News
World leaders are getting older—except in democracies
Advances in medicine over the past 50 years have allowed leaders to live longer, with 11 autocrats today aged over 75.

(The Economist)
▪︎UGC by Ohibaba.com
The advanced age of many world leaders came into sharp focus in 2024 when 81-year-old Joe Biden was pressed to withdraw from America’s presidential race over concerns about his mental acuity. Americans then elected Donald Trump who, at 78, is no spring chicken.
Mr Biden is far from the world’s oldest leader. Paul Biya, who has led Cameroon since 1982, is now 91 years old. Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is ⁷2.
The world’s two most populous countries, China and India, also have leaders in their 70s.Going into 2025, the world’s leaders are, on average, older than ever. Over the past five decades, the average age of all leaders has risen from 55 to 62.
The trend in democratic countries, however, is the opposite. The average age of freely elected leaders is 59, a bit younger than fifty years ago.
In 1975, no democratic country’s leader was under 45. Today, three are.Some are older, too: in 1975, no leader of a democratic country was older than 75.
Now five have passed this milestone, including Mr Biden and his successor.America is an outlier among democracies. Not only is it electing older presidents, its legislators are the oldest in the world.
The new administration is unlikely to change that.Meanwhile, the worldwide trend toward ageing leaders is largely being driven by autocracies.
The average dictator is now 64—12 years older than in 1975. This isn’t surprising, as autocratic leaders have historically been reluctant to give up power.
Advances in medicine over the past 50 years have allowed leaders to live longer, with 11 autocrats today aged over 75.
But the same forces letting leaders live longer affect the general population, too.
While the average leader is seven years older than 50 years ago, the average age of citizens has risen by eleven years.Older leaders are not necessarily a problem.
Experience can bring wisdom. But slowing down, physically and mentally, is inevitable with age.
Research has found older politicians are less concerned with the needs of the young, and spend less on child welfare and more on benefits for seniors.
The increase in life expectancy around the world, together with the stalling of birth rates, means that leaders have on average become more like the populations they govern.
In the years ahead, expect world leaders to become increasingly grey.
In 1975 the average age gap between leaders and their subjects was 42 years; now it is 39. But the rest of the world will be greying with them.
News
Tinubu commiserates with Ododo over father’s death

President Bola Tinubu has expressed deep condolences to Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Ododo, following the death of his father, Alhaji Momohsani Ododo, on Monday, August 18, 2025.
In a statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, on Tuesday, the President extended his sympathies to the Ododo family, their friends, and the people of Kogi State during this period of grief.
In his message, Tinubu said, “My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved, acknowledging the profound loss felt by the Ododo family and the broader Kogi community.”
Alhaji Momohsani, who passed away at 83 after the 2pm Muslim prayers, was described by the President as a revered community leader whose legacy lives on through the achievements of his children.
Tinubu urged Ododo, his family, and the entire Ododo clan to take solace in their patriarch’s life of service to God and the moral and religious values that guided him.
He prayed for the peaceful repose of the soul of the departed and God’s comfort for the bereaved family, friends, and associates.
Crime
Owo Bombing: Court Approves Protection for Witnesses

……As court sets September 10 for bail ruling.
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has approved protection measures for witnesses expected to testify in the trial of five suspects linked to the June 5, 2022 bombing at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
The ruling followed an ex parte application by the prosecution, led by Calistus Eze, under the Terrorism Prevention Act 2022.
The accused—Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar—face a nine-count terrorism charge related to their alleged ties to the East African terrorist group Al-Shabab. The attack resulted in over 40 deaths.
Prosecutor Eze emphasized the severity of the charges in support of witness protection. The defendants’ counsel, Abdullahi Muhammad, raised no objections.
Separately, Abdullahi Muhammad filed bail applications for the suspects, which the prosecution opposed. Eze argued that due to the suspects’ suspected foreign terrorist links, there was a high risk they might abscond if granted bail. He also cited concerns about potential threats to the six witnesses and doubts over the reliability of any sureties.
The prosecutor informed the court that the Department of State Services (DSS) has approved visitation rights for the suspects’ families while in custody.
During the hearing, Eze also notified the court of the Attorney General’s appointment of Senior Advocate of Nigeria Ayodeji Adedipe as the new lead prosecutor. The case file transfer is ongoing.
Justice Nwite adjourned the matter until September 10 for a ruling on the bail application.
News
President Tinubu earning N1.5m monthly, Ministers N1m – RMAF
You cannot pay a minister less than N1m per month since 2008 and expect him to put in his best without necessarily being involved in some other things.

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission has hinted at plans to review the salaries of political office holders in Nigeria, describing current earnings as inadequate, unrealistic, and outdated in the face of rising responsibilities and economic challenges.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, disclosed that President Bola Tinubu presently earns N1.5m monthly, while ministers receive less than N1m — figures that have remained unchanged since 2008.
“You are paying the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria N1.5m a month, with a population of over 200 million people. Everybody believes that it is a joke,” Shehu said.
He added, “You cannot pay a minister less than N1m per month since 2008 and expect him to put in his best without necessarily being involved in some other things. You pay either a CBN governor or the DG ten times more than you pay the President.
That is just not right. Or you pay him [the head of an agency] twenty times higher than the Attorney-General of the Federation. That is absolutely not right.”
-
News2 days ago
Group Plans One Million Solidarity March to Jonathan, following apologies
-
News3 days ago
Nigeria’s Military Capture top Ansaru, Mahmuda terrorist group leaders
-
News1 day ago
NEMA declares 40 missing in Sokoto boat accident
-
Sports14 hours ago
Peter Rufai for burial Friday at Ikoyi cemetery
-
News3 days ago
Christian Chukwu’s Burial Photos
-
International1 day ago
Google agrees to pay Australia $36 million fine for anti-competitive deals with telcos
-
International1 day ago
War-torn Myanmar to hold first general election since 2021 coup
-
News1 day ago
Driver Dies After Car Crashes into Commercial Bus at Mile 2, Lagos