A video clip showing Nigerians chanting minimum wage, Jagaban ha surfaced on social media networks at the Eagle Square on Wednesday.
TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports in the clip, Nigerians were initially chanting Jagaban, Jagaban, suddenly the chants changed to ‘minimum wage’ as Tinubu waves his hand at the crowd to mark 25 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria.
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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sympathised with President Bola Tinubu over a terrible fall he suffered at the 2024 Democracy Day parade ground at the Eagle Square in Abuja, the federal capital territory (FCT).
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports President Tinubu was boarding the parade vehicle at the venue of the 2024 Democracy Day when he suddenly mis-stepped and fell.
Despite the fall, the President quickly regained his balance and continued with the proceedings. However, the video has gone viral on social media.
Reacting, Atiku wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “I sincerely sympathise with President Bola Tinubu, over this unfortunate incident as he was set to review the parade on Democracy Day. I do hope that all is well with him”.
I sincerely sympathise with President Bola Tinubu, @officialABAT, over this unfortunate incident as he was set to review the parade on Democracy Day. I do hope that all is well with him. -AA pic.twitter.com/XDkm10nVOt
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) June 12, 2024
Meanwhile, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun has said President Tinubu is okay.
“Mr President missed his step while climbing into the truck at the June 12 Democracy Day celebration and tripped. It was a mild misstep. He immediately went on with the ceremonial rounds. No issues,” Olusegun stated via X.
Senator Professor Oserhiemen Osunbor felicitates with the people of Edo State and beyond on this year’s Democracy Day celebration, urging them to continue upholding the principles of democracy.
In a statement marking the occasion, Senator Osunbor praised the resilience and determination of Nigerians, who have remained committed to democratic governance despite challenges.
“Today, we celebrate our collective struggles, sacrifices, and triumphs in the pursuit of democratic governance,” Senator Osunbor said. “I urge all Edo State indigenes and Nigerians to remain steadfast in their pursuit of a better future, fostering unity and collaboration to build a more prosperous and inclusive society for all.”
Sen. Prof. Osunbor commended Edo people for being a beacon of democratic values, emphasizing the need to continue upholding the principles of freedom, justice, and equality.
As Nigeria marks Democracy Day, Senator Osunbor reiterated his commitment to serving the people and working towards a greater Nigeria.
“Happy Democracy Day, Nigeria!” Senator Osunbor said.
The special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on social media, Dada Olusegun has downplayed the president’s fall while boarding the parade vehicle at the venue of the 2024 Democracy Day.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Tinubu lost his footing for a moment and slip falling to the floor of the parade vehicle
Although the president quickly regained his balance and continued with the proceedings which was part of a series of events to mark Democracy Day, the fall has dominated major headlines and become a thing of conversation amongst Nigerians.
Reacting to the incident, Olusegun wrote on X that it was only a mild misstep.
“Mr President missed his step while climbing into the truck at the June 12 Democracy Day celebration and tripped. It was a mild misstep. He immediately went on with the ceremonial rounds. No issues,” he said.
![Nigerians react as Tinubu falls while boarding parade vehicle at eagles square [VIDEO]](https://thenewsguru.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Screenshot-2024-06-12-at-12.04.54.png)
Nigerians have reacted following a dramatic fall of President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, while boarding the parade vehicle at the venue of the 2024 Democracy Day.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Tinubu slipped while approaching the vehicle shortly after he arrived at the Eagles Square, Abuja venue of the programme.
In the video that has gone viral, the president lost his footing momentarily as he was about to step into the vehicle.
However, despite the slip, the President quickly regained his balance and continued with the proceedings.
The development has sparked reactions amongst Nigerians across social media;
sabiigirlfashion wrote: “Slowly but surely, the walls of Jericho fell….”
teeto__olayeni wrote: “Economy is falling…Country is falling…President is falling….A COUNTRY CALLED NIGERIA.”
maureengold123 wrote: “I want to laugh in a way that won’t offend my President.”
njayyolanda wrote: “Kai , I might not like his government but this touch me, this is really a bad fall!! I hope he is really ok . This is so sad to Watch , his security details and aides are carless with very poor reflex action competence . This should Very Absent minded folks.”
seun_dreams wrote: “See person wey tell us make we stand on mandate don f@ll.”
odili_ti wrote: ”I pray market prices fall like this.”
ifu_nwannewi wrote: ”Nigerians! Where is your compassion? Where is your heart?? Where is the full video???!!! Hope the floor is ok? I don’t want to see a single scratch ooo.”
zamani_rules wrote: ”This na normal strategy to travel abroad again. He’s fine. Very fine.”
The Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has congratulated Nigerians as they mark Democracy Day and celebrate 25 years of unbroken democracy in the Fourth Republic.
He said the country has evolved in the past 25 years, and the dividends of democracy are bound to reach more Nigerians.
Speaker Abbas noted that this year’s celebration is significant in the life of the National Assembly, as it also marks the one-year anniversary of the 10th Assembly.
