrietta and Alhaja Bimbo. Since I couldn’t say no to either of them, I married two wives again.”

Kasim Balarabe Musa, son of the Second Republic Governor of old Kaduna State and leader of the Peoples Redemption Party( PRP), Alhaji Balarabe Musa has asked President Bola Tinubu to resign over the current economic hardship Nigerians are facing.

Recall that Balarabe Musa was a Nigerian left-wing politician who was elected Governor of Kaduna State during the Nigerian Second Republic, holding office from October 1979 until he was impeached on 23 June 1981.

During the Nigerian Fourth Republic he was leader of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), a coalition of opposition parties. He died November 11, 2020.

Kasim, while leading a peaceful protest to mark the June 12 Democracy Day in Kaduna on Tuesday, noted that Nigeria has retrogressed under Tinubu’s administration.

Addressing teeming PRP members, he maintained that there was nothing to celebrate on Democracy Day at the moment.

He added that his late father and other pro Democracy Activists like late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Senator Shehu Sani and a hosts of others, sacrificed a lot for the enthronement of the nation’s fledgling democracy in the country while regretting the current sorry state the country had found itself today.

According to him, things have deteriorated in the country such that citizens are disturbed due to the high cost of essential items like food stuffs, adding that ” poor Nigerians can no longer feed despite the wealth Nigeria is endowed with.”

He urged the President to re-strategies with a view to bringing an end to the problems debilitating the country, adding that if the President was overwhelmed, he should resign.

Kasim said, “the military which we fought against before 1999 cannot allow this kind of killing and maiming of citizens, abuse of citizens. They won’t allow it.

“Nigeria has seen its darkest period since the country got her independence from 1960 to date.

“Nigeria has seen her worst and darkest period while there are so many killings and food is so expensive.

“No good schools and the medical situation is appalling. If the president has been overwhelmed by challenges confronting the country, he should resign.”

In the spirit of the June 12 Democracy Day celebration, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has granted pardon to 41 inmates serving in different correctional centres across the state.

The governor also commuted the death sentence of 45 condemned prisoners to prison terms.

Speaking at the 2024 Democracy Day in Abeokuta, Abiodun said the decision was in exercising his prerogative of mercy as the governor of the state.

“Government has a duty to uphold democratic values by consistently applying principles of mercy, justice, and the rule of law. In this vein, the Nigerian Constitution empowers me to exercise a prerogative of mercy to anyone convicted of an offense in Ogun State.

“Having received the guidance of the Ogun State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, I have signed the appropriate warrants ordering the release of 41 convicts currently imprisoned across different correctional facilities in Ogun State. I have also signed warrants converting the death sentences of 45 inmates to prison sentences.

“This gesture signals a break from past grievances and a move towards a more inclusive and compassionate society where merciful second chances are granted to deserving offenders.

“All convicts who have received this gesture have shown remorse for their crimes, acquired skills and certifications in prison, with several of them receiving university degrees from the National Open University of Nigeria. They have also demonstrated verified good conduct during their imprisonment,” he said.

Emphasizing on the significance of the celebration, Abiodun said it marks the triumph of democracy.

Late Moshood Kasimawo Abiola of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) was the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which was annulled by the military. This was despite the election being adjudged as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history.

“June 12, 1993, stands as a watershed moment in this journey. On that particular day, Nigerians transcended differences of tribe, gender, and even the unique joint Muslim-Muslim ticket to speak unanimously through the ballot.

“They elected the late Chief Moshood Kasimawo Olawale Abiola and Babagana Kingibe of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) as President and Vice-President, respectively,” Abiodun stated.

According to the governor, “That election remains a pivotal moment in our country’s democratic history. It has become the benchmark against which the successes of subsequent elections are measured. For all its import, it reminds us of the power of unity, resilience, and the collective determination to uphold the principles of democracy.

“It is a testament to the strength and resilience of the Nigerian people, who have shown unwavering commitment to democracy and the belief in a better future.”