There is confusion in Ogun State as the House of Assembly suddenly postponed the inauguration of the newly elected lawmakers.

The inauguration of the Ogun tenth Assembly was initially scheduled to hold June 13.

Our correspondent reports that the members-elect and their loyalists were already prepared for the inauguration ceremony, even as those from far away constituencies were on the way to Abeokuta for the all-important statutory event.

However, the Clerk of the House, Deji Adeyemo, suddenly announced the postponement of the programme, with no reason given.

According to him, the inauguration of the tenth Assembly in Ogun would now be held on Tuesday, June 20, 2023.

The Holding of the First Session of the Tenth Assembly of the Ogun State Legislature has been postponed to Tuesday, 20th June, 2023.

This is according to a release by the Clerk of the Assembly, Mr. Deji Adeyemo, stating that any inconvenience caused by the postponement is regretted.

As there was no reason given for the postponement, Ogun people have begun to wonder what could have led to the postponement.

With the rescheduling of the event, Ogun State will be without functioning lawmakers till June 20.

 

The Chairman of the Labour Party in Bauchi State, Hussaini Saraki in this exclusive Interview with Oluwatimilehin Owolabi shares his thoughts on the crisis rocking the party at the national level. He explains why the presidential candidate of the LP in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi should extend the olive branch to warring parties. Excerpts!

As the Chairman of the Labour Party in Bauchi State, can you tell Nigerians the faction you belong to?

I don’t belong to a faction. I belong to the Labour Party under the leadership of Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa who is the acting National Chairman of our party as it is presently.

It’s believed in some quarters that the internal crisis may consume your party. What do you have to say about that?

I don’t want to believe that it will consume the party because it is part of politics. Just like APC and PDP have their challenges and I don’t want to believe that it is insurmountable.

Things like this will come and go. I believe it will even deepen democracy because when one or two people come together, conflicts are bound to happen. It is part of human nature that no matter what, you cannot say you belong to a political party and that party will stay for years without having Its conflict.

How many State Chairmen are with the Lamidi Apapa-led faction?

I think I’m the only state Chairman that is with the Apapa’s camp, other chairmen are with the Julius-Abure-led faction.

However, after the NEC meeting held in Delta, the National Working Committee, NWC, led by Baba Apapa had to suspend all the other chairmen and more so because their tenure had expired, they now formed another fresh channel in all the states of the federation. So as far as I’m concerned, I don’t have any grudges or any problem with the other side. All I’m saying is that let us follow the due process and being a lawyer, I have to be very careful with whatever I am doing.

The fact that they are on the other lane doesn’t mean I should just blindly follow them. As you are aware, Barr. Julius Abure is my very good brother because he is a lawyer and I’m a lawyer too. I have been supporting him come rain come sunshine. I have been on his side all the time. The only time we parted ways was when the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) barred him and three other national executive members of the party from parading themselves as national officers of the party.

Even when the working committee suspended him, I was with Julius Abure in Edo State to show him solidarity. I said that decision cannot hold water.

However, when there was a court order restraining him, that was when the issue came up. I said if there is a court order no matter the love I have for Abure, the court order needs to be obeyed.

As you know, we are having an election season coming up in Bayelsa in Imo and Kogi state. So is it because I have a love for Abure, I should just forget about due process and follow Abure at the detriment of the 6 million people in Imo State, 7 million people in Kogi, and 4.5 million people in Bayelsa? If I do that I didn’t do justice. We advised that since there is a court order, let another person constitute the committee that would conduct our primaries in those states but Abure refused.

He (Abure) appointed me as the Chairman of the Appeal Committee in Imo State but if I had gone there I would not be doing justice to LP. So, I told them categorically that I am not going to go and I came back to the side of Baba Apapa because the constitution under section 15 of our LP says that ‘If the Chairman is absent, the Deputy Chairman shall be there to act in an acting capacity”. So I now look at it, I said if I participate in Abure’s primaries, anything we do within the period of that court order would be a nullity and at the end of the day, all that APC and PDP will do if we win the election in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa is just to go to the tribunal and the court will take away our winning because of this avoidable circumstances.