The 10th National Assembly was inaugurated on June 13, 2023.
The Speaker, who stated that democracy has come to stay in Nigeria, said the country has been navigating through the learning curves successfully. He added that though it is not perfect yet, the country has continued to grow in democratic experience and practice.
He enjoined fellow Nigerians across tribes and religions, genders and age groups, to continue to contribute their quota to the growth and development of the country, saying Nigeria promises to be a nation that the citizens would be proud of.
Speaker Abbas further urged Nigerians to continue to support the government at all levels and remain law-abiding citizens. He stated that it is the collective responsibility of all – with the people as the critical stakeholders – to make the government succeed on its plans, policies, and programmes.
The Speaker wished Nigerians happy celebrations.
Human rights groups, and Nigerians have expressed disappointment that, what the June 12 struggle stands for has not been actualised and it is a disservice to the memory of the symbol of the struggle late Chief M K O Abiola.
Speaking about the lost of the vision of June 12 struggle and failure to actualise its objective, the National Secretary of Campaign for Democracy (CD) Comrade Olufemi Lawson said what June 12 symbolise is free and fairest election in Nigeria so far, and it is unfortunate that 31 years after that election, Nigeria has not been able to accomplish that feat.
He noted that what Abiola hinged his campaign on was abolition of poverty and that was why his campaign mantra was Hope 93.
He explained that it is unfortunate that many Nigerians have been further impoverished and live in abject poverty.
Lawson said that Chief Abiola chose to stay in Nigeria and decided not to run away because he so much love Nigerians and he sacrificed his life for a better Nigeria, but it is unfortunate what he sacrificed his life has not been achieved.
He commended former President Muhammadu Buhari for recognising Abiola, giving him the highest honour in the country and declaring June 12 as democracy day, but he added those are not what Abiola fought for, that his major objective is to banish poverty in the country, but it is unfortunate poverty is at an increase and insecurity has even made the situation worse.
He therefore appealed to President Bola Tinubu, who was part of the struggle for actualisation of June 12, to use his renew hope matra in addressing the problem confronting Nigerians.
Speaking in the same vein, the spokesperson of Coalition of United Political Parties CUPP Comrade Mark Adebayo said Nigerians have lost the objective of what June 12 struggle stands for because of poor leadership, leadership that lacks vision.
He explained that it is appalling that what Abiola laid his life for has not been achieved 31 years after the June 12 struggle started.
He explained that,the economic situation is getting worse, and part of the plan of Abiola was to banish poverty from the country.
Comrade Adebayo noted the rate of insecurity is making things worse stressing that within the Federal Capital Territory Abuja where the president resides and all the service chiefs reside, kidnappers still operate freely, stressing that on the average about 30 people are kidnapped within the FCT daily.
He said rather than president Tinubu moving the country forward,he is taking us backward.
He queried that, of what importance is the returning to the old National Anthem is to Nigeria.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has said the increasing attacks on journalists in Nigeria, is not practising democracy but a state capture.
A handful journalists have come under increasing attacks with a number of them thrown into jail without trial for months under the administration of Bola Tinubu.
Commemorating 25 years of democracy, Obi decried the attacks on media practitioners insisting that true democracy forbids such state-sponsored attacks on free speech while speaking on Wednesday.
The former Anambra governor said as the country marks democracy day, the fundamental question remains if the country is truly democratic.
He said an unexamined life is not worth living, “so it is now time to re-examine what we have been doing over this quarter of a century.
“Democracy, as we know, is the government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
“While we may say that in 1999 we started in earnest in the right direction, today we have deteriorated into what can be classified as classical state capture. Instead of benefiting all, it has become a deprivation to all.”
He stated that the consequences of not being a true democracy have led to leadership failures that have resulted in “uncontrolled systemic corruption, high levels of insecurity, lack of freedom of speech, increasing poverty rates, and unprecedented levels of hunger and hardship, which remain unsolved and are growing geometrically.”
True democracy, he said, should be people-oriented, where the rights of citizens are respected, the laws are obeyed, the leaders remain accountable to the people, and people’s welfare and care, especially for the poor, become paramount and high priorities.
Unfortunately, he said “the opposite is the case in our situation.”
He pointed out that to “further illustrate that we are not truly democratic and have only produced the vices enumerated above, we are now ranked as follows:
“In the measurement of democracy, we have a democracy index score of 4.23, which ranks us low on the Global Democracy Index.
“In the Corruption Perception Index, we are ranked 145th among the 180 countries measured, showing a high level of corruption in Nigeria.
“In the Rule of Law Measurement, we are ranked 120th out of 142 countries measured in the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index, indicating that Nigeria suffers from gross disobedience to the rule of law.”
He referenced that the “2024 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) describes Nigeria as one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists.
“Nigeria ranks 112th out of 180 countries where journalists are regularly monitored, attacked, and arbitrarily arrested.
“We are ranked 109th out of 125 countries measured on the Global Hunger Index.