World record holder in the Women’s 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, claimed her fourth Nigerian title at the ongoing Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s National Trials at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin-City, Edo State, on Monday.

She powered through to the finish line at a time of 12.78s ahead of Adaobi Tabugbo, who finished second in 13.33s.

The event, which ends this Tuesday, will be used by the AFN to pick athletes for the Paris Olympics, the Africa Championships to be held later this month in Cameroon, and the World U-20 Championship in Lima, Peru, from August 27 to 31.

Although Amusan had qualified for the Olympics, she executed her race smoothly in Benin-City to defend her title.

The 27-year-old has recorded some triumphs this season, including a world lead at the Jamaican Invitational in May and before then set the African 60m hurdles (indoor) record twice in January and February.

In what will be her third appearance at the Olympics, Amusan is looking to reach the podium in Paris, where the Games hold from July 26 to August 11, 2024.

The three-time (consecutive) Diamond League winner, two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist, two-time African champion and three-time African Games gold medalist, has participated in two Olympic Games (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020).

She didn’t make it beyond the heats on her debut appearance in 2016 and finished fourth at the last edition in Tokyo, marginally missing out on the podium.

However, the Nigerian champion has said she is not under pressure to win gold at the Paris Games.

“No pressure, just having fun. One day at a time, one race at a time, no pressure on. When it’s time for Paris, we’ll definitely show up in Paris,” Amusan said in May during the Atlanta City Games.

[Leadership]

The Federal Government has harmonised the criteria for the 2022/23 Mini Bid Round, and the 2024 Licencing Rounds so as to attract fresh investments into Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas sector

The harmonisation of the criteria was announced by the Commission Chief Executive, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Engr Gbenga Komolafe, in a statement, on Tuesday.

Recall that former President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2022 approved that some deep offshore blocks be put on offer for the 2022/23 Mini Bid Round and other blocks which cut across onshore, continental shelf and deep offshore terrains were also put on offer for the Nigeria 2024 Licencing Round.

During the bid round which was held last year, seven Petroleum Prospecting Licences (PPLs) were up for grabs.

The listed seven deep offshore open blocks include PPL-300-DO, PPL-301-DO, PPL-302-DO, PPL-303-DO, PPL-304-DO, PPL-305-DO, and PPL-306-

But in a move that is geared towards boosting confidence in the transparency and continuity of the 2022/2023 Deep Offshore Oil Block Mini-bid Round process and in order to vacate entry barriers, Komolafe said that the Commission sought and obtained the approval of President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is the Petroleum Minister.

The approval given by the President is in line with his avowed determination to create enabling and attractive investment regimes in the upstream oil and gas sector, approved attractive fiscal regimes and also minimised entry fees for both licencing rounds by putting a cap on the signature bonus payable for award of the acreages.

Flowing from the approval by the President, the NUPRC Boss said it was necessary that the same bid criteria, in addition to the uniform signature bonus criteria are applicable for both licencing rounds, to promote transparency and provide a level playing ground for all bidders.

According to him, since the criteria for the award of the oil blocks are now much more attractive than they initially were during the 2022/23 Mini Bid Round, it is in the interest of equity and fair play to give all investors the same opportunity to bid for the assets.

Consequently, Komolafe explained that all blocks in the 2022/23 and 2024 Licencing Rounds are available to all interested investors on br.nuprc.gov.ng and br2024.nuprc.gov.ng respectively, and the 2022/23 Mini Bid Round registration phase is reopened to new applicants.

He urged the public to take advantage of this development and attractive entry terms and conditions and participate in the exercise.

However, he noted that all the prequalified Applicants published on the 2022/23 Mini Bid Round portal will not be required to go through a new pre-qualification process, as their technical submissions remain valid and eligible even for the 2024 Licencing Round.

The NUPRC stated further that they may, however, wish to resubmit new Commercial Bids to take advantage of the more attractive criteria applicable to both licencing rounds and revise their Bid Bonds to adapt to the new bid criteria.

He also explained that the Commission has extended the deadline for the
registration/submission of pre-qualification documents for the 2024 Licencing Round Schedule by 10 days.