So why should we venture into it when we know that even if you know what you are doing and you are on the right track, facing PDP and APC in court is not an easy thing, talk more when you know you have a skeleton in your cupboard. So I think Barr. Julius Abure should have put aside his interest and looked at the interest of the people of those states and the party.

It’s also believed in some quarters that Apapa is being sponsored to cause disaffection in the party…

We are not talking about whether Baba Apapa is sponsored by the APC, APGA, or PDP. I don’t care about that because it is not something that has been established but the court order against Abure has been established, and it’s something that I can touch and see but the accusation about Baba Apapa, I have nothing to show that he has been hobnobbing with the APC or he is with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

It is a mere rumour because there is no single evidence, not to talk more of pictures, or videos that show Baba Apapa mingling with APC or Tinubu.

Even the allegation that he has not been with the party is not true because Abure is the longest-serving officer of the party. He has been with the party for 23 years. He is the oldest elected Deputy National Chairman we have.

But won’t the crisis affect Peter Obi’s chances in court?

This case has nothing to do with the Tribunal because already tribunal issues have been joined. Though Peter Obi the other time was saying that he believes that Baba Apapa has been used to cause problems for him in the tribunal. But with due respect to him, Obi as a leader has not done much in terms of standing firm to resolve the crises of the party as he is the father and national leader of the party.

Obi hasn’t done much in terms of standing firm to resolve the crisis in the party. He should have called both parties. For instance, look at Atiku, even though he had problems with Wike. I can’t count how many times he held meetings with Wike both within the country and outside the country. I believe it won’t take Obi up to an hour to resolve the LP crisis. It’s just for him to go to the Transcorp Hilton hotel and hold meetings with the aggrieved leaders and before you know it, this matter will be resolved but he has not done that. The only thing he does is to make accusations that someone is working for APC.

This is not the best way to go as a leader and a lot of people are saying that if he cannot resolve the micro crisis in the LP, how can he resolve the complex problem of the Niger Delta, IPOB, or Boko Haram in the north. So it is a kind of a test for Peter Obi and the chance is still open for him to make sure that he calls for dialogue and resolves all this crisis because I believe they are not insurmountable.

More so, another thing that deepened the crisis was when the acting chairman, Apapa was attacked at the tribunal. Though I wasn’t there, they said Peter Obi was in court, Abure was there and they saw how Apapa was being maltreated but he (Obi) could not place a call to him, he could not even condemn the act of obedience on his Twitter handle.

You remember when Wole Soyinka said something about Peter Obi, the Obidients insulted him and the LP presidential candidate had to go to his house to apologise on behalf of them. So this has also deepened the crisis to the extent that people like Abayomi Arabambi, the National Publicity Secretary of the LP vowed that except Peter Obi apologised for what happened to Baba Apapa, he will not stop challenging him openly and you can see, in many newspapers, Arabambi has been attacking Obi left and centre. Let me tell you, between me and my almighty God, we have held a series of meetings where Baba Apapa and everyone were present.

We’ve tried to talk to Arabambi not to join issues with Peter Obi because he is our presidential candidate and the product that we are all selling but Arabambi kept on saying that he will not stop because of what happened to Baba Apapa at the tribunal after they were all attacked.

If Obi had called a meeting to broker a truce this would not have degenerated. The other time I called the LP Vice Presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed. I advised him to call for a meeting no matter what and I know Baba Apapa to be a very simple man, he will attend it.

The fact remains that if something is not done, at the end of the day, no matter what, there could still be this kind of problem here and there and our political rivals will be happy with the development because the Labour Party is trying to become a force to reckon with.

Do you foresee Obi leaving the party in the future?

Well, that’s his own decision to make but I think the party that appears to be more palatable or inclined by Obi’s ideology and everything is the LP. I think he will remain in the party to see how he can make things happen because you can see this is somebody that came to the party in less than a year but as God would have it, look at the kind of goodwill the LP has received as a result of the coming of Peter Obi.

So it will be a bad calculation for him to say he is going to change his political party at this material time. I think what he needs to do is to use his wisdom as somebody who is internationally recognized as a leader of high repute, to put all machinery in place, put all sentiment aside, and look at the interest of the party and nation at large.

