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Presidency fumes, tackles Obasanjo over democracy comment

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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.

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147 Lagos Structures to Face Impact From Coastal Highway

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President Bola Tinubu says 147 structures in Lagos will be affected by the construction of a service lane along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

Five of the structures are expected to face full demolition, while the remaining 142 will experience minimal impact.

Tinubu disclosed this Sunday at a stakeholder engagement in Lagos, where he also flagged off repairs of the Eko and Marine bridges and a flooded section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Represented by Lagos Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the president assured affected property owners that they would receive compensation where necessary.

Tinubu said the stakeholder engagement was designed to secure public support and ensure the effective implementation of the projects.

He described the Eko Bridge as one of the oldest bridges built after Nigeria’s independence, while noting that the Marine Bridge provides an important link to Lagos seaports.

The president urged Lagos residents and other stakeholders to support infrastructure projects designed to improve transportation and economic activity.

The figure of 147 affected structures was presented by a representative of the AEC consortium during the engagement.

Some of the affected residents and stakeholders asked some questions on areas of compensation and impact.

Tinubu said the Federal Government remains open to constructive criticism but urged stakeholders to support projects that are properly executed.

He said the projects are intended to deliver infrastructure that will serve Lagos residents and Nigerians for generations.

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Tinubu Flags Off Eko, Marine Bridge Repairs

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President Bola Tinubu has flagged off repairs of the Eko and Marine bridges in Lagos, as part of Federal Government efforts to improve critical infrastructure and ease traffic along the Lagos corridor.

Tinubu, represented by Lagos Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, spoke Sunday at a stakeholder engagement on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

Sanwo-Olu said the president remains committed to infrastructure development, security and job creation under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

The governor also said more than 200 kilometers of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway had been constructed across various sections within two years.

He said additional slip roads and improved drainage links to the Lagos Lagoon would be introduced to ease movement and reduce flooding.

Works Minister David Umahi, meanwhile, condemned the vandalism of public infrastructure, describing it as “devilish,” “wicked” and unacceptable.

Umahi urged Nigerians to protect government assets, warning that vandalism could undermine the benefits of major infrastructure projects.

His comments followed the recent vandalism of sections of the newly constructed Festac-Alakija Bridge. Lagos authorities have arrested 27 suspects over the incident.

Umahi also ordered a crackdown on unauthorized activities along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, directing officials to stop motorcycles, tricycles, hawkers and loitering on the route.

The minister also called for stronger security around strategic infrastructure.

The 750-kilometer, 10-lane Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is designed to connect Lagos with Cross River through seven coastal states, with the Federal Government expecting it to improve transportation and boost economic activity

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ICPC: Adeyemi’s fake letter not from Presidency

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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has confirmed that Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew was never appointed by the Federal Government and that the so-called Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) was a fictitious entity.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Saturday, ICPC Chairman Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, disclosed the findings of the agency’s 30-day probe ordered by President Bola Tinubu on 7 July 2026.

“Recall the President on 7th July, 2026 gave ICPC 30 days to investigate into the fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and today is exactly 30 days. I have just submitted the interim report and briefed Mr. President accordingly,” Aliyu said.

He stated that the President, in the spirit of transparency and accountability, directed him to address the media for the benefit of Nigerians.

According to the interim report:

  • Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew was never appointed by the Federal Government or any authority of government.
  • The PFIPC was never established by any law, executive order or other valid instrument of government.
  • The appointment letter presented by Adeyemi was completely forged, along with similar documents used to sustain the illegal activities of the fake agency.
  • The PFIPC cannibalised the former Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and illegally appropriated offices and instruments of operation.
  • False projection, false representation, widespread impersonation and a range of illegal activities were perpetrated by Adeyemi as the purported Director-General.
  • Weaknesses in verification, inter-agency oversight and government processes were exploited by Adeyemi, with some level of negligence and connivance.
  • No funds of the Federal Government were approved or disbursed to the fake PFIPC/PEAC.

Aliyu emphasised that no weaknesses were found in the systems of the State House or the Central Bank of Nigeria, describing their processes as above board. He specifically noted that the fake appointment letter did not originate from the Presidency.

The ICPC further discovered that Adeyemi created two additional fictitious government agencies — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency (FIFA) and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public Private Partnership (FIFA-PPP). To facilitate their creation, he forged legislative instruments styled as Enabling Acts, which were used to support the opening of bank accounts.

Among the recommendations in the interim report are that Adeyemi should be fully prosecuted, administrative sanctions should be imposed on public officers whose acts of omission and negligence facilitated the illegal operations, and institutional reforms should be implemented.

Aliyu disclosed that investigations are ongoing into all activities and bank accounts linked to the PFIPC, Adeyemi and his collaborators.

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