The extension, according to the Commission is to allow interested investors to take advantage of the expanded opportunities in the upstream oil and gas sector.

The NUPRC Boss said in the statement that the extension of the deadline for the
registration/submission of pre-qualification documents for the 2024 Licencing Round, which was initially scheduled to close on 25 June 2024, has been extended by 10 days and will now close on 5 July 2024.

He also said that the Data Access/ Data Purchase/Evaluation/Bid Preparation and Submission which was initially scheduled to open on 4 July 2024 and close on 29/11/24 will now start on 8 July 2024 and close on 29/11/24 as previously scheduled.

The statement reads, “The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) wishes to provide update and clarity on the 2022/2023 and 2024 Licencing Rounds.

“It may be recalled that some deep offshore blocks were put on offer for the 2022/23 Mini Bid Round and other blocks which cut across onshore, continental shelf and deep offshore terrains were also put on offer for the Nigeria 2024 Licencing Round.

“In order to vacate entry barriers, the Commission had sought and obtained the approval of His Excellency, Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, who, as Petroleum Minister, in line with his avowed determination to create enabling and attractive investment regimes in the upstream oil and gas sector, approved attractive fiscal regimes and also minimised entry fees for both licencing rounds by putting a cap on the signature bonus payable for award of the acreages.

“Consequently, it is necessary to ensure that the same bid criteria (in addition to the uniform signature bonus criteria) are applicable for both licencing rounds, to promote transparency and provide a level playing ground for all bidders.

“Since the criteria for the award of the oil blocks are now much more attractive than they initially were during the 2022/23 Mini Bid Round, it is in the interest of equity and fair play to give all investors the same opportunity to bid for the assets.

“Consequently, all blocks in the 2022/23 and 2024 Licencing Rounds are available to all interested investors on br.nuprc.gov.ng and br2024.nuprc.gov.ng respectively, and the 2022/23 Mini Bid Round registration phase is reopened to new applicants.

“The public is therefore invited to take advantage of this development and attractive entry terms and conditions and participate in the exercise.

“However, all the prequalified Applicants published on the 2022/23 Mini Bid Round portal will not be required to go through a new pre-qualification process, as their technical submissions remain valid and eligible even for the 2024 Licencing Round.

“They may however wish to resubmit new Commercial Bids to take advantage of the more attractive criteria applicable to both licencing rounds and revise their Bid Bonds to adapt to the new bid criteria. They are also free to bid for blocks on offer in the 2024 Licencing Round.”

[DailyTrust]

Muhajid Asari Dokubo, a Niger Delta leader and former militant, has asked the past chairman of Rivers State’s 23 local government areas to accept the end of their three-year terms in good faith and avoid causing a problem.

Daily Sun recounts that Governor Siminalayi Fubara had asked the chairmen, who were supported by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to resign when their terms expired.

However, they refused, alleging that the pro-Wike faction in the Rivers House of Assembly had extended their mandate.

The Martin Amaewhule-led Assembly amended the law to allow LG chairman to extend their terms by six months in response to Fubara’s claimed inability to arrange local government elections.

Daily Post reports that while addressing during the 2024 Eid-el-Kabir festivities in Port Harcourt, Asari Dokubo stated that extending the chairmen’s tenure violates the Nigerian Constitution.

He emphasized that past chairman cannot unilaterally extend their terms of office in violation of their pledge and expect to be recognized.

Asari Dokubo, also known as the Edi Abali of Kalabari land, warned the previous chairmen against inciting the fury of what he referred to as the “people’s power,” as this may result in dire repercussions for them.

According to him: “Local government tenure has expired today, June 17, 2024. They should quietly go home. If they want to seek re-election in accordance with the constitution, they should do so.

“But there is no tenure elongation in the constitution. Their position is tenure-bound and that tenure has expired. Let them not cause unnecessary problems for the people of the state. And I want to advise young people: look, don’t allow yourselves to be used.”

He continued, “Only one man can be governor of Rivers State at a time. We would not have two governors at a time. The people of Rivers State are bigger than Muhajid Asari Dokubo. Rivers State is bigger than any individual. No individual can take Rivers State people for a ride and pocket us. It is not possible.