He should call all the warring parties together, let’s sit down, and believe me within 2 days, this matter will be over, but up till now, Peter Obi has not called for that meeting, which is very unlike him.

Are you saying that Obi deliberately doesn’t want to settle this crisis?

No, I can’t say that he deliberately doesn’t want to settle it and I can’t say what his reason is.

But is he taking sides with any faction?

Already he has taken sides with Abure and it is not helping matters because you remember even when there was a court order, Peter Obi participated in the Delta NEC meeting, and that caused a lot of issues in the party. If not because of the respect that people have for Peter Obi, they wanted to initiate a contempt proceeding and that would have been so bad.

And that is even what informed my resolve to believe that Baba Apapa has not been sponsored by the APC. Let me tell you something, there is a Supreme Court authority that says that a person in disobedience of a court order cannot be heard. It’s an authority. If you are disobeying a Court order you will not be heard in the court of law. It’s a Supreme Court authority and all those on the side of Baba Apapa are aware of this authority but nobody is of the view that such a case should be filed against Peter Obi because he is one of us.

The only problem they have is Abure and the way he (Obi) is taking sides with him. Hence, the reason some people are coming out to attack him openly. They have seen that Peter Obi has already made up his mind that no matter what, he will be with Abure.

So what advice do you have for Peter Obi now?

It will be a good development if he tries to manage the crisis in the LP and resolve it because it is a signal to him that he will be a good leader. One of the fundamental problems Nigeria faces today as a nation is lack of security, so if you cannot resolve a micro problem in your party, people will laugh at us outside and say look at your Peter Obi, he cannot resolve a simple crisis and you want us to carry a whole country and give to him?

We won’t do that and it will be a slap on us. So my advice to Peter Obi is ‘please no matter what the people say to him about Baba Apapa and co, he should give us a fair hearing’. Let him hear from us and the other party. Then come to the centre and resolve this matter amicably. The Labour Party is bigger than all of us.

Controversial Nollywood actor, Uche Maduagwu, has asserted that 95 percent of Nigerian male celebrities are bisexual.

The self-proclaimed gay man made the assertion via his Instagram page recently.

He warned those judging and mocking his sexuality, to desist from doing so, stressing that he isn’t the only bisexual male celebrity in Nigeria.

Maduagwu said, Don’t judge me, you are not God. I dey follow woman and man, 95% of Nigerian male celebs dey do am, both married and single. I repeat 95% of Naija male celebs dey follow both woman and man. Truth is bitter but that is the beautiful reality.

A male celeb was following others to laugh at me yesterday at an event in Ikoyi but e dey follow women and men too. So why all the double standards?

Tragedy struck over the weekend in Ondo State when five people died in a boat mishap that occurred at Ugbo-Nla, Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.

The incident involved five seafood traders who drowned and died when their boat capsized on the waterways.

The incident occurred when the victims were in transit to the market in the coastal community.

According to the National President of the Ondo State Fishermen Association of Nigeria, Benedict Orioye Gbayisemore, only one trader was rescued alive out of the six traders who were on the boat.

Gbayisemore disclosed, Their boat capsized, and five of the travellers died, while only one person was rescued due to the use of a life jacket.

He expressed sympathy to the bereaved families and relatives while reiterating the importance of life jackets for commuters on waterways.

Traders in Shasha Market, Oke-Baale, Osogbo are now counting their losses after a heavy downpour that fell on Saturday evening submerged their stalls leading to loss of their goods and wares.

The heavy rainfall, which lasted for more than two hours, also forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes in the area.

A visit to the area revealed that although no life was lost, many houses, shops and kiosks were submerged, while food items were washed away.

One of the affected trades, Rufai Bello, said he rushed to the area to save some of his goods before the place was flooded.

He lamented that many of the traders were caught unawares and fled for safety as the water began to rise.

He also stated that as a result of their inability to salvage their goods, they suffered losses.

Another affected trader, Wakeel Alakuko said he and other traders were caught unawares and they were only able to take a few items away from the shop before the flood took over.

He said, It has been an annual ritual for this to happen to us but we didn’t expect it so early.

He revealed that in September-October, 2022, the Akintokun River in Igbo-Ifa overflowed its bank, causing huge havoc to traders in the area.

