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June 12 celebration will signify triumph of people’s will —Lai Mohammed

Published

7 years ago

May 22, 2019

Eric

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has described the upcoming maiden June 12 Democracy Day celebration as “triumph of people’s will after decades of subversion”.

Mohammed stated this on Wednesday when he featured on African Independent Television programme, “Kakaaki”.

The minister was speaking on activities lined up by the federal government for the May 29 inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari and the first democracy day celebration on June 12.

“For me, the lessons of June 12 is that no matter the situation, the peoples will always triumph.

“Temporarily, you might subvert them but ultimately the peoples will triumph.

According to Mohammed, the celebration is in fulfilment of President Buhari’s declaration last year of June 12 as democracy day and a national holiday with official commencement in 2019.

He said that both chambers of the National Assembly had endorsed the pronouncement.

NAN reports that the declaration was to commemorate the democratic election of the late MKO Abiola as President on June 12, 1993.

Responding to question on progress made so far since 1993, the minister said, “democracy all over the world is work in progress and the nation has improved democratically.

“When you look at our trajectory of democratic evolution there have been a lot of improvement in our electoral process.

“An example is the introduction of the card reader and the increase in political participation.

“Although, it might not be perfect right now but I think we are on the right path,” he said.

The minister, who reiterated that world leaders had been invited to attend the maiden democracy day celebration, assured that the country is safe and all slated events would be hitch-free.

He itemised some of the programmes slated for the two events to include a three-day National Youth Entrepreneurship Empowerment Summit which started on Tuesday.

The FEC Valedictory Session of May 22, special Jumat lecture and prayers on May 24 and the First Lady’s interaction with women on May 25.

Others included special Interdenominational Church Service on Sunday, May 26, Children day broadcast by the President on May 27 which will be followed by a Children’s Variety Party the same day.

The President and the Vice President will be sworn-in on May 29th at the Eagle Square, to be followed by a State Banquet at the State House in the evening of the same day

The minister said that the events to celebrate June 12 as Democracy Day would begin on June 7 with a historical exhibition in art, pictures and immersive environment which will run through June 12.

He said that on June 10, there would be a Youth Concert, Creative Industry, Entertainment Night on June 9 and Secondary Schools Exhibition/Panel Discussion, while three events, namely: PMB Oratorical Contest at the ICC; Anti-corruption Summit at the Transcorp Hilton; and First Lady’s Commissioning Programme in Yola, Adamawa will feature on June 11.

According to him, June 12 will start off with a parade at the Eagle Square, just as a Dinner and Gala Night at the State House Conference Centre will wrap up the Democracy Day programme

Headline

Defence Gulps Lion Share As Tinubu Presents N58.47trn 2026 Budget to NASS

Published

4 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Eric

President Bola Tinubu has presented a budget of N58.47 trillion for the 2026 fiscal year to a joint session of the National Assembly, with capital recurrent (non‑debt) expenditure standing at N15.25 trillion.

Tinubu presented the budget on Friday, pegging the capital expenditure at N26.08 trillion and putting the crude oil benchmark at US$64.85 per barrel.

He said the expected total revenue is N34.33 trillion, projected total expenditure: N58.18 trillion, including N15.52 trillion for debt servicing. The budget is N23.85 trillion, representing 4.28% of GDP.

The budget was anchored on a crude oil production of 1.84 million barrels per day, and an exchange rate of N1,400 to the US Dollar for the 2026 fiscal year.

In terms of sectoral allocation, defence and security took the lion’s share with N 5.41 trillion, followed by infrastructure at N3.56 trillion.

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Mike Adenuga, Emmanuel Macron Hold High-Powered Meeting in Paris

Published

2 days ago

December 18, 2025

Eric

Accomplished billionaire businessman and Commander of the French Légion d’Honneur, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., GCON, CdrLH, has held a private meeting with the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

The two powerful citizens of the world held the meeting on Wednesday at the historic Élysée Palace in Paris.

The high-level engagement underscores the longstanding relationship between Dr. Adenuga and the French Republic, as well as his continued relevance in global business and diplomatic circles.

A respected industrialist and philanthropist, Adenuga has been widely acknowledged for his contributions to economic development, telecommunications, energy, and humanitarian causes across Africa and beyond.

The meeting adds to Dr. Adenuga’s growing profile as a bridge between African enterprise and international leadership.

Headline

Free at Last: Burkina Faso Releases 11 Nigerian Soldiers, Aircraft

Published

2 days ago

December 18, 2025

Eric

Burkina Faso has released Nigerian soldiers who were detained after their aircraft made a forced landing in the Sahelian country earlier this month, Nigerian officials said.

The release followed a diplomatic intervention by President Bola Tinubu, who dispatched a high-level delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, to meet Burkina Faso’s Military Leader, Ibrahim Traoré, on Wednesday.

In a statement, Alkasim Abdulkadir, Tuggar’s spokesperson, said both sides resolved the matter amicably and secured the release of the Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew.

The soldiers had been held for nearly two weeks after the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) described the aircraft’s landing as an “unfriendly act” carried out in defiance of international law.

The Nigerian Air Force, however, said the crew encountered a technical issue that required a precautionary landing in Bobo-Dioulasso, the nearest available airfield. It said the landing complied with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.