“Most of us (them), their (our) children are not here, and their children have never come out to stand in front of any protest. They’re not like Mandela and his children or me and my children or any other person. A lot of people have not done this. So, nobody should be allowed to be used.

“The people are showing people’s power. The people have gone on their own to take over local government secretariats because it is about the people, and nobody can say that we voted for three years’ tenure for a chairman and the chairman should exceed one second of that tenure.

“So, the people of Rivers State are exercising their power, and they are ready to take over until the government is ready to conduct a new election,” Asari concluded.

[Sun]

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara has directed all Heads of Local Government Administration, HLGAs, in the state’s 23 local government areas to take charge of councils starting today, Tuesday, June 18, 2024.

DAILY POST reports that this directive follows the expiration of the tenure of the 23 Local Government Areas, LGA, Chairmen on Monday, June 17, 2024.

In a broadcast on Tuesday morning, Governor Fubara instructed the HLGAs to “immediately take charge of the Councils with renewed vigor and readiness to serve and await further directives as we navigate towards even greater accomplishments together.”
Governor Fubara commended the outgoing LGA Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, and Councilors for their dedicated service to their respective communities.

He congratulated them on the successful completion of their tenures and wished them well in their future endeavors.

Fubara emphasized that the directive was in accordance with the law and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, ensuring that the administrative vacuum left by the departing LGA Chairmen is promptly filled.

Governor Fubara reassured the people of Rivers State of his commitment to their welfare, pledging to continue defending their interests and providing infrastructural development, sound healthcare delivery, quality education, and comprehensive welfare services for all residents and workers.

He expressed gratitude for the continued support of the people for his administration and affirmed his commitment to working collaboratively to build a brighter and better future for all.

His full speech below:

My fellow Rivers people

1. I come before you today with immense gratitude and heartfelt appreciation for your unwavering support to me and my administration.

2. I urge us all to reflect on the shared sacrifice we have all made to have a peaceful and prosperous Rivers State and indeed Nigeria. It is my wish that we continue to live in peace and harmony as one.

3. Together, we have achieved milestones in different sectors of our economy which includes infrastructure, health, education, workers welfare, improved service delivery, agriculture and social welfare that resonates deeply within our communities.

4. Your dogged and committed support has been the bedrock of our progress, and for that, I extend my sincerest thanks.

5. I also wish to acknowledge and commend the dedicated services of the outgoing elected Local Government Chairmen, Vice Chairmen and Councilors who were elected and sworn in three years ago, and whose tenure expired yesterday the 17th of June, 2024, as provided for by the Law.

5. On behalf of the Government and the people of Rives State, I thank you all for your sacrifices and commend your commitment to public service and our dear Rivers State.

7. I congratulate you all for the successful completion of your tenure and wish you well in your future endeavors.

8. As we move forward in making sure that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is upheld, and that law and order is maintained as we continue to strive to provide leadership and direction for our people, I hereby direct Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAs) to continue to provide leadership in their respective Local Government Areas.

9. Heads of Local Government Administration (HLGAs) are hereby
directed to immediately take charge of the Councils with renewed vigor and readiness to serve and await further directives as we navigate towards even greater accomplishments together.

10.1 assure you, my good people of Rivers State that we shall continue to defend you, provide infrastructural development, sound
healthcare delivery, quality education and undiluted welfare service packages for all our people and workers.

11. Once again, I thank you my dear good people of Rivers State, for your steadfast support and dedication to our shared vision of unity, progress and prosperity.

12. Together, we will continue to build a brighter and better future for all.

13. Happy Salah Holiday.

14. God bless Rivers State.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

[DailyPost]

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday departed Lagos at 11.06 a.m. for Pretoria.

Tinubu is to attend inauguration of  re-elected South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The president will return to Nigeria after the ceremony.

The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Administration and Control, Prof Moji Adeyeye, has urged Nigerians to refrain from storing cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days.

Adeyeye warned that cooked food stored in the refrigerator for days is susceptible to contamination by disease-causing pathogens, key agents of foodborne diseases that can lead to death.