Other traders called on the state government to do something about the flood which had become a yearly occurrence.

They revealed that the government was aware but nothing was done even after several appeals.

The solution is that there should be a bridge to channel the stream to the one in Igbo-Ifa but the past administration only put cemented rings there, which is too narrow for the river to navigate during the rainy season.

He said, We therefore called on Governor Ademola Adeleke to help us construct a bridge to expand the channels where the river can easily flow.

They lamented that it is just two months into the rainy season and they do not know what will happen towards the end of the year.

Reacting, the Osun State Government directed relevant agencies of government to immediately activate the state’s flood prevention plans.

In a statement signed by the spokesperson to Governor Ademola Adeleke, Olawale Rasheed on Sunday, the directive was issued after the Governor received reports of the inspections of the recent Osogbo flood, which affected several areas in the state capital.

The state government also urged the residents of the state to discontinue the dumping of refuse on drainage and waterways.

The government inspection team to the scene of the flood was led by the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye.

The statement also revealed that Governor Adeleke instructed the Ministry of Environment, Works and other associated agencies to speed up work on all ongoing channelisation projects and launch the implementation of flood prevention agenda of the state government.

Part of the programmes include clearing of blocked drainage and waterways, removal of structures blocking river lines, sensitization against refuse dumping in waterways and continuation of channelisation programmes of the administration.

I direct the relevant agencies to set out to work on our flood prevention programmes. What we experienced was a flash flood but we must be proactive. All work plans already approved must be implemented without further delay.

Osun is one of the states listed on the flood alert. The rainy season is here and we must be on the alert. We have launched many channelisation programmes across many towns and villages. This is still ongoing.

He said, Proper disposal of waste is provided for under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment. Our people must embrace such best practices to avoid avoidable loss of properties and lives.

While commiserating with the victims of the flood, the Governor instructed the state Ministry of Environment to include actionable recommendations in a detailed report to be submitted to him.

Nigerian civil rights activist and Head of the Directorate of Research, Strategy & Programmes of the coalition of civil society organisations, Act for Positive Transformation Initiatives, APTI, Kolawale Johnson has declared that Nigeria is broke and cannot afford to continue with the age-long subsidy payment.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu had in his inaugural speech on May 29, said the country can no longer sustain the payment of subsidy, declaring it gone.

The development triggered uproar across the country as citizens lamented the astronomical hike in transportation fare and other essential goods and services.

Despite the protests, the presidency had vowed that there was no going back in the removal of fuel subsidy, citing the burden it has on the government.

Speaking on the matter, Mr Kolawole argued that there would be no better time to remove the subsidy than now.

He ascribed the continuous remittance of the subsidy to oil marketers to the failure of the previous administrations.

He said, If Obasanjo could not deal with it, Yar’Adua, Jonathan and even Buhari that called it a scam cannot deal with it, then we can say it was the failure of the government that the subsidy persisted till this moment.

Even the palliatives and other things that needed to be put in place before the removal, we can’t have them now because we don’t have money.

If we stop the subsidy, maybe the money that should have gone into it in the next three months will be used for palliatives. This is the level we are right now. We don’t even have the money to provide those palliatives unless we borrow again.

The reality across the world now is that you just have to survive and for you to survive, you need to take hard decisions.

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the February 25 general election, Mr Peter Obi has claimed the “nation’s democracy is deeply troubled, while its destiny remains uncertain and precarious.

Obi said it is regrettable that the country is now in an era where foundational pillars of democracy are undermined by prevalent impunity and pervasive violence and bloodletting.

In a statement via his verified Twitter handle on Sunday, Obi lamented that “the country lacks selfless leaders committed to national interest, sustainable development and innovative thinking that offers every Nigerian freedom of choice of abode, protection of lives and property and ordered liberties.

His statement is coming on the heels of the commemoration of “June 12 Democracy Day” in Nigeria.

Obi noted that the collective choice of late Chief M. K.O AbIola as a worthy leader for the nation was saluted by Nigerians and governments and peoples across the world, pointing out that June 12 underpins Nigerians’ long collective journey to nationhood as a true democracy.

