Dear Readers,

We find ourselves at a crucial juncture, contemplating a true reflection on our 25-year democratic journey towards a more perfect democracy. Let us state clearly that with all its triumphs and challenges, this journey is a testament to our commitment to the democratic process. 

Advancing towards a more perfect democracy necessitates a rigorous examination of the key players in this journey. A candid and profound introspection will unveil the areas that demand our reconsideration and vigilance in our democratic process. 

An excellent place to start such honest and deep reflection is to consider the role and impact of politicians and political parties in our democracy. 

General education does us a disservice by insisting on defining democracy as “the government of the people by the people” That definition, taken from Abraham Lincoln’s November Gettysburg 1863 speech, does not allow for reflection in our times; yes, it rhymes, and it is evocative and stimulating, even romantic, but it does not allow us to put into focus the crucial elements that make democracy what it should be. It does not talk about the role of parties and politicians, nor does it dwell on the Constitution or the duties and limits of government. 

Most Nigerians and those who observe Nigerian affairs will, on reflecting on the role and impact of politicians and political parties in the last 25 years of uninterrupted democracy, hardly give politicians and political parties a pass mark on their performance. The most common reason is their inability to provide the most basic services that the modern state they contested and won to manage should deliver.

I refer to security, constant electric supply, good roads, reduction of poverty and level of illiteracy, etc. That is about services of good democratic government, or “dividends of democracy”, as most say in Nigeria. 

Beyond the services of a government, we have other intangible but more significant and debilitating issues, like the fact that rather than helping unite the country, politicians have, in the past 25 years, divided the people more along ethnic and religious lines in a bid to get into power not through vision, merit, and rigour but indolently through mere identity politics. 

Let us note here that political parties conceived as a platform to bring ideas to the commonwealth table and unite people of like mind based on ideologies or visions of the world have become, in Nigeria over the past 25 years, mere special-purpose vehicles that individuals use to achieve their very personal ambitions: A total corruption what political parties ought to be. 

With this in mind, it is easy to see why politicians will and can easily defect, disappoint, and betray so many of what they purport to stand for the day before. It is also easy to see why those leading our political parties, referred to as leaders and parading themselves as such, are nothing but boys and girls doing the bidding of their sponsors (aspirants and candidates) too many times to the detriment of conscience and nation. 

To move towards a more perfect democracy, it is crucial that we, as observers, politicians, and citizens, spend more time following the formation and procedures of political parties and those who manage them. It was, and still is, a significant and dangerous error to consider issues of any political party affair a “family affair,” as was declared and believed. 

A major peculiarity of Nigeria’s peculiar democratic system that has offered the world is the role and prominence of the election regulator and manager, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Let us start by noting that unlike most countries and in their normal times, where anyone rarely talks about the election regulators, Nigeria’s election regulator is visible and prominent. 

Our INEC is amazingly expensive, largely disorganised, untrusted by too many people, and involved in too many controversies. 

INEC is a body that has too often done a major disservice not only to election management but to the image and reputation of professors in Nigeria that have brought little of professorial to the election process.

In our journey towards a more perfect democracy, we must review INEC and reset it towards a lighter, less expensive, more decentralised, and more digital organisation with many functions outsourced. 

As said elsewhere, I propose that BVN should be linked to voter cards and that registration for and retrieval of voter cards should be managed by banks where possible. 

We do not need a central body keeping us up in a hall all night to announce results. Let us devolve this function to the local arms of the commission and let parties and media announce certified results. 

How have we, the people, fared in this 25-year democratic journey in the country? Truth be told, not very well. Sadly, too many people who should be involved based on conscience and knowledge are not. Scarily, too many people who, based on character and capacity, should not be anywhere near matters of the commonwealth are right in the middle of our democratic process. I am not one who believes in the generally accepted platitude that wants to get millions and millions of people to vote and participate in politics just because they are citizens of the country. There are other ways to exercise our citizenship. 

If we want to move towards a more perfect democracy, we must realise that it is time to consider what our experience has taught us about voters in the last 25 years, but we refuse to learn based on a received but poorly digested value: universal adult suffrage. I propose we consider voting and participating in politics a duty and a qualified earned right, not a natural right. 

