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The leadership of organised labour have been commended for their patriotism and understanding towards the resolution of the minimum wage crisis.
Immediate past Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) Mr. Osita Okechukwu, who made the commendation while speaking to journalists on Sunday in Abuja, thanked the Labour Unions for their sacrifice.
He said the labour leaders remembered the blood and tears compatriots shed decades ago enroute our return to democracy, hence saving our baby-democracy and by extension avoiding the unintended consequences of street brawl of indefinite strike.
While identifying the pragmatism and patriotism that played out during the negotiations, Okechukwu said it was remarkable that the labour leaders discovered “the nexus between reality and affordability consequent upon our less than healthy economy.”
He stated: “Paucity of funds and competing demands, not cruelty per se as being alleged, made it impossible for government, especially the sub-nationals and private sector to agree to pay a commensurate living wage earlier proposed by labour.
“Recall that early in June 2024, I had appealed to organised Labour to desist from the danger of throwing away our Baby-Democracy with Bathwater.
“Let me also commend our President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for his statesmanship and professional intervention as an accountant to calm down the high temperature the minimum wage impasse generated.”
Okechukwu however appealed to the President to, as a matter of urgent national importance, retool his Renewed Hope Housing scheme by adding mass housing for the uncommon patriotism of workers, to other family stabilisation social infrastructures like the Students Loan and CNG vehicles.
“Rent, which is one of the items in Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, is tearing the hair of workers nationwide, as workers spend one third of their disposal income on shelter-related matters.
“Mr President house ownership for all workers will generate unimaginable happiness in homes as rent, is one of the major headache of over 80% of workers nationwide,” Okechukwu remarked.
On concerns that the issue of funding will be the main obstacle to the implementation of an ambitious mass housing scheme for workers, the founding member of All Progressives Congress (APC) disagreed.
He argued that workers over the years have been contributing 2.5% of their salary to the National Housing Fund (NHF, stressing that all that is needed to the seed money is supplement by Federal, State, LGA and organised private sector.
Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him at the top of the ticket.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Biden said in a statement. “And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
In a separate statement, Biden called naming Harris as his running mate in 2020 “the best decision” he has made.
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Biden’s withdrawal from the race comes just over three weeks after his first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump. Biden’s halting and unsteady performance in the June debate was widely regarded as a debacle among Democratic elites and donors, sparking a chorus of calls from elected officials, donors and many prominent commentators for Biden, 81, to step aside and not run for a second term.
Biden said he will serve out the remainder of his term and said he will “speak to the Nation” later this week in more detail about my decision.
As Biden’s 2024 running mate, Harris is positioned to assume Biden’s place on the ticket — including assuming control of most of his campaign resources and infrastructure.
In his statement, Biden touted his administration’s accomplishments over the past three and a half years.
“Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.”
Biden thanked Harris for being “an extraordinary partner in all this work.”
Because Biden withdrew before Democratic delegates were set to cast their votes in a virtual roll call, delegates are now free to cast their votes for other candidates at the Democratic National Convention.
Twice, Biden’s decisions not to seek the Democratic nomination for president have paved the way to Democratic women to go toe-to-toe with Trump. After Biden decided against running in 2016, Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the first woman to be a major party’s presidential nominee. Now, Biden passes the mantle to Harris to face off against Trump with under four months to go until Election Day.
If Harris were to be elevated as the Democratic nominee, she would surely face her another level of intense scrutiny as Democrats weigh their next steps.
Harris, who is Black and Indian-American, made history as the first woman and person of color to serve as vice president when she took office in 2021.
Harris, a former U.S. senator and California attorney general, would be running to be the first woman and woman of color to be president. Harris would be the first president of Asian descent and second Black and multiracial president after Barack Obama.
Harris, 59, was born in Oakland, California, to her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a biologist and cancer researcher, and her father, Donald Harris, an economist. She attended Howard University for her undergraduate degree and later earned a law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law.
Harris saw a meteoric rise from local prosecutor to vice president in two decades. She began her career working in the Alameda and San Francisco district attorney’s offices before being elected as San Francisco’s district attorney in 2003. She was elected attorney general of California in 2010, and in 2016, she ran for and was elected to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by former Sen. Barbara Boxer. In 2020, Biden selected Harris as his running mate.