Adeyeye made this known in a statement on Tuesday signed by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola.

Adeyeye, who said this in commemoration of the 2024 World Food Safety Day with the theme, ‘Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected’, urged stakeholders in the food supply chain to take deliberate actions to institute a food safety culture in their operations to mitigate food hazards and risks that could compromise food safety.

The World Food Safety Day celebrated annually on June 7 was established by the United Nations General Assembly task force in 2018 to raise awareness and encourage efforts to prevent, detect and address public health risks linked to unsafe food.

The statement partly read, “She however, urged Nigerians to refrain from storing cooked food in the refrigerator for more than three days, warning that cooked food stored in the refrigerator for days is susceptible to contamination by disease-causing pathogens, key agents of foodborne diseases that can lead to death.”

Adeyeye remarked that food safety is not only important for public health but a sine qua non for economic development and food security.

She noted that food safety is a collective responsibility, adding that everyone from producers to consumers needs to play their part to ensure food safety.

According to her, the campaign aims to promote global food safety awareness to strengthen efforts of preventing, detecting, and managing foodborne risks globally by highlighting the importance of being prepared for food safety incidents.

“Let us all stay true to the statements ‘food safety is everyone’s business’ and ‘food safety is a shared responsibility’ as we celebrate this year’s World Food Safety Day. Working together, we will continue to strengthen our food safety system, ensuring its resilience, robustness, and preparedness for the unexpected,” she said.

According to the World Health Organisation, an estimated 600 million – almost one in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food, and 420,000 die every year, resulting in the loss of 33 million healthy life years.

WHO said $110bn is lost yearly in productivity and medical expenses resulting from unsafe food in low- and middle-income countries.

Also, the Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Mrs Eva Edwards, alerted that foodborne diseases are expensive, yet they are preventable.

Edwards emphasised the significance of food as a necessity for human life, stressing that it can also be a source of harm if not handled properly.

She stated that food safety emergency response must be anchored on a multisectoral, collaborative, integrated one-health approach across the health, agriculture, and environment sectors, the tiers of government including relevant external partners and non-governmental organisations.

‘’Let’s all play our part in promoting the culture of good hygiene practices in our homes, communities, and food establishments. Together we can ensure a safer and healthier food supply for everyone,” she noted.

[Punch]

There is heavy shooting at the premises of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State following a move by the chairman of the LGA, Hon Allwell Ihundah, to access his office.

The development has sparked tension as businesses in the area have shut temporarily. 

It was alleged that the Chairman of the LGA, Ihundah had arrived at the council secretariat this morning with his security personnel to access his office, but that he was stopped by the youths who resumed occupation of the premises, Monday.

It would be recalled that the three years’ tenure of the elected Chairmen of Local Government and Councillors expired on the 17th of the June as provide by the Constitution.

But the LGA bosses have insisted that they would not vacate office following a purported amendment on the Local Government Administration Law of the State by the Martin Amaewhule led State Assembly.

Although, a State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had in its ruling voided the amendment in which the legislative arm of the state extended the tenure of the elected chairmen by six months.

However, the Governor Siminialayi Fubara had in a statewide broadcast this morning, bided the elected chairmen and councilors farewell, noting that their period to occupy their positions legally has elapsed.

But, Tuesday, the Chairman of PHALGA allegedly came to the council secretariat to pick some of his property, but he was stopped by the angry youths.

It was learned that in the process police attached to him started shooting in the air to scare the LGA occupants, but that the youths resisted the security action.

[Vanguard]

Air strikes by the Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji have continued to record the expected outcome as several terrorists have been eliminated with their motorcycles destroyed. In one of such strikes carried out on the night of 15 June 2024, over 80 terrorists hibernating at a hideout location at Gidan Kare Village of Ruwan Godiya Ward in Faskare Local Government Area (LGA) of Katsina State were confirmed eliminated and 45 motorcycles burnt. The strikes became necessary following intelligence that terrorists numbering over 100 were reported burning houses at a settlement about 5 kms away from Gidan Kare Village. Overhead the Village at about 8.30pm, several houses were observed to be on fire with the entire Village in pandemonium. Moments later, 12 motor cycles were seen departing the Village and trailed along a footpath out of the village to a location near Gidan Kare Village and Kuka Shidda Camp, where they joined up with a large number of their cohorts. Other terrorists were also observed arriving the location from different directions, an indication that the location was a massing up point with the terrorists likely planning to further attack nearby villages.