The former Anambra State governor noted that Nigerians expressed their unreserved preference for true democracy and freely chose a transparent voting method even under military rule.

However, he lamented that the trust deficit between the leaders and Nigerians have continued to expand.

Part of his statement read, “Our collective choice of late Chief M. K.O AbIola as a worthy leader for the nation was saluted by Nigerians and governments and peoples across the world. Therefore, June 12 underpins our long collective journey to nationhood as a true democracy.

However, the current state of our politics tells a different story . Our democracy is deeply troubled while our nation’s destiny remains uncertain and precarious. We remain a nation in search of solutions to too many basic problems.

Above all, the government must respect and protect the institutions of the democratic state by respecting the social contract with the people by meeting their needs, obeying their wishes and fulfilling the responsibilities of responsible governance as contained in the constitution. A cardinal responsibility of the government in this regard is respect for the rule of law.

Regrettably, we are now in an era where these foundational pillars of democracy are undermined by prevalent impunity and pervasive violence and bloodletting. The trust deficit between the leaders and Nigerians continues to expand.

The deficits of trust and efficiency in our last elections demonstrate this malady quite boldly. The challenge of June 12 and a dedicated Democracy Day is to inspire us to correct the errors of our recent elections.

This is the surest way to restore the confidence of our people in the future of our nation and the promise of true democracy. I however urge us all not to lose faith in the inbuilt design of our democratic system to self-correct.

Personally, I remain committed and convinced that a New Nigeria is POssible. Our aspiration for a nation of equity, justice, security and peace can hardly be utopia. We are a nation blessed richly with human and natural resources.

What we lack are selfless leaders who are committed to national interest, sustainable development and innovative thinking that offers every Nigerian irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social strata, the freedom of choice of abode, and protection of lives, property and ordered liberties.

These aspirations are real and achievable; and I hereby reiterate my promise to Nigerians that we will not relent in our fight to bring about a leadership that will accord them the priority they deserve.

