News
Presidency fumes, tackles Obasanjo over democracy comment

The Presidency, on Monday, blamed former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the current state of Nigeria’s democracy.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, noted that the democracy the country currently practises dates back to direct inputs by Obasanjo when he led the country’s first as military Head of State from 1976 – 1979 and as civilian President from 1999 – 2007.
“Obasanjo ought to know that he brought this thing into Nigeria. He was the one who made us adopt it in 1979. He must have seen it as expensive and unsuitable when he governed us for eight years and even wanted an extension for another four years.
“So, the way he is sounding, it is like the man is getting wiser after leaving office,” Onanuga said, reacting to Obasanjo’s post-presidential stance.
The Presidency’s response followed comments made by Obasanjo at the high-level consultation on Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy in Africa held at Green Resort Legacy, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.
Obasanjo had criticised Western democracy, suggesting it had not delivered good governance and development in Africa.
He called for a reexamination and moderation of democracy to better suit African nations, citing the Western model’s disregard for African history and complexities.
Obasanjo proposed an “Afro democracy” tailored to the continent’s unique needs.
The ex-president said the snag with the liberal democracy was that it was not home-grown and did not take into account African history and multicultural complexities, among other peculiarities.
Picking holes in the Western liberal democracy, Obasanjo described it as a “government of a few people over all the people or population and these few people are representatives of only some of the people and not fully representatives of all the people. Invariably, the majority of the people are wittingly or unwittingly kept out.”
According to him, African countries have no business operating a system of government in which they have no hands in its “definition and design.”
Obasanjo said, “The weakness and failure of liberal democracy as it is practised stem from its history, content and context and practice. Once you move from all the people to a representative of the people, you start to encounter troubles and problems.
“For those who define it as the rule of the majority, should the minority be ignored, neglected and excluded? In short, we have a system of government in which we have no hands to define and design and we continue with it even when we know that it is not working for us.
Those who brought it to us are now questioning the rightness of their invention, its deliverability and its relevance today without reform. The essence of any system of government is the welfare and well-being of the people, all the people.”
He argued that Nigerians must “interrogate the performance of democracy in the West where it originated from and with us the inheritors of what we are left with by our colonial powers.”
But the Presidency blamed the former leader for a poorly copied model during his tenure as Head of State and, later, President.
It criticised Obasanjo for not advocating a better system despite his current views saying, “If he believes in what he is saying now, he ought to be an advocate of the need to go back to the parliamentary system.”
Onanuga added, “We were practicing the parliamentary democracy the British left for us. Then, the military struck in 1966. And when we were going to return to democracy, instead of going back to what we were practicing before, parliamentary democracy, which was not expensive, it was this same Obasanjo who accepted the recommendation of the constitutional assembly at that time that recommended this American-style democracy.”
The Presidency criticised Obasanjo’s implementation of the presidential system, saying, “Obasanjo also knew that he copied this presidential system very wrongly. He copied the form and structure. But he didn’t copy the spirit of it.”
“Something that should have been under him in 1999 to 2007, he even made attempts to modify the constitution,” Onanuga remarked.
News
Police Summons Sowore, Arrives Force Headquarters with Travel Bag, Toothpaste, and Soap

Omoyele Sowore has appeared at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters on Wednesday, carrying a travel bag filled with personal items, including soap, toothpaste, clothing, and books, in response to a police summons.
The appearance follows a letter dated August 5 from the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit, inviting Sowore for questioning over a petition alleging forgery and criminal defamation.
A day prior, Sowore publicly pledged to honour the summons and urged fellow activists and supporters to accompany him. He arrived at the police headquarters at approximately 12:16 p.m., flanked by his legal representatives, A.K. Musa and Marshal Abubakar, and a group of supporters chanting protest songs critical of the government and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The travel bag, visibly packed with essentials, was seen as a symbolic gesture indicating that Sowore was prepared for the possibility of detention.
Health
You will drink ‘shit water’ if you dig borehole in Lekki – Perm. Sec.

The Lagos State Government has expressed serious concerns over the quality of water consumed by residents in the Lekki area, warning that those relying on boreholes could be drinking contaminated water.
At a recent stakeholders’ meeting, Mahmood Adegbite, the Permanent Secretary of the Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources, sounded the alarm over the potential health risks posed by untreated wastewater seeping into underground water sources.
“Everyone digging boreholes within the Lekki axis is probably drinking what I will call ‘shit water,’” Adegbite stated bluntly.
He explained that the government has plans in place to address the issue by expanding wastewater treatment efforts in the area. “If we are able to treat all the wastewater within this axis, we should be able to eradicate any form of disease that might result from non-treatment,” he added.
Adegbite also touched on the ongoing problem of flooding in Lagos, acknowledging that despite significant investment in drainage infrastructure, more work remains.
“Yesterday, it rained heavily, which is unusual because this is supposed to be August break,” he said. “We started having it because of a lot of complex issues. Despite the fact that we have committed so much, we still need to do a lot more in that space.”
The remarks underscore the growing environmental and public health challenges in Lekki, one of Lagos’s rapidly developing urban corridors.
News
JUST IN: Kano Commissioner For Transportation Resigns Over Drug Allegations

The Kano State Commissioner for Transportation, Ibrahim Namadi has resigned from his position following an allegation of his involvement in the controversial bail of a suspected drug baron, Sulaiman Danwawu.
According to reports, his resignation is coming just hours after the governor of the state, Abba Yusuf received the report of an investigative committee set up to probe his involvement in the deal.
In a statement signed by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature, the Commissioner explained that his decision to resign was made in the overriding public interest and in the light of sensitive nature of the matter.
The Governor while accepting the resignation letter stressed the need for all political appointees to always reason with caution on sensitive matters and obtain permission from the higher authority anytime they are about to engage themselves on issues of public interest.
-
Sports3 days ago
Afrobasket win: President Tinubu Delights D’Tigress with $100,000 each ,Technical Crew $50,000 each
-
Politics2 days ago
Wike Reveals What’s Trying to Correct in PDP Ahead of November Convention
-
News3 days ago
WASSCE 2025: Students performance in English, Maths decline by 38.32%
-
News2 days ago
Halima Layeni Launches New Book, Dear Man, Championing Men’s Mental Health and Emotional Healing
-
Business2 days ago
Marketers, Retailers fight dirty as Fuel price nears N1,000 per litre in Nigeria
-
News2 days ago
Ex-servicemen protest nonpayment of entitlements by Finance Ministry
-
Crime2 days ago
Soldier, 7 Others Rescued After Highway Abduction
-
News2 days ago
Popular Broadcaster, Morayo Afolabi-Brown Resigns from TVC