A voter’s card should be treated not as proof and right of citizenship but like a driver’s license that requires demonstrable commitment and capacity. Yes, I know it’s not a popular idea, but let us think about it…

Many complain and moralise about vote buying and selling, but what do you expect? What do you expect in a system where so many voters are in a state of abject poverty and are primarily illiterate? How do you think voters who do not know what the Constitution says and pay no tax will vote? 

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of eight new Federal Permanent Secretaries to fill in existing and impending vacancies of some states and geo-political zones in the top administrative cadre of the Civil Service of the Federation.

The new Federal Permanent Secretaries appointed after a diligent selection process by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation are:

(1) Dr. Emanso Umobong Okop - Akwa-Ibom 

(2) Obi Emeka Vitalis - Anambra 

(3) Mahmood Fatima Sugra Tabi'a - Bauchi 

(4) Danjuma Mohammed Sanusi - Jigawa 

(5) Olusanya Olubunmi - Ondo 

(6) Dr. Keshinro Maryam Ismaila - Zamfara 

(7) Akujobi Chinyere Ijeoma (South-East)

(8) Isokpunwu Christopher Osaruwanmwen (South-South)

The President anticipates that the new Federal Permanent Secretaries will exercise absolute dedication, diligence, and fidelity to the nation in the discharge of their functions and ensure optimum service delivery to the Nigerian people.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

The Debt Management Office (DMO) of Nigeria recently announced that the nation’s total public debt increased significantly to N121.67 trillion (approximately $91.46 billion) as of March 31, 2024.

This figure encompasses the combined domestic and external debts of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), the thirty-six state governments, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In comparison, the total public debt as of December 31, 2023, stood at N97.34 trillion (approximately $108.23 billion). This represents an increase of N24.33 trillion or 24.99% within a three-month period.

The increase is driven majorly by naira devaluation, as the total debt was reduced in dollar terms by $16.77 billion or 18.34%.

Amid concerns over rising debt service costs, states have been working to decrease their debt stock. In Q1 2024, states’ total domestic debt dropped by 31% from N5.86 trillion in Q4 2023 to N4.07 trillion and by 26% from N5.48 trillion in Q1 2023.

Despite the decrease, some states still have high debt stock. Below is the ranking of the top 10 Nigerian states with the highest domestic debt in Q1 2024:

#10 Bauchi

Bauchi’s domestic debt decreased significantly from N144.54 billion in Q1 2023 to N108.39 billion in Q1 2024, representing a 25.01% decrease. Additionally, there was a decrease from N160.81 billion in Q4 2023, a 32.62% decrease.

#9 Abia

Abia experienced an increase in domestic debt from N99.54 billion in Q1 2023 to N113.71 billion in Q1 2024, reflecting a 14.22% increase. However, from Q4 2023 to Q1 2024, there was a decrease of 17.99% from N138.64 billion.

#8 Benue

Benue’s debt reduced from N141.29 billion in Q1 2023 to N116.73 billion in Q1 2024, a 17.38% decrease. Compared to Q4 2023, which had N187.18 billion, there was a decrease of 37.62%.

#7 Akwa Ibom

Akwa Ibom’s domestic debt decreased from N206.64 billion in Q1 2023 to N142.93 billion in Q1 2024, which is a 30.83% decrease. From Q4 2023 to Q1 2024, the debt also decreased from N190.48 billion by 24.96%.

#6 Cross River

Cross River’s debt decreased from N196.27 billion in Q1 2023 to N156.17 billion in Q1 2024, showing a 20.42% decrease. From Q4 2023 to Q1 2024, there was a decrease from N220.20 billion by 29.08%.

#5 Imo

Imo saw a decrease in domestic debt from N202.55 billion in Q1 2023 to N163.06 billion in Q1 2024, which is a 19.53% decrease. The decrease from Q4 2023’s N217.11 was 24.89%.

#4 Ogun

Ogun’s debt decreased from N293.20 billion in Q1 2023 to N221.22 billion in Q1 2024, reflecting a 24.55% decrease. Compared to Q4 2023, which had N278.68 billion, there was a 20.62% decrease.