TEXT OF DEMOCRACY DAY NATIONAL BROADCAST BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU ON JUNE 12, 2023. Fellow Nigerians, 2. It is exactly three decades today that Nigerians went to the polls to exercise their inalienable right to elect a President of their choice to lead the transition from military dictatorship to a representative government of the people. 3. The abortion, by military fiat, of the decisive victory of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the June 12, 1993, presidential election, up to that time, the fairest and freest election in the country’s political evolution, turned out, ironically, to be the seed that germinated into the prolonged struggle that gave birth to the democracy we currently enjoy since 1999. 4. In rising to strongly oppose the arbitrary annulment of the will of the majority of Nigerians as expressed in that historic election, the substantial number of our people who participated in the struggle to de-annul the election signified their fierce commitment to enthroning democracy as a form of government that best ennobles the liberty, the dignity of the individual and the integrity as well as the stability of the polity. The fierce opposition to the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and the unrelenting pro-democracy onslaught it unleashed was the equivalent of the battle against colonial rule by our founding fathers that resulted in the gaining of Nigeria’s independence in 1960. 5. Just like the anti-colonial movement, the pro-June 12 vanguard demonstrated, once again, the enduring validity of the 19th century historian, Arnold Toynbee’s eternal postulation, that civilization and societies experience progress as they are forced to respond to challenges posed by the environment. The unjust annulment of a widely acknowledged free and fair election was a challenge that elicited resistance by a resurgent civil society, leading ultimately to the attainment of our ‘second independence’ as exemplified by the return of democratic governance in 1999. 6. Fellow compatriots, we celebrate a day that has remained a watershed in our nation’s history, not just today, but for every June 12, for the endless future that our beloved country shall exist and wax stronger and stronger, generations of Nigerians will always remind themselves that the democracy that is steadily growing to become the defining essence of our polity was not gifted to us on a silver platter. 7. We can easily recall the sacrifice and martyrdom of Chief MKO Abiola, the custodian of the sacred mandate that was so cruelly annulled. He sacrificed his life in unyielding, patriotic defense of the ideals of democracy as symbolized in his choice, by his fellow countrymen and women, as their duly-elected President. There was an easier choice for him. It was to forgo the justice of his cause and opt for the path of ease and capitulation in the face of the tyranny of power. To his eternal credit and immortal glory, Abiola said no. He demonstrated the time-tested eternal truth that there are certain ideals and principles that are far more valuable than life itself. 8. Everyday, on this day, down the ages we will recall the several other heroes of democracy such as Kudirat Abiola, wife of Chief Abiola, who was brutally murdered while in the trenches fighting on the side of the people. We remember Pa Alfred Rewane, one of the heroes of our independence struggle and Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (rtd) who were silenced by the military junta while in pursuit of democracy. They gave their yesterday for the liberty that is ours today. 9. The point is that we must never take this democracy for granted. We must forever jealously guard and protect it like a precious jewel. For, a people can never truly appreciate the freedoms and rights democracy guarantees them until they lose it. 10. We have traversed the dark, thorny path of dictatorship before and those who experienced it can readily testify to the unbridgeable gap between the dignity of freedom and the humiliation and degradation of tyranny. True, rancorous debates, interminable wrangling, ceaseless quarrels, bitter electoral contestations may be perceived by some as unattractive features of democracy. But they also testify to its merit and value. 11. This year, we held the seventh in the cycle of elections that have become sacred rituals of our democratic practice in this dispensation since 1999. 12. That the polls were intensely contested is in itself positive evidence that democracy is well and alive in our land. It is only natural that even as those who won and experienced victory in the various elections are elated and fulfilled, those who lost are disenchanted and disappointed. But the beauty of democracy is that those who win today can lose tomorrow and those who lose today will have an opportunity to compete and win in the next round of elections. 13. Those who cannot endure and accept the pain of defeat in elections do not deserve the joy of victory when it is their turn to triumph. Above all, those who disagree with the outcome of the elections are taking full advantage of the constitutional provisions to seek redress in court and that is one of the reasons why democracy is still the best form of government invented by man. 14. For Chief MKO Abiola, the symbol of this day, in whose memory June 12 became a national holiday, democracy is eternal. 15. It is about rule of law and vibrant judiciary that can be trusted to deliver justice and strengthen institutions. It has become imperative to state here that the unnecessary illegal orders used to truncate or abridge democracy will no longer be tolerated. 16. The recent harmonization of the retirement age for judicial officers is meant to strengthen the rule of law, which is a critical pillar of democracy. The reform has just started. 17. The democracy that will yield the right dividends to the people who are the shareholders means more than just freedom of choice and the right to get people into elective offices. It means social and economic justice for our people. To the winner of June 12, democracy offers the best chance to fight and eliminate poverty. Thirty years ago, he christened his campaign manifesto, ‘Farewell to Poverty’ because he was convinced that there is nothing divine about poverty. It is a man-made problem that can be eliminated with clearly thought out social and economic policies. 