Having been presented such a rare opportunity, authorization was sought, obtained and the location was immediately struck at exactly 9:40pm, with over 80 terrorists confirmed eliminated and about 45 motorcycles burnt down, while few surviving terrorists were observed fleeing or limping off. Further intelligence received after the strike also revealed that the terrorists were closely linked with notorious terrorists kingpin Yusuf Yellow and his close associate Rabe Imani. These strikes, along with others before now, have no doubt disrupted terrorists activities in the area.

Meanwhile, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has commended the efforts of the Air Component as well as other security agencies in diminishing the capabilities of terrorist elements in the Northwest. He made this known earlier today, 17 June 2024, when he fête the Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji at 213 Forward Operating Base, Katsina. According to the CAS, "As we continue the fight against insurgency and banditry bedeviling our dear nation, I want to commend and appreciate your resoluteness and gallantry." He also stated that the successes by the Air Component Operation HADARIN DAJI in synergy with other security agencies have continued to contribute to security within the region. He then urged them not to relent in their efforts and dedication to the fight against terrorism and all forms of criminality in Nigeria.

Earlier, Marshal Abubakar had commissioned some airfield facilities such as the new taxiway link, operations and engineering building, and the new sports complex. Specifically, the airfield facilities commissioned will no doubt ensure air operations, especially within the Northwest, are more effective and efficient.

Edward Gabkwet
Air Vice Marshal
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force

Eminent economist and university administrator, Prof. Akpan Hogan Ekpo is formally retiring from the University of Uyo on June 26 when he turns 70; and to mark it, he will launch his autobiography and give a valedictory lecture. In April, he gave a thought-provoking lecture on the ‘The Collapse of the Naira’, and the monetary authorities took in a few lessons. His friends, students and colleagues across the country are also planning series of activities to celebrate this accomplished academic and Pan Africanist whose generosity, good nature and intellectual prowess are legendary. On behalf of my friends and family, I send warm greetings and best wishes to Prof Ekpo, my dear friend, brother and mentor, on this very auspicious moment. May God continue to bless him and his family with good health, long life and happiness as he enters another phase of his beautiful life.

A son of a police officer, Ekpo was born and raised in Lagos where he completed primary and secondary education. He then proceeded to the United States and attended Howard University, Washington, D.C., from 1973 to 1976. In 1975, he won the American Economic Association Fellowship to study briefly at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, with the condition to return to Howard University. He was in the Dean’s list throughout his undergraduate studies and won various scholarships during his post-graduate programme. Ekpo holds a Ph.D in Business Administration and another Ph.D in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is married to Rev (Mrs) Njeri Mbaka Ekpo, originally from Kenya, and they are blessed with children and grandchildren.

Ekpo returned to Nigeria in 1983 and joined the University of Calabar as a lecturer in the Department of Economics, beginning what has turned out to be one of the most consequential careers in academics. I met him in the early 1987. I had just returned from my NYSC assignment in the northern part of the country and was frantically looking for a job. He was then a senior lecturer. Young, handsome and erudite, he was one of the most likable lecturers on campus, as I came to know. My elder brother, Lawrence, then a postgraduate student in the university (now a professor), was already collaborating with him in some academic works. He told me about Ekpo and suggested that I should go and see him since he had a lot of contacts with some senior government officials in Calabar then. I had never known him before, but desperate for help, I was ready to do anything.

I went to see Ekpo in his office. It was crowded with students seeking his attention, but he received me with warmth and thoughtfulness, and without any hesitation; he facilitated my first post-NYSC employment - in the civil service of the newly created Akwa Ibom State. I worked for only three months before I moved to Lagos. His gesture etched a permanent impression on my young mind, teaching me to be sensitive, kind and compassionate to people in need. Since then, I have taken to him like an elder brother from another mother.