In the vice president’s office, Harris’ portfolio has included voting rights and addressing the root causes of migration from the Northern Triangle Region of Central America — notoriously difficult policy issues for Democrats on which the White House made little progress.
If nominated, Harris would be arguably the most forceful supporter of abortion rights to represent a major political party. As vice president, she has emerged as a vocal critic of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to eliminate federal abortion rights, as well as of subsequent state abortion bans. In March, Harris toured an abortion clinic in Minnesota, in what is believed to be the first such trip by a sitting president or vice president.
Harris’ emphasis on abortion — both as vice president and potentially as a candidate on top of the ticket — demonstrates the extent to which the party’s politics have shifted since Roe’s overturn, and how meaningfully Democrats have embraced the issue.
“If you had had a Democrat visiting an abortion clinic five or 10 years ago, that would have been really explosive,” said Mary Ziegler, an abortion law historian at the University of California Davis. “Because of Dobbs, the party as a whole is much more supportive of abortion rights than it was. A lot of things she’s done – she’s more supportive of abortion rights than her colleagues, but still within the party mainstream.”
Biden’s stepping aside ends a tumultuous period of chaos and tension among top Democrats over whether he should remain on the ticket. Several Democratic lawmakers and donors — including the prominent actor George Clooney — went public asking Biden to step down in the wake of the June 27 debate. Throughout, Biden and those in his camp flatly rejected calls from him to leave the ticket. But a series of sit-down interviews and a high-profile news conference at the NATO summit in Washington did little to quell worries over his continued viability.
[19thnews]
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote has dismissed the claims that his group of companies enjoy monopoly, insisting it is not true.
Dangote stated this on Saturday when he received the leadership of the House of Representatives led by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas and his deputy, Benjamin Kalu.
Africa’s richest man said the labelling of his group of companies as monopolistic is disheartening.
He said his group of companies had never stopped anyone from doing the same business that they are doing.
He said: “If you look at all our operations at Dangote (Group), we add value; we take local raw materials and turn them into products, and we sell.
“We have never consciously or unconsciously stopped anybody from doing the same business that we are doing.
“When we first came into cement production, it was only Lafarge that was operating here in Nigeria…Nobody ever called Lafarge a monopoly,” he said, adding that labelling his group of companies as monopolistic is disheartening.
“Monopoly is when you stop people, you block them through legal means. No, it is a level playing field whereby whatever Dangote was given in cement, for example, other people were given because some of them even got more than us,” he said.
Nigerian political economist, Pat Utomi, has debunked a statement by the presidency alleging his involvement in the planned August nationwide protest.
Recalls a presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, on Saturday, accused supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate in the last election, Peter Obi, of organizing the ‘End Bad Government’ protest scheduled for August 1st to 10th.
According to Bayo, some X users, including one “FS Yusuf, a supporter of Peter Obi, Professor Pat Utomi, a Labour Party chieftain and another X user with the handle, Peter Obi’s First Son” are behind the planned protest.
Reacting, Utomi in a post on his official X handle, said he has nothing against the planned nationwide demonstration.
Utomi stated that his involvement in any protest would be made public and not wait to be called out by Onanuga.
He said, “Let it be clear that I have nothing against protests. It is a legitimate instrument of democracy for raising the voice of citizens.
“I have participated in many in my time. From my undergraduate days at UNN to marching with concerned professionals following the June 12 election annulment.
“So if I were part of whatever is being planned for August, I would wear it as a badge of honor and not wait to be called out by Bayo Onanuga.”
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has backed calls for part-time legislature at both federal and state levels.
Senator Kalu, who represents APC from the Abia North senatorial district said this would help the nation cut costs and enhance the citizenry’s trust in the polity.
The former Abia Governor said this during an interview over the weekend.
On calls for a part-time legislature, Senator Kalu said, “I think it will be a very good idea if my colleagues and other members of the Houses of Assembly will agree that we can sit for three months and do constitutional amendment first.