#3 Rivers

Rivers remained constant at N232.58 billion from Q4 2023 to Q1 2024. However, there was a slight increase from N225.51 billion in Q1 2023 by 3.14%. The DMO in its latest debt report noted that the domestic debt stock figure for Rivers State was as of March 31, 2023.

#2 Delta

Delta’s domestic debt decreased from N421.78 billion in Q1 2023 to N334.90 billion in Q1 2024, a 20.62% decrease. From Q4 2023 to Q1 2024, the debt also decreased from N373.41 billion by 10.31%.

#1 Lagos

Lagos, with the highest domestic debt, saw an increase from N812.38 billion in Q1 2023 to N929.41 billion in Q1 2024, which is a 14.41% increase. However, there was a decrease from Q4 2023’s N1.05 trillion by 11.38%.

[Nairametrics]

Hajiya Halima Adamu, mother of the famous Hausa Singer Dauda Adamu, popularly known as Rarara, has been abducted, Daily Trust can report.

She was abducted at her residence in Kahutu village, Danja local government area of Katsina State, according to a source in Kahutu village.

According to the source, the bandits stormed the village around 1am Friday and abducted the aged woman.

“The bandits came on foot and silently because they did not fire a single shot during the operation that lasted for just a few minutes. The woman did not resist when the bandits requested her to go along with them.”

“Although the bandits met other people at the house, they only picked Rarara’s mother, leaving behind others. No attempt to confront the bandits while leaving the house because they were armed with guns.

“They probably kept their motorcycles from far away and then trekked to the village. We are praying that the woman will return to us in condition because she is very helpful to us in this village. Her son, Rarara is very generous to us; he has brought so many developments to this village for our wellbeing.”

Efforts to reach the famous Hausa singer on phone proved abortive, as his phones rang severally without any response.

Katsina is one of the states with a high level of insecurity in the North West region.

[DailyTrust]

British Jamaican rapper Stephanie Victoria Allen, popularly known as SteffLondon, has explained why she loves Nigeria and its culture.

The singer disclosed this in an interview with radio host ‘Henrieveill’ on Tuesday.

When asked what she loved about Nigeria and its culture, she answered, saying: “Ooh, my gosh, there’s so many things, music, food. I like the people, the banter. They are so funny, very vibrant, and very colourful, like everything is in your face. It’s very loud. They remind me of Jamaicans but in a different way.”

She added: “I like your tradition; I feel like, as Jamaicans, we’ve been stripped of that. We’ve just got dancehall, good food and vibes. we are just nice people, but we ain’t really got; the cultural aspect has been taken away from us.”

DAILY POST recalls that Steff had done a Nigerian-themed video that featured dances, Ankara and the use of Pidgin and Yoruba languages in her ‘Can’t Let You Go’ video.

In December 2022, the singer also hosted an Ankara-themed party for her birthday celebration.

[DailyPost]

The ruling party in Kano state, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), on Friday, June 28, accused the immediate past governor, Abdullahi Ganduje of appointing Aminu Bayero and the other four dethroned first-class emirs for his political gains.

NNPP chairman, Hashimu Dungurawa, said the All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman had split the Kano emirate into five and appointed five emirs in pursuance of political gains, with a target on the 2023 general election.

Dungurawa stated this while fielding questions from newsmen in his office.

According to him, it was arranged to expire with the tenure of the former governor, Dr. Ganduje, whose governorship candidate subsequently lost the 2023 election.

He alleged that the sacked emirs had enjoyed the status of a state commissioner during Ganduje’s reign, adding it was a matter of public good that they now cease to be recognised after Ganduje’s tenure.

“The five first-class emirs we met on the throne were only commissioners appointed by Ganduje to assist his candidates win elections in 2023. They were sustained until they lost the political elections in 2023 and lost their emirships as well.

“The fact remains that immediately Ganduje and his party lost the elections and stepped down as Governor of Kano State, they ought to have also vacated the thrones, because none of them was occupying the vacant seat of Emir of Kano since Muhammadu Sanusi II left.

“But maybe they didn’t accept that their tenure had expired after Ganduje and preferred successor (Gawuna) lost the election that witnessed their benefactor’s exit from the seat of power in the state,” Dungurawa said.

The NNPP chairman said the decision to relieve Bayero and the other emirs of their traditional status was rooted in public outcry over the vacant position of the emir of Kano.