18. It is for this reason that, in my inauguration address on May 29, I gave effect to the decision taken by my predecessor-in-office to remove the fuel subsidy albatross and free up for collective use the much-needed resources, which had hitherto been pocketed by a few rich. I admit that the decision will impose an extra burden on the masses of our people. I feel your pain. This is one decision we must bear to save our country from going under and take our resources away from the stranglehold of a few unpatriotic elements. 19. Painfully, I have asked you, my compatriots, to sacrifice a little more for the survival of our country. For your trust and belief in us, I assure you that your sacrifice shall not be in vain. The government I lead will repay you through massive investment in transportation infrastructure, education, regular power supply, healthcare and other public utilities that will improve the quality of lives. 20. The democracy MKO Abiola died for is one that promotes the welfare of the people over personal interests of the ruling class and one where the governed can find personal fulfillment and happiness. That is the hope MKO Abiola ignited throughout our country in 1993. 21. On this year’s Democracy Day, I enjoin us all to rededicate ourselves to strengthening this form of government of free peoples that has been our guiding light these past 24 years. In particular, those of us who have been privileged to be elected into public offices at various levels in both the executive and legislative arms of government must recommit ourselves to offering selfless service to the people, and delivering concrete democracy dividends in accordance with our electoral promises. 22. On my part and that of my administration, I pledge anew our commitment to diligently fulfilling every component of our electoral pact with the people – the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda. 23. We shall be faithful to truth. Faithful to equity. And faithful to justice. We shall exercise our authority and mandate to govern with fairness, respect for the rule of law, and commitment to always uphold the dignity of all our people. 24. On this note, I wish us all a happy Democracy Day celebration and pray that the light of liberty shall never be extinguished in our land. 25. Thank you all and may God continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. TEXT OF DEMOCRACY DAY NATIONAL BROADCAST BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU ON JUNE 12, 2023. Fellow Nigerians, 2. It is exactly three decades today that Nigerians went to the polls to exercise their inalienable right to elect a President of their choice to lead the transition from military dictatorship to a representative government of the people. 3. The abortion, by military fiat, of the decisive victory of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the June 12, 1993, presidential election, up to that time, the fairest and freest election in the country’s political evolution, turned out, ironically, to be the seed that germinated into the prolonged struggle that gave birth to the democracy we currently enjoy since 1999. 4. In rising to strongly oppose the arbitrary annulment of the will of the majority of Nigerians as expressed in that historic election, the substantial number of our people who participated in the struggle to de-annul the election signified their fierce commitment to enthroning democracy as a form of government that best ennobles the liberty, the dignity of the individual and the integrity as well as the stability of the polity. The fierce opposition to the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and the unrelenting pro-democracy onslaught it unleashed was the equivalent of the battle against colonial rule by our founding fathers that resulted in the gaining of Nigeria’s independence in 1960. 5. Just like the anti-colonial movement, the pro-June 12 vanguard demonstrated, once again, the enduring validity of the 19th century historian, Arnold Toynbee’s eternal postulation, that civilization and societies experience progress as they are forced to respond to challenges posed by the environment. The unjust annulment of a widely acknowledged free and fair election was a challenge that elicited resistance by a resurgent civil society, leading ultimately to the attainment of our ‘second independence’ as exemplified by the return of democratic governance in 1999. 6. Fellow compatriots, we celebrate a day that has remained a watershed in our nation’s history, not just today, but for every June 12, for the endless future that our beloved country shall exist and wax stronger and stronger, generations of Nigerians will always remind themselves that the democracy that is steadily growing to become the defining essence of our polity was not gifted to us on a silver platter. 7. We can easily recall the sacrifice and martyrdom of Chief MKO Abiola, the custodian of the sacred mandate that was so cruelly annulled. He sacrificed his life in unyielding, patriotic defense of the ideals of democracy as symbolized in his choice, by his fellow countrymen and women, as their duly-elected President. There was an easier choice for him. It was to forgo the justice of his cause and opt for the path of ease and capitulation in the face of the tyranny of power. To his eternal credit and immortal glory, Abiola said no. He demonstrated the time-tested eternal truth that there are certain ideals and principles that are far more valuable than life itself. 8. Everyday, on this day, down the ages we will recall the several other heroes of democracy such as Kudirat Abiola, wife of Chief Abiola, who was brutally murdered while in the trenches fighting on the side of the people. We remember Pa Alfred Rewane, one of the heroes of our independence struggle and Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (rtd) who were silenced by the military junta while in pursuit of democracy. They gave their yesterday for the liberty that is ours today. 9. The point is that we must never take this democracy for granted. We must forever jealously guard and protect it like a precious jewel. For, a people can never truly appreciate the freedoms and rights democracy guarantees them until they lose it. 10. We have traversed the dark, thorny path of dictatorship before and those who experienced it can readily testify to the unbridgeable gap between the dignity of freedom and the humiliation and degradation of tyranny. True, rancorous debates, interminable wrangling, ceaseless quarrels, bitter electoral contestations may be perceived by some as unattractive features of democracy. But they also testify to its merit and value. 