“So we can sit four times a year and if there’s any emergency, there will be emergency sitting. We can come to do a presidential bid on that basis and go back instead of sitting on a full-time basis.
“Not only the Senate and the House of Representatives but all the legislative houses in Nigeria will be part-time.”
Senator Kalu maintained that this would be part of austerity measures to reduce the cost of governance, arguing that regional government is another viable alternative.
“If we’re going for a regional government, it also means that the ministers, the legislators, will be the same. I’ve been tinkering with the idea of how we can save money to run Nigeria because the country needs money.
“I will encourage the President, the National Assembly to make these kinds of laws. This will help him, and this will help the system, and this will help everybody,” he said.
The ex-governor explained that contrary to misconceptions among Nigerians, senators are not paid enough.
“But I want Nigerians and my colleagues to do a quick constitutional amendment so we can go and be a part-time sitting Senate and part-time sitting House of Representatives and other 36 state houses of assembly in Nigeria.
“That will bring trust and bring relief to the Nigerian people,” the ex-governor said.
Enugu State Governor, Governor Peter Mbah, has accused a Finland-based Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, of murdering and terrorising residents of Nigeria’s South-East.
Ekpa, a self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the IPOB, has been allegedly linked to some deadly attacks and enforcement of illegal sit-at-home orders in the region.
The governor who received members of the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence in Enugu, accused the Biafra agitator of being a “scammer” who has been “feeding fat” on the suffering of Igbos.
“It is surprising that the Finnish government allows this man to reside peacefully in their country and then perpetrate terrorism in Nigeria,” Mbah said.
“And I think this is something your committee may have to wade into and see how this guy can be repatriated and then be brought to justice.
“Through his (Ekpa) statements and his actions, a lot of people have died and he continues in that trajectory. So, this is a tragedy that we must all work as a country to end. He doesn’t represent the Igbo interest.”
According to the governor, his administration has ended the illegal sit-at-home situation in the state and will remain determined to ensure the safety of all residents.
He also called on young people in the South-east not to yield to Mr Ekpa’s antics and vowed that the state government would not be intimidated by the agitators’ threats.
“As you may also have noticed recently, they have continued to make attempts, particularly, that megalomaniac (Ekpa), who ironically resides with his family peacefully in Finland, a country where the rule of law reigns, but he encourages anarchy here and goad some of our youths to their self-destruction.
“This is also a business for him (Ekpa), pretending to be fighting for Igbo’s interest, but does not know anything about the Igbo or have their interest at heart,” he stated.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Afam Osigwe, has emerged as the president-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) following the 2024 NBA election held online.
Osigwe secured the highest number of votes, with 20,395, surpassing his closest rival, Tobenna Erojikwe, who got 10,970 votes, and Chukwuka Ikwuazom (SAN), who received 9,007 votes.
He will succeed the outgoing president, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN).
See below the other positions filled by the newly elected executives of the NBA:
1st Vice-President: Sabastine Anyia defeated Bartholomew Aguegbodo
2nd Vice-President: Mrs. Bolatumi Animashaun with 26,534 votes, defeating Pius Oiwoh, who scored 11,121 votes.
3rd Vice-President: Mrs. Zainab Garba with 23,550 votes, defeating Michael Olorunmola, who received 13,897 votes.
General Secretary: Dr. Mobolaji Ojibara with 25,713 votes, defeating Abdulwasiu Alfa, who received 11,730 votes.
Assistant General Secretary: Henry Ehi with 28,552 votes, defeating Oluwaseun Aka, who received 8,317 votes.
Treasurer: Mrs. Blessing Udofa-Poromon with 17,998 votes, defeating Mbamala Chukwuemeka, who garnered 9,825 votes.
Publicity Secretary: Mrs. Bridget Edokwe with 19,542 votes, defeating Charles Ajiboye, who scored 10,989 votes.
Assistant Publicity Secretary: Miss Ebiere Ekpese with 26,955 votes, defeating Lawrence Ayewa, who scored 9,690 votes.
Welfare Secretary: Nyada Auta with 18,369 votes, defeating Oaikhena Osagie, who scored 12,855 votes.
[STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE] President Tinubu Condoles With Vietnam Over The Passing of General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng
Admin![[STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE] President Tinubu Condoles With Vietnam Over The Passing of General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng](/media/k2/items/cache/0830f2305aac8beae7aa3910ac5f42d3_S.jpg)
President Bola Tinubu extends his condolences to the government and the people of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam over the passing of General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng.
Nguyễn Phú Trọng was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam. As head of the Politburo and Central Military Commission, he was the leader of Vietnam. He also served as President from 2018 to 2021.
President Tinubu also commiserates with the widow of the late Vietnamese leader, Madam Ngô Thị Mận.
The President expresses his profound sympathy over the loss, noting the huge influence and efforts of the deceased leader in shaping Vietnam.
President Tinubu assures the people of Vietnam of Nigeria's solidarity at this time of grief.
Chief Ajuri Ngelale
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
Nationwide Protest: Your Statement Is Uncharitable And Wicked – Ex-Minister Dalung Blasts Onanuga
AFOLABI
A former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung, has berated presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, for claiming that the proposed nationwide protest is aimed at destabilizing the country.
He argued that Onanuga’s statement was uncharitable and wicked.
The former minister lamented that President Bola Tinubu and his ‘locust cabal’ love only the wealth of Nigeria.
Speaking via his X handle on Saturday, Dalung insisted that the proposed protest is sacrosanct, adding that it is to demand accountability from those who are destroying Nigeria’s common heritage.
According to him, “The generation of Nigerians demanding for good governance, accountability and justice are more entitled to Nigeria than the group of scavengers occupying power.
“Make no mistake about it, we love our country but @officialABAT and his locust cabal love only the wealth of Nigeria
“The protests are to demand for accountability from those who are destroying our common heritage. Nigerians have nowhere to go but @officialABAT has France, while others have Europe, Canada and USA.
“Therefore @aonanuga1956 calling out Nigerians as those planning to destabilize Nigeria is not only uncharitable but wicked.
“The generation of Nigerians demanding for good governance, accountability and justice are more entitled to Nigeria than the group of scavengers occupying power. Take it to the bank, the protests are sacrosanct.
“Deploying antics of divide and rule will not only fail but antiquitated. The only antidote to the protests is for @officialABAT and his cult of plunderers to surrender to the demands of the people.
“The fear of the protests degenerating into anarchy is evil imaginations of your mind calculated at abating holding the government responsible. All we are demanding is good governance, which is not too much.”
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has issued a stern warning to those orchestrating the planned nationwide protest against economic hardship.
The protest, which has gained significant traction on social media, is scheduled to take place across all states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in August.
Onanuga accused supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, of being behind the planned protest.
He emphasized that while it is the democratic right of citizens to protest, the organizers must be cautious to prevent the demonstration from being hijacked by elements that might cause chaos.
Explaining more on the post on his X (formerly Twitter) when he accused Peter Obi’s supporters of the planned protest, he told Sunday Vanguard on the phone, “My post is just to highlight that the people who are organizing this so-called nationwide protest are members of Labour party, they are Peter Obi supporters, so that’s my own take of it, it’s my own opinion so I am not going to say more than this.”
Reminded that Omoyele Sowore, an activist and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, in the 2023 elections, has cautioned that nobody would stop an action in which its time has come, Onanuga insisted that he was not interested in whatever those behind the planned protest want to do.
He said, “That is their problem; I am not interested in what they want to do. I am just trying to say, look, these are the people that are saying, we must do Kenya, so these are the people mobilizing; that is my own point.
“So, nobody is saying you must not protest; protest is legitimate in a democracy. The concern of people is that when you start a protest, and it is not well managed, the end cannot be predicted, just like people could not predict the end of EndSars.
“So, that’s just the concern of people. And again, when you are saying revolution now, revolution now, do they know the meaning of revolution now? Revolution means you are calling for a coup d’etat; that’s the meaning of it, and that’s the point that I am making, nothing more than that. So anybody can protest; it’s within their rights to protest; nobody says you should not protest.”