He said: “Governor Abba Yusuf acted based on public outcry that there was a vacuum in the seat of Emir of Kano and he reinstated Muhammadu Sanusi II who was earlier dethroned.

“The lawmakers in the State Assembly repealed the Kano Emirate Council law 2019 and enacted a new one that called for a united Kano emirate, and the governor assented to it”.

He commended Justice A. Liman, saying, “The judge is handling the legal tussle professionally brought before him.”

Speaking further, the NNPP state chairman mocked Bayero for hoisting the emirate flag at the Nasarawa palace where he is currently staying, saying the 15th emir was performing the role of a Personal Assistant (PA) to the 16th emir of Kano (Sanusi II).

Dungurawa said: “Don’t forget that the Nasarawa mini palace is a guest house for the Emir. It is all about the Kano Emirate, it shows the SA (Bayero) to the Emir of Kano (Sanusi II) is doing his job faithfully by overseeing the graveyard of their forefathers laid to rest in the mausoleum.”

[TheNation]

The Nigeria Customs Service, Joint Border Patrol Team Sector 2, said it intercepted 1,410 litres of premium motor spirit worth N30.4m within one week.

The Coordinator of the team, Mohammad Shuaibu, disclosed this while addressing journalists at the Customs Training College in Ikeja on Friday.

He said that the team intercepted these contraband within their area of jurisdiction adding that some were intercepted at the creeks.

Shuaibu added that the team also seized other contraband worth N1.12bn and arrested five suspects in connection with the various seizures.

“In our effort to actualise the mandate of combating smuggling and trans-border crimes, we intercepted some goods for violating various sections of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and the Federal Government’s Import and Export Guidelines, the goods worth, N1.12bn

“They were intercepted across the borders of the six states of the South-West geo-political zone,” he said.

According to him, the arrested suspects are undergoing investigation and prosecution.

“Other items seized include, 4, 051 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 3, 751, Jerry Cans of PMS, 425 cartons of frozen poultry products, 912 pieces of used tyres, 30 sacks of cannabis sativa

“30 units of cars as means of conveyance, seven units of imported (tokunbo) cars, four units of motorcycles among others,” he said.

The coordinator stated that the team also recovered a total of N11.5m as revenue through the issuance of debit notes on vehicles and other goods improperly imported into the country.

However, Shuaibu disclosed that the team intercepted 30 illegal immigrants.

“With the Nigeria Immigration Service as a critical component of the joint border patrol team, we intercepted 30 illegal immigrants suspected to have violated immigration laws and were immediately handed over to the NIS for further investigation and prosecution” Shuaibu disclosed.

He warned smugglers to desist from the crimes adding that they have multiple effects such as, “undermining national security through the movements of illicit goods, such as drugs, weapons, and human trafficking, across the international borders, which impacts negatively on the economy by depleting the nation’s revenue base through evasion of duties and taxes,”

[Punch]

UEFA has dismissed two Spanish referees, Alejandro Hernández Hernández and Jesús Gil Manzano, from officiating at Euro 2024 after receiving complaints about their performance.

Hernández, who served as the VAR official, faced criticism for dismissing Scotland’s penalty claim in their 1-0 loss to Hungary last Sunday. Manzano was under fire for his error during France’s 1-0 victory over Austria.

Alongside the two referees, their assistants, Diego Barbero Sevilla and Ángel Nevado Rodríguez, have also been sent home.

This decision leaves Martínez Munuera, a VAR official, as the only Spanish representative for the remainder of the tournament.

Former La Liga referee Iturralde Gonzalez has called on the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to improve relations with UEFA following the dismissal of four out of five Spanish officials after the group stage.

“There is an urgent need for a Spanish representative on the refereeing committee,” Gonzalez told Spanish radio network Cadena SER.

In related news, Argentine referee Facundo Tello, who dismissed Scotland’s penalty protests against Hungary, has been named the fourth official for Italy’s last-16 tie against Switzerland on Saturday, despite earlier reports suggesting he had been dropped by UEFA.

Scotland manager Steve Clarke was visibly frustrated after his team was denied a penalty when Stuart Armstrong was brought down inside the box by Willi Orban.
Tello dismissed the claim, and lead VAR Hernández did not advise a review.

