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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.

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(The Economist)

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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.

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IBADAN: Early Morning Fire Destroys Shops, Millions Lost in Property

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An early morning fire on Friday, September 12, 2025, gutted four shops at Saki Garage, opposite Trans Amusement Park in the Bodija area of Ibadan, Oyo State.

The fire, which started around 2:07 a.m., affected four out of eleven shops in the complex. No casualties were reported, but properties worth millions of naira were lost.

Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Hon. Maroof Akinwande, confirmed the incident and said firefighters were able to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby buildings.

The fire was traced to embers left unattended after business hours, which ignited nearby flammable materials.

Akinwande advised the public to be vigilant, keep fire extinguishers at home and in shops, and store emergency fire service numbers. He also commended Amotekun officers from the Bodija Division for providing security during the firefighting operation.

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Air Peace Differs with NSIB reports on crews involvement in drugs, alcohol

Air Peace conducts frequent alcohol and drug tests on our crew. We have a very strict alcohol use policy that is stricter than the 8 hours before the flight as provided in the regulations. Drug use is a NO-NO!

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Air Peace has responded to the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) regarding the incident involving one of its aircraft at Port Harcourt on July 13, 2025.

The airline said to date, no official communication was received on crew toxicology results by NSI, B, and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had cleared the co-pilot on duty.

In a statement by Air Peace, it stated that it is yet to receive any official communications from the NSIB on such findings over a month after the incident and after the testing of the crew for alcohol, which took place in less than an hour of the incident!

“As a responsible airline, we place utmost priority on safety, transparency, and compliance, and it is important to set the record straight.

“Air Peace conducts frequent alcohol and drug tests on our crew. We have a very strict alcohol use policy that is stricter than the 8 hours before the flight as provided in the regulations. Drug use is a NO-NO!

The NSIB had on Thursday released the preliminary report on its ongoing investigation into the serious incident involving a Boeing 737-524 aircraft, operated by Air Peace, saying initial toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew revealed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption.

The report said that a cabin crew member also tested positive for Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component in cannabis.

“These results are being reviewed under the human performance and safety management components of the investigation.”, a statement on the report signed by Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, said.

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Hilda Baci Cooking World’s Largest Pot of Jollof Rice Today at Eko Hotel

Baci also disclosed she would be using 250 bags of rice to create what she hopes will become the world’s biggest pot of Nigerian jollof rice.

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Celebrity chef and Guinness World Record holder Hilda Baci is cooking what she describes as the world’s largest pot of Nigerian jollof rice at Eko Hotel and Suites today (Friday) in Lagos.

A video shared on her Instagram page on Thursday showed the moment the massive pot arrived at the venue of the record-breaking attempt in Lagos.

Another clip shared on her Snapchat story captured Hilda and her mother praying at the venue ahead of the event.

Baci announced on Wednesday that more than 20,000 people had registered to attend the event dubbed “Gino World Jollof Festival with Hilda Baci”

She emphasised that the event which kicks off at 9 a.m. on Friday, September 12, is free to attend, and that guests will “certainly not be paying for the amazing meal that I’m going to make for you.”

According to Baci, the historic attempt will feature a giant pot measuring six metres wide and six metres tall, in collaboration with seasoning and culinary brand Gino.

Baci also disclosed she would be using 250 bags of rice to create what she hopes will become the world’s biggest pot of Nigerian jollof rice

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