Further asked if he has any evidence to prove that it’s supporters of Peter Obi that are planning the protest, he said, “Check their handles and see what they are posting, just follow what they have been posting. What I did was to do content analysis of what these people are posting as a journalist.”
More...
Naija News reports that NiMet’s weather forecast, released on Saturday in Abuja, indicates that thunderstorms are likely on Sunday, with showers affecting areas in Adamawa, Taraba, Borno, Kebbi, Kaduna, Gombe, and Yobe States early in the day.
By midday, thunderstorms are expected to spread across the northern areas, and showers are projected for the North Central region in the early morning.
Later in the day, there will be a mix of moderate thunderstorms and rainfall over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Plateau, Benue, and Kogi States. There will also be scattered showers in the morning across Ondo, Ogun, Edo, Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Delta States.
By the afternoon and evening, scattered showers are expected over Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, Anambra, Enugu, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, and Bayelsa States.
On Monday, heavy rains are expected in the morning in Kebbi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kaduna, Borno, Taraba, and Katsina States.
The following day, there will be a mix of moderate thunderstorms and showers in Jigawa, Kebbi, Kaduna, Sokoto, Borno, Zamfara, Yobe, Adamawa, and Katsina States.
Showers are also projected for the Federal Capital Territory and Plateau States in the morning, with more moderate thunderstorms and showers later in the day in the Federal Capital Territory, Niger, and Kogi States. Showers are expected to be scattered in the morning across Edo, Rivers, and Delta States, while the southern regions will see cloudy skies.
On Tuesday, morning thunderstorms with rain are predicted for Yobe, Adamawa, Borno, and Taraba States, while thunderstorms are expected across the northern region later in the day.
Rain is anticipated in the Federal Capital Territory, Niger, and Kwara States in the morning, with cloudy skies in other areas.
In the afternoon or evening, intermittent rain is forecasted in the Federal Capital Territory, Kwara, and Niger States. Morning rain is expected in Edo, Delta, Imo, and Anambra States, with cloudy conditions in the rest of the south.
Later in the day, intermittent rain is predicted in Ondo, Edo, Osun, Ekiti, Oyo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, and Bayelsa States.
NiMet advises the public to take precautions as strong winds may precede the rain in areas with thunderstorms.
The agency warns residents to avoid flood-prone areas due to the high risk of urban flooding in major cities.
The public and airline operators are also encouraged to stay informed through NiMet’s weather updates for effective planning.
[NaijaNews]
The United States Homeland Security chief, Alejandro Mayorkas hit back Saturday at misogynistic attacks on the female Secret Service agents who threw themselves into the line of fire to protect Donald Trump from a would-be assassin.
“These assertions are baseless and insulting,” Mayorkas said in a statement after some on the US political right accused the Secret Service of “woke” hiring practices they said nearly had the former president killed.
Mayorkas praised the “highly skilled and trained” women serving in law enforcement across the country for risking “their lives on the front lines for the safety and security of others.”
“They are brave and selfless patriots who deserve our gratitude and respect,” he wrote.
The Department of Homeland Security will “with great pride… continue to recruit, retain and elevate women in our law enforcement ranks,” he continued.
It has been one week since a gunman opened fire during Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania, killing one bystander, wounding two others and leaving the Republican bloodied but alive.
Several women were seen among the Secret Service agents racing to shield Trump with their bodies as the gunshots rang out.
But they, along with their boss Kimberly Cheatle — only the second female director of the federal agency tasked with protecting presidents current, former and would-be — are now caught in the intense scrutiny over the nearly catastrophic attack.
“There should not be any woman in the Secret Service. These are supposed to be the very best, and none of the very best at this job are women,” right-wing activist Matt Walsh wrote on X, in one typical far-right post.
Many of the attacks cited Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity — hiring practices that some Republicans have long criticised as discriminating against white people, white men in particular.
“The results of DEI. DEI got someone killed,” read one post on the popular Libs of TikTok account.
The Secret Service has defended itself against such accusations in the past, with a spokesman telling US media just weeks before the assassination attempt that agents “are held to the highest professional standards… at no time has the agency lowered these standards.”