When Prof. Ekpo was appointed Vice Chancellor of University of Uyo in 2000, I was a member of the Editorial Board of The Guardian newspaper. I wrote a piece in my column titled ‘’The challenge of a new Vice Chancellor’’, celebrating the promotion and setting an agenda for him. In 2021, he wrote the foreword in my best-selling book, ‘’Inside Story of the Struggle for the Abrogation of Onshore-Offshore Oil Dichotomy’’, published that year. I’m hoping to host him to a big celebration when he turns 80.

A Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Ekpo has participated in Nigeria’s public policy space for over 25 years. He was once Chairman, Ministerial Advisory Committee, Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja from 1994 to 1998; a Non-Executive Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Member of its Monetary Policy Committee from 2005 to 2009. He was Technical Advisor to the Vision 2010; member of the Steering Committee to Vision 20:2020; member of the Economic and Recovery Growth Committee; member of the Federal Government Minimum Wage Committee and has participated at various federal and state governments policy-making committees in the country. He has also been a member of several Economic Management teams of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Prof. Ekpo was Editor of the prestigious Nigerian Journal of Economic and Social Studies for eight years and President of the Nigerian Economic Society (NES) and a fellow of the Society. In 2008, he was appointed Director General and Head of Mission of the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM). He served for 10 years. WAIFEM is a professional and management development institute owned by English-speaking Central Banks of West Africa. He was commended by the Board for repositioning the Institute, especially in the areas of fund raising, research and introducing French language as a course.

As VC of UniUyo between 2000 and 2005, he was applauded by the NUC for re-positioning the University. He went on to serve as the pioneer Vice-chancellor of the Akwa Ibom State University of Technology (now Akwa Ibom State University) from 2005 to 2007, but had to resign his appointment because his principles of merit, transparency and accountability were being threatened. He returned to the Department of Economics, University of Uyo in 2007. He told me: ‘’Of all the positions I have held, being VC of University of Uyo gave me the opportunity to make the greatest impact. My team and I sanitized the university system. I restored the quality and integrity of the system by stopping ‘sorting’ and harassment of female students. I reduced cultism to the barest minimum. I was the first to introduce post-UTME examination in the country. I stopped certificate racketeering and burst the syndicate that was forging and printing our diplomas and selling them. I started the medical school and changed the medical center to University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. Overall, the discipline I brought to the system gladdened my heart’’.

He has been a visiting scholar to the World Bank and the IMF at various times and a recipient of the Federal Government of Nigeria Merit Award on Productivity. Ekpo has also lectured in several universities in the USA, Zimbabwe and Nigeria and consulted for several global and national institutions such as the World Bank, African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA), Africa Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), Forum of Federations in Canada, Center for Democracy and Development, National Manpower Board, Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Budget and Planning, among others.

He has been a member of various boards and Think Tanks such as the Management Committee of the AERC in Nairobi, African Heritage Institutions, African Population, Health and Research Consortium (APHRC), Clement Isong Foundation, Edet Amana Foundation and New Nigeria Foundation, among others. From 2020 to 2023, he was requested by the Nobel Prize Committee in Switzerland to nominate candidates for the Nobel Prize in Economics.

Professor Ekpo has written eight books and edited three. His latest book: Nigeria: A Resource Rich Economy in Disarray has been widely acclaimed. He’s published over 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals, chapters in books and other research outlets. He has over 1,850 citations in Google Scholar. His areas of interest include Economic Theory, Public Finance and Quantitative Methods.

Last week Wednesday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu marked the second Democracy Day in office. Ordinarily it ought to have been an occasion of great celebration for Tinubu in particular for his pro-democracy credentials and the role he played, known and unknown, to shift Democracy Day from May 29 to June 12. Unfortunately, the occasion was soiled by cries of "we are hungry" all over the place. That is a dent on Tinubu's democratic credentials.