Clarke commented, “In a European competition it might have been better to have a European referee. But we had European VAR. Maybe the referee didn’t see the challenge clearly on the pitch, but what’s the purpose of VAR if they’re not going to come in on something like that? It’s a penalty. It’s 100 percent a penalty.”

Austria also expressed their displeasure with Manzano’s officiating in their 1-0 defeat to France, after they were not awarded a corner shortly before Max Wöber’s own goal secured the win for Didier Deschamps’ side.

Vanguard News

Shehu Sani, a former senator who represented Kaduna central, says he saved former President Olusegun Obasanjo from being assaulted by inmates of the Kirikiri Maximum Security prison in 1995.

The former senator spoke during a lecture in Abuja on Thursday.

Obasanjo was Nigeria’s head of state from 1976 to 1979. He returned as civilian president in 1999 and handed over the reins of power in 2007.

Sani was among pro-democracy activists and dissidents who were rounded up and jailed by the military junta led by Sani Abacha, who was president from 1993 to 1998.

Obasanjo was arrested in 1995 for allegedly plotting a coup and was jailed.

‘THEY INSULTED OBASANJO’

Recounting events from the era, Sani said himself, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and Obasanjo were moved to Kirikiri prison after their arrests.

He said “armed robbers” in prison began “shouting and insulting” the former president when they saw him.

Sani added that he “talked to the inmates to calm down, that no matter their grievances with Obasanjo, he was now an inmate”.

“In 1995, a team of soldiers, policemen and DSS visited my house in Kaduna. It was a journey that began and lasted for four years,” he said.

“I was picked up from Kaduna and brought to Lagos with the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. From the airport, we were led to the DSS headquarters, where we met President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“Unfairly from the soldiers, they handcuffed me but did not do so for Obasanjo or Yar’Adua. Obasanjo looked at me and asked me who I was and if I had stolen something for them to have handcuffed me. I told him I was an activist.

“I was then the deputy chairman of the Campaign for Democracy. We were taken to Kirikiri Maximum Prison. We stayed there without anybody saying anything to us. When we arrived at Kirikiri, we were given a blanket and a plate of food.

“We were then allocated our cells. When the armed robbers there saw Obasanjo, they started shouting and insulting him.

“Naturally, for those of us who were human rights activists, we were popular with inmates. I told him, ‘You are a commander outside, but this is where I command’. I then I talked to the inmates to calm down, that no matter their grievances with Obasanjo, he was now an inmate.

“I got 15 years, Obasanjo got 15 years, Yar’Adua got life imprisonment. Those of us from the north were sent to southern prisons and those from the south were sent to northern prisons. That was how I found myself in Port Harcourt prison.

“I was in Port Harcourt prison when Ken Saro-Wiwa was brought in and hanged. I could see them from the window.”

‘ACTIVISTS MADE A MISTAKE IN 1998’

Sani added that pro-democracy activists of the era made a mistake by not putting themselves forward for political leadership as the military prepared to hand over power to civilians after Abacha’s death.

“Abdulsalami Abubakar, military head of state, invited all of us who fought for democracy, that he was going to hand over power to a democratically elected government and that he wanted all of us — the freedom fighters — to come together and take over power,” he said.

“At that very time, Gani Fawehinmi opposed it. Three times, Abubakar invited us. We even refused to answer his calls. Meanwhile, the politicians who were not invited were knocking on his door.

“After we decided to listen to him, we came and sat down. What do we do? After the struggle, the ANC in South Africa took over political power. But after our struggle, in 1998/1999 we made a fundamental mistake and said we were not going to cooperate with the military.

“Mike Ozekhome was one of those who said we should not join politics. Gani opposed as well, Falana opposed, Olisa Agbakoba… all opposed.

“It was Bola Tinubu who said ‘if we don’t get in, who is going to be there?’ By the time we all agreed to join politics, politicians had taken over all positions.

“Ozekhome tried to be governor of Edo state, he couldn’t; Olisa tried to be president, he couldn’t; Gani tried to be president, he couldn’t; Falana tried to be governor of Ekiti, he couldn’t; I tried to be governor of Kaduna — but the spaces had all been taken over.”

 [TheCable]