Cheatle, who has so far shrugged off calls to resign, is to appear before Congress on July 22 for a hearing on the assassination attempt.
(https://punchng.com/us-secret-service-agrees-to-review-after-trump-assassination-bid/?amp)
The Secret Service has also agreed to an independent review ordered by President Joe Biden.
Not everyone on the right supported the criticisms.
“I saw two women — one of them with a gun in her hand and the other with her body around him,” top Trump adviser Chris LaCivita told CNN reporter Kate Sullivan, she said in a post on X.
She said he continued, “I know this — a swarm of Secret Service agents put their lives on the line and put their bodies in between President Trump and the bullets, and anybody who has said anything different about those people on the stage is an idiot.”
AFP
The Labour Party (LP) says its supporters are not behind a planned nationwide protest against hunger.
On Saturday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, alleged that supporters of LP and Peter Obi are organising the protest.
Onanuga also claimed that the promoters of the protest are the same individuals who “hijacked” the #ENDSARS protest of 2020.
In a statement, Obiora Ifoh, LP spokesperson, said “there is no truth” in Onanuga’s claim, adding that it is the “figment of his imagination”.
“Labour Party is known for being a very peaceful party and it has on several occasions asked its followers to follow peace at all times,” the statement reads.
“We are not known as a lawless group as was evident in the aftermath of the last general election. It is, therefore, delusional for anyone to link our supporters to the planned protest.
“Labour Party, Peter Obi and our supporters are not planning any protests.”
The opposition party said while its supporters are not organising any nationwide demonstration, protest is the right of every citizen.
“However, peaceful protests all over the world are initiated and executed by the people and not by the opposition,” LP said.
“No opposition has any control over protests. Popular protests such as in Kenya, Egypt and several other places were a direct registration of the people’s frustration against the government.
“The people have the right to protest and it is within their constitutional right.
“It is, therefore, puerile for the government or anyone for that matter to begin to look for who to blame for the bad governance that is being witnessed in Nigeria today.
“Nigeria can still get it right if the right policies are initiated.”
The party said presidential aides should be cautioned against making “incendiary pronouncements capable of combusting the nation”.
[TheCable]
A former Director-General of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Doyin Okupe, says he is not a member of the ruling APC but appreciates the bold reforms being implemented by President Bola Tinubu.
Okupe, a former presidential spokesperson, disclosed this on his X handle (formerly Twitter) while reacting to criticisms over his appreciation of Tinubu’s initiatives.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Okupe has been criticised for always supporting, advising, and praising every government in power since 1999.
Okupe had served as an aide to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and then Goodluck Jonathan as a PDP member.
He later joined Labour Party to support the presidential bid of Peter Obi for the 2023 elections.
Okupe said, “I am neither a member of the APC nor an adviser of the administration.
“I appreciate the bold initiatives President Bola Tinubu took to remove fuel subsidy, which was assented to by all candidates during the campaign.
“I also fully support the sectoral equalisation of our forex market.
“Both reforms are responsible for the hardship our people are currently experiencing, but which I believe will be temporary judging by the strenuous efforts the government is making towards ameliorating them.
“This is not praise singing. I do not count myself as a member of the opposition; hence, I am able to be objective and understandingly supportive.
“I may not have had a hand in installing this govt but it is my country, and I am a stakeholder in it. I do not pray for it to crash or go down. This cannot be an offence.”
He urged his critics, especially a PDP chieftain, Mr Dele Momodu, to stop being personal in their criticisms.
“We are all practitioners, players, and known actors in this amphitheater, no need to go personal. Let’s keep criticism rational, mature, and professional,” he added.
Okupe said that it was not true that he had been praising every government since 1999.
He said that he only acted as adviser in Obasanjo’s administration, which he described as one of the most successful since the advent of the fourth republic.
Okupe said that he did not play any significant role in the succeeding administration of late President Umaru Yar Adua.
The former presidential spokesman said that he, however, became an adviser for the second time in the Jonathan administration, which was defeated by the former President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC.
According to Okupe, his association with former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Peter Obi is in no way different from Momodu’s current association with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. (NAN)