 Nevertheless, we must not stop recalling how Democracy Day came about, if not for anything but for the sake of our youths who know nothing about their history. Here again today, I recall the story as was told by a news medium "The declaration of June 12 every year as a public holiday in Lagos State may have pitched Gov. Bola Tinubu against the Federal Government in a fresh face-off, with the Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Minister, Mr. Kanu Agabi, saying yesterday that the state had no constitutional right to proclaim a public holiday… 

"Mr. Agabi told State House correspondents in Abuja at the end of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) that declaration of public holiday was an exclusive responsibility of the Federal Government. Gov. Tinubu had, on Tuesday, said June 12 would be observed as a public holiday in the state in view of its importance in the political history of Nigeria.

"However, Mr. Agabi said: “I heard that one of the states has declared June 12 as a public holiday. You cannot do that because only the National Assembly and the President can do it. If the President declares June 12 as a public holiday, it would be a valid declaration but if any other person in this country does so, it is invalid.”

The minister pointed out that what the Lagos governor should have done was to persuade the President to make the declaration.

" His words: “The power to declare a public holiday can only be vested in the President because it is an executive function. It is not a judicial function, it is not a legislative function; it is an executive function. We have in existence a law called the Public Holidays Act Cap 378 of Volume 21 of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria. This law was in existence at the time the Constitution came into effect on May 29, 1999. It is an existing law and all existing laws are valid to the extent of their conformity with the Constitution… “

"He pointed out that it was on the basis of this law that the President declared May 29 of every year a public holiday… Speaking on why he did not go to court over the issue of Sharia, the minister stated that there was nothing in the Constitution that empowers the Federal Government to take any state to court over Sharia”

The realities of our present circumstances tell us how the then president, Olusegun Obasanjo, and his A-G/Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi, left leprosy (Sharia/Jihad) and pre-occupied themselves with skin rashes (Tinubu’s declaration of June 12 as a public holiday), possibly out of Obasanjo’s alleged inveterate hatred for MKO Abiola, winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. Remember that ever before he became civilian president, the same Obasanjo had, in far-away South Africa, declared that MKO was not the messiah Nigeria desired. Had Obasanjo done the needful when the fire of Sharia/Jihad was ignited under his watch, we possibly would have been spared our current ordeal. So when men like Obasanjo and Agabi point accusing fingers these days, we need to point them in the direction of history.

Now, we all know how June 12 came about: After many rigmaroles and shifting of goalposts which one of my favourite musicians, Orlando Owoh of blessed memory, described as “Babangida don fuck Nigeria tire”, we eventually had the June 12, 1993 presidential election which was free, which was fair, which was peaceful and which, in fact, was the best the country ever had – and this was attested to by both local and international observers and the winner was MKO Abiola.

 Abiola, a Yoruba moderate Muslim, like most other Yoruba Muslims, won convincingly in most parts of the country, beating his challenger, Bashir Tofa, even in his ward and state (Kano). Tofa had no qualms accepting defeat but Babangida annulled the election and will forever have that decision as an albatross around his neck. It is a yoke, and a burden, he will carry into his grave and even beyond to wherever he is destined.

Opposition to the annulment was massive and universal at first but as it is with all human affairs, human factors gradually set in as some people began to compromise and negotiate away the popular mandate freely and overwhelmingly bestowed on Abiola by the people. At a point, the June12 struggle was, in the words of those who traded it away, reduced to a Yoruba ethnic agenda, which they now gave as both an excuse and a reason for their treacherous and lecherous act.

I still remember Dozie Okebalama, one of my correspondents at the time I was editor of The PUNCH/Saturday PUNCH), who wrote an opinion page article in The PUNCH using an Igbo proverb which so irked the then Chairman of the PUNCH, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola. Dozie said in his native Igbo land, when you hear the sound of gunshot in your father’s compound, you do not call on someone else to go and help you find out what was happening there. You go to find out by yourself. June12, he said, was a gunshot fired in the compound of the Yoruba; so it is their duty to go and find out what happened there. With that, he appeared to justify those abandoning the struggle for the de-annulment and revalidation of June 12, entrusting the task solely to the Yoruba.

 Thank God, the Yoruba did not disappoint! They fought on bravely! They heroically paid the price! Did not the German poet, Henrik Ibsen, say the strongest man is he who stands alone? Those who must go into exile to wage the struggle from abroad did so – the likes of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Dr. Amos Akingba, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Comrade Opeyemi Bamidele, etc. If I forgot any name, kindly remind me!

