Protesters on Thursday gathered in the Ikeja area of Lagos for the #EndBadGovernance rally as the nation marks June 12, which is Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
However, there were two sets of protesters – one against the #EndBadGovernance rally and another in support.
Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, has urged leaders and citizens to use the occasion of the Democracy Day celebration to renew their commitment to upholding democratic values and work together for a brighter, more equitable future for the country.
In his message to congratulate Nigerians and Kaduna State citizens in particular on the June 12 anniversary, Governor Sani called for unity to build a society that offers a better life for all.
He noted that the sacrifices of the nation’s heroes should continue to serve as an inspiration to protect freedom and deepen the nation’s democracy.
According to him, although the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election was a dark chapter in the nation’s history, it serves as a powerful catalyst, galvanising citizens and activists alike in pursuit of a common goal—democracy.
He called on citizens to reflect on the progress made and acknowledge the challenges that still lie ahead.
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According to Sani, ” Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, we have taken significant steps forward, even as we continue to confront new hurdles.
He acknowledged that the country still faces economic and security challenges; however, he noted that such challenges are not insurmountable with unity, resilience, and determination.
President Bola Tinubu has called for the prompt ratification of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement and a significant increase in funding for blue economy initiatives to ensure the protection and sustainable use of the world’s oceans.
Delivering Nigeria’s national statement on behalf of Tinubu, at the ongoing United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, emphasised that urgent and collective global action was needed to secure the health of the oceans for future generations.
The conference, which has drawn participation from over 120 member states, is jointly hosted by France and Costa Rica under the theme “Accelerating Action and Mobilising All Actors to Conserve and Sustainably Use the Ocean”.
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Oyetola, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Bolaji Akinola, and made available to Channels Television on Wednesday, stated that as a coastal state, Nigeria recognised the ocean as a repository of tremendous wealth, natural capital, global food security, employment opportunities, and sustainable livelihoods.
He said that Nigeria was committed to achieving the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 14, as well as the African Union Agenda 2063 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
According to him, Nigeria had already signed the BBNJ Agreement and commenced its ratification process, underscoring that the full implementation of the agreement, particularly the goal of designating at least 30 per cent of the global ocean as Marine Protected Areas by 2030, is essential for achieving the goals of SDG 14.
However, Oyetola cautioned that realising this vision would require collective commitment to robust monitoring and enforcement frameworks capable of guaranteeing positive ecological outcomes.
The statement read, “Demonstrating regional leadership, he said Nigeria has also spearheaded efforts among West African nations, validating a regional roadmap for the development of a proposal to designate a highly protected High Seas Marine Protected Area in the Convergence Zone of the Canary and Guinea Currents.
“Aligned with the conference’s overarching theme, Oyetola voiced Nigeria’s support for the adoption of the draft Nice Ocean Action Declaration and Plan, calling on the global community, particularly investors and development partners, to provide both technical expertise and financial resources to support blue economy initiatives in developing nations.
“He stressed that meaningful contributions in blue finance and the transfer of marine science are critical to enable better policymaking and foster sustainable ocean-based sectors.”
The minister further emphasised Nigeria’s resolve to tackle transboundary ocean challenges such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, marine dumping, and the need for enhanced ocean monitoring, stronger data collection, and improved regional capacity for ocean services.
Oyetola also reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to implementing ocean-related multilateral agreements and called on all nations to take bold and urgent actions to protect the oceans and prioritise SDG 14 for the sake of future generations.
A former aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan and public commentator, Reno Omokri, on Wednesday, said President Bola Tinubu has performed far better than the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, would have done.
Omokri stated during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, that the removal of the fuel subsidy by Tinubu was something Obi had said he would do if he won the presidential election in 2023.
He said, “I still hold that view that the President is by far better than anything Peter Obi would have done. We can go into specifics. What Peter Obi was talking about, that the President mishandled was fuel subsidy and Peter Obi was being clever by half because after that interview, I brought out another interview that he had given — incidentally, that interview was on Channels — where he told the public that if he was elected as President, fuel subsidy would go immediately.
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“So, what did the President do? The President took out the fuel subsidy on day one, immediately. So, would he (Obi) have done it differently?”
Omokri said that the President’s decision received the commendation of renowned financial institutions.
“And if you look at the World Bank, if you look at the IMF, these guys have said what the President did was right. It brought some pain but it was the necessary decision. But let’s assume that the World Bank and IMF maybe they are neocolonialists, so let’s take them aside.
“What about Moody’s, what about Fitch? In the whole world, Fitch is the number one rating agency and Fitch has upgraded Nigeria to a stable B-positive because it said the reforms by the Bola Tinubu administration are working, especially the removal of the subsidy and the floatation of the naira.
“They did that last year, I think that was on December 17, and then so afterward, Moody’s followed and they upgraded Nigeria,” the former presidential aide said.
He also said that the reforms, especially the removal of the subsidy and the floatation of the naira, were working.
Omokri said, “This gentleman met a debt profile for Nigeria of $108 billion. Right now, as I speak with you, our debt is now $94 billion, so $14 billion reduction in our debt. And it is not just with the Federal Government; almost all states have reduced their debt load. Why? Because the federal allocation to the states has increased, in some cases doubled, in some cases tripled.
