Public Affairs Analyst

  The reality of present day Nigeria is that a majority of the populace is hungry, and therefore angry. This newspaper in its yesterday’s editorial titled, “Rising food prices and insecurity” reeled out several depressing statistics about the current situation in the country. According to The PUNCH, “The National Bureau of Statistics revealed that food inflation rose to 40.66 per cent in May. This was as the cost of food rose by 61 per cent from 25.25 per cent in June 2023 to 40.66 per cent in May, highlighting a steady rise. At 87 million people, the World Bank said Nigeria’s poverty rate hit 38.9 per cent in 2023. This is the second highest in the world behind India’s. A 2022 survey by the NBS said 133 million Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty.” “Undoubtedly, the country remains food insecure. While UNICEF stated that 25 million Nigerians are at high risk of hunger, it is projected that 31.5 million citizens may face acute hunger between May and August 2024. The global age

  There are three arms of government namely the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. These three are both dependent and independent of one another. Yes, they are stand-alone institutions but one cannot do without the other in a democracy. The concept of separation of powers comes with checks and balances. Take, for instance, certain categories of the president’s nominees had to be screened and confirmed by the Senate. Some high-level judicial officers like judges of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court have to be screened and confirmed by federal lawmakers. While the executive may initiate the appropriation bill, better known as the budget, the proposal has to be vetted by the legislative assembly and passed before the presidential assent will be required. Scholars believe that the legislature is the most important arm of government because it is made up of people’s representatives. The legislative arm has the highest number of the 11,082 elective political offices in Niger

  Today is being celebrated as Democracy Day in Nigeria. There have been public lectures and it is hoped that President Bola Tinubu will address the nation. It is also being observed as a public holiday. Tomorrow, June 13, 2024, will be the first anniversary of the 10th National Assembly under the leadership of the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Tajudeen Abass. Hearty congratulations to Nigerians on these auspicious occasions! For the benefit of Gen Zs and those who are unfamiliar with the significance of the June 12, 1993 election, I will try to recap the events leading to and after the watershed election. On August 27, 1985, General Ibrahim Babangida overthrew the Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari. Instead of answering Head of State, he decided to call himself Military President, which is an aberration. Soon after seizing power, he inaugurated a Dr Samuel Cookey-led 17-member Nigerian Political Bureau on January

  Last Wednesday, May 29, 2024, marked exactly the silver jubilee of Nigeria’s return to civil rule. However, the celebration has been shifted to June 12 in commemoration of the 1993 presidential election won by the late Chief MKO Abiola which the military junta of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida annulled. It was the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari, who did that. In a tweet posted on his X handle on June 6, 2018, Buhari said inter alia “Dear Nigerians, I am delighted to announce that, after due consultations, the Federal Government has decided that henceforth, June 12 will be celebrated as Democracy Day. We have also decided to award posthumously the highest honour in the land, GCFR, to Chief MKO Abiola. In the view of Nigerians, as shared by this administration, June 12, 1993, was and is far more symbolic of democracy in the Nigerian context than May 29, or even October 1.” Chief Abiola’s running mate, Babagana Kingibe, was also awarded a GCON.   Furthermore, the late Chief Gani F