Ex-Lagos State Military Gov. Ndubuisi Kanu, retired Commodore Dan Suleiman, foremost politician Alfred Rewane; Anthony Enahoro, the mover of the famous “Independence Now” motion during the colonial era, were other prominent names who continued the fight despite that the gunshot was not fired in their father’s compound, as it were! Again, if I skipped any name, kindly remind me! 

The exiles founded “Radio Kudirat” and battled the evil military junta to a standstill. Those who remained at home founded NADECO, PRONACO and many others to demand an end to military dictatorship. The likes of former governor of old Ondo State and my school principal, Pa Michael Adekunle Ajasin; stormy petrel, Chief Gani Fawehinmi; Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, Femi Falana, and many others. Space constraint will not allow us to mention all the names but kindly help add additional names on your own list! How many of the martyrs do we even know? What of the hundreds, even thousands, mowed down on the streets of Lagos and elsewhere by Abacha’s armoured tanks?

Abiola died in controversial circumstances in the unjust and wicked incarceration of the military while the struggle to revalidate the mandate, described by him as sacred, was still on. The Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar/Admiral Mike Okhai Akhigbe military junta carries the burden of that guilt forever. Why, for instance, did that junta release other detainees of Abacha but inexplicably left Abiola behind? In the end, however, the June 12 fight was not a total failure: First, we saw the back of the military and, secondly, when the country was to return to civilian rule in 1999, the presidency was conceded to the Yoruba (South-west), ostensibly to placate them over the loss of June 12, the death of Abiola, and the many other terrible things done to the region as a result of its single-minded struggle for the revalidation of June 12. 

But were the Yoruba sufficiently placated? They were not because their manifest choice for president, Chief Olu Falae, was denied them in favour of ex-military dictator, retired Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, whose demonstrable bellicosity, even animosity, towards the Yoruba and their interests justified the Yoruba’s opposition to his ascension to power in the first place. So, the struggle continued, as they say! While no one could raise Abiola from the dead, the agitation that justice be served him in his grave raged on all the same. That goal was achieved on June 6, 2018 when the incumbent president, retired Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, another vile dictator in his own military days, declared June 12 as Nigeria’s Democracy Day, effective 2019, as against the subsisting May 29th.

If it is true, as some have posited, that Buhari did all of that in his quest for a second term in office, he did well. If it is also true that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was instrumental to Buhari arriving at that decision, Tinubu has done better. Tinubu’s declaration of June 12 as a public holiday in Lagos was precursor or forerunner of the FG’s declaration of the same June 12 as Democracy Day and a public holiday all over the country.

 For eight years, Obasanjo, a presumptuous Yoruba and fellow Egba man like Abiola, was president and never wanted to hear anything positive said about Abiola and June 12. So, then, is the Yoruba saying fulfilled before our very eyes that “Ajumobi o kan taanu; a f’eni t’ori ba ran si ni” Oh yes; that someone is your blood relation does not mean he or she will be your destiny helper; except him whom God had so mandated!

Now, those who, by choice, did not fight for democracy cannot defend it. Those who worked against Nigeria’s return to democracy but sided with vile military dictators cannot extend the frontiers of democracy or enlarge its coast, as it were. If I may ask, on which side of the June 12/fight for democracy divide was Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi et al? We have all seen the role played by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. For my highly esteemed readers asking why it appears I am in support of Tinubu’s quest for the 2023 presidency, this is one of the reasons. There are many others! I, too, was in the trenches fighting for June 12, barely escaping with my life.

 Those who, like biblical Esau, sold June 12 for a mess of pottage; who, like Judas Iscariot, negotiated it away for filthy lucre; and those who, like the Sadducees and Pharisees, did not lift a finger in its support cannot move our democratic experiment forward and in the right direction. Just as we have experienced with Buhari, we can only come to grief if we allow those who seek to reap where they did not sow to hoodwink us once again. I have taken a stand: They will not have my support."

That was one year ago! But now we must ask: is June 12 an end in itself or a means to an end? This is the question President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will have to ponder.