“So, because of the removal of the fuel subsidy, we are seeing tangible actions. So, I completely disagree with Peter Obi.”
Speaking further, he said that based on Tinubu’s performance, it would be wrong for anybody not to support the President.
“I think it’s wrong for anybody not to support him because Nigeria is our goal, he said.
“Peter Obi, as governor of Anambra, is the only governor in the last 26 years that increased poverty in Anambra. The two governors before him did not increase poverty; the governor after him did not increase poverty, but Peter Obi increased poverty. So, he does not have the moral authority to talk,” Omokri added.
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President Tinubu announced the removal of the fuel subsidy during his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023.
He said the 2023 budget made no provision for fuel subsidy and more so, subsidy payment was no longer justifiable.
“The fuel subsidy is gone,” he said at Eagle Square after he was sworn in as Nigeria’s 16th President.
But days after, Obi faulted the President’s decision, saying that the subsidy was removed without considering the impact on the masses by providing policies that would reduce the burden.
He said, “Recall that even when Jonathan’s government wanted to remove it they came up with various relieving policies like Sure-P and others. If you read my manifesto, you will see clearly how I planned to remove subsidies.
Ahead of the 2025 World Day Against Child Labour, the Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, has called for urgent, sustained, and united efforts to eradicate child labour across Nigeria and the African continent.
In a statement issued to commemorate the global observance themed “Progress is clear, but there’s more to do: Let’s speed up efforts!”, Oyerinde stressed the need to move beyond commitments and accelerate concrete actions to protect vulnerable children from hazardous and exploitative labour conditions.
“Child labour not only robs children of their childhood, it erodes the foundation of national development. While we have made commendable progress, we must accelerate our efforts.
“We need to move from intention to action through stronger enforcement, greater investment in education, and robust support systems for vulnerable families,” he said.
Highlighting the significance of 12 June, the official date of the global event, Oyerinde described it as a critical picture of the millions of underaged children still trapped in dangerous forms of work, despite Nigeria’s ratification of key international conventions.
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These, according to him, include the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 138 on Minimum Age and Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour.
He identified poverty, weak enforcement of labour laws, and limited access to education as key drivers of child labour, stressing the need for holistic solutions and collaborative engagement.
Oyerinde pointed to the ACCEL Africa Project—a strategic partnership between NECA and the ILO—as a practical framework already delivering impact in tackling the root causes of child labour.
The initiative, he noted, is focused on promoting decent work, improving livelihoods, and empowering at-risk communities to break the cycle of poverty.
“As employers, we have a responsibility to ensure that our operations, policies, and supply chains are free from child exploitation. We must integrate child protection into business practices and actively contribute to the broader goal of youth empowerment and national development,” he said.
He urged all stakeholders—governments at all levels, the private sector, organised labour, and civil society organisations—to strengthen collaboration and enforcement mechanisms, including the swift passage of revised labour legislation aimed at regulating the participation of children in the workforce.
Abdulrahman Bello, the prime suspect in the murder of a final year female student of the Kwara state College of Education, Hafsoh Lawal, told the court on Wednesday that he single-handedly carried out the cutting of the deceased into parts after taking alcohol.
Testifying before Justice Hannah Ajayi of the State High Court, while opening his defence, the suspect said that his co-defendants did not have a hand in the incident.
Abdulrahman Bello also told the court that he used the knife and cutlass found by police detectives in his two-room apartment at Olunlade area of Ilorin, the state capital, to dismember the body of the deceased.
The suspect, who denied killing the deceased, said that Hafsoh died when she gasped during sexual intercourse due to an asthma attack.
“I went out to get an inhaler for her when I noticed that she was gasping because she had asthma. By the time I came back into the room, she had died. So, I left my place to take alcohol and returned to cut the body parts into pieces,” he told the court.
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During cross examination by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), the prime suspect also confirmed to the court that he did not call any of his neighbours to the incident, nor did he report the matter at the police station or took the body of the deceased to hospital, “because I was afraid of her father”.
The DPP put it to the suspect that the drained blood and human parts of the deceased found in his place had not decomposed after five days of the incident, because they were immersed in alcohol for preservation.
The suspect, however, denied keeping the blood and the hand, purposely, for money-making rituals.
He said he regretted all the actions he took over the incident, adding that he was deeply sad.
The prime suspect, who insisted that he did not kill the deceased, said that he loved her, “because I can’t ever meet her kind. She cared for my life. Even, I told the Police that she made me take the 2024 NABTEB examination. And that she made me take the JAMB form in preparation for the just concluded exam. She was exceptional in my life”.
He said he was tortured by the police to say in the video evidence, presented in court, that he poisoned the food taken by the deceased and that he strangulated her to kill her.
All four co-defendants in the matter denied knowledge of the killing of the deceased when testifying before the court.
Meanwhile, all the defence counsels, unanimously, proposed seven days to file their written addresses, concurrently, before the court, while the prosecution counsel asked for 10 days to file his, after the defence counsels would have served theirs.