11. This year, we held the seventh in the cycle of elections that have become sacred rituals of our democratic practice in this dispensation since 1999. 12. That the polls were intensely contested is in itself positive evidence that democracy is well and alive in our land. It is only natural that even as those who won and experienced victory in the various elections are elated and fulfilled, those who lost are disenchanted and disappointed. But the beauty of democracy is that those who win today can lose tomorrow and those who lose today will have an opportunity to compete and win in the next round of elections. 13. Those who cannot endure and accept the pain of defeat in elections do not deserve the joy of victory when it is their turn to triumph. Above all, those who disagree with the outcome of the elections are taking full advantage of the constitutional provisions to seek redress in court and that is one of the reasons why democracy is still the best form of government invented by man. 14. For Chief MKO Abiola, the symbol of this day, in whose memory June 12 became a national holiday, democracy is eternal. 15. It is about rule of law and vibrant judiciary that can be trusted to deliver justice and strengthen institutions. It has become imperative to state here that the unnecessary illegal orders used to truncate or abridge democracy will no longer be tolerated. 16. The recent harmonization of the retirement age for judicial officers is meant to strengthen the rule of law, which is a critical pillar of democracy. The reform has just started. 17. The democracy that will yield right dividends to the people who are the shareholders means more than just freedom of choice and right to get people into elective offices. It means social and economic justice for our people. To the winner of June 12, democracy offers the best chance to fight and eliminate poverty. Thirty years ago, he christened his campaign manifesto, ‘Farewell to Poverty’ because he was convinced that there is nothing divine about poverty. It is a man-made problem that can be eliminated with clearly thought out social and economic policies. 18. It is for this reason that, in my inauguration address on May 29, I gave effect to the decision taken by my predecessor-in-office to remove the fuel subsidy albatross and free up for collective use the much-needed resources, which had hitherto been pocketed by a few rich. I admit that the decision will impose extra burden on the masses of our people. I feel your pain. This is one decision we must bear to save our country from going under and take our resources away from the stranglehold of a few unpatriotic elements. 19. Painfully, I have asked you, my compatriots, to sacrifice a little more for the survival of our country. For your trust and belief in us, I assure you that your sacrifice shall not be in vain. The government I lead will repay you through massive investment in transportation infrastructure, education, regular power supply, healthcare and other public utilities that will improve the quality of lives. 20. The democracy MKO Abiola died for is one that promotes the welfare of the people over personal interests of the ruling class and one where the governed can find personal fulfillment and happiness. That is the hope MKO Abiola ignited throughout our country in 1993. 21. On this year’s Democracy Day, I enjoin us all to rededicate ourselves to strengthening this form of government of free peoples that has been our guiding light these past 24 years. In particular, those of us who have been privileged to be elected into public offices at various levels in both the executive and legislative arms of government must recommit ourselves to offering selfless service to the people, and delivering concrete democracy dividends in accordance with our electoral promises. 22. On my part and that of my administration, I pledge anew our commitment to diligently fulfilling every component of our electoral pact with the people – the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda. 23. We shall be faithful to truth. Faithful to equity. And faithful to justice. We shall exercise our authority and mandate to govern with fairness, respect for the rule of law, and commitment to always uphold the dignity of all our people. 24. On this note, I wish us all a happy Democracy Day celebration and pray that the light of liberty shall never be extinguished in our land. 25. Thank you all and may God continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Nigerian comedian Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Ejekwu, popularly known as Sabinus, has revealed that God has been sending “a lot of problems” to him.

He disclosed this while chatting with legendary musician 2Face Idibia recently.

The duo were spotted hanging out in a video making the rounds on the internet.

In the video, the singer asked Sabinus why he likes “problems too much.”

Responding, Sabinus said that without problems, he wouldn’t be able to make money. He said that is the reason God keeps sending problems his way.

He, however, clarified that the problems are just online (in his comedy skits) and not in real life.

Sabinus said: Boss, you know, say if I no enter problem, money no go come. So, God has been sending problems my way—online o, not offline o [laughs].

Grammy-winning Nigerian singer, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Temz, has beaten American female music stars to a new record on the Billboard chart.

The Nigerian achieved the rare feat after her song ‘Free Mind’ broke the record for longest running number one by a female artist in Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart history.

The song maintained its position at number one on the chart this week, making it a total of 17 weeks at peak, which is a record by any female artiste.

The song debuted on the main chart, Billboard Hot 100 last year, making Tems the first Nigerian female soloist to appear as a lead on the chart.

‘Free Mind, which is off Tems’ debut Extended Play (EP) has earned millions of streams in the United States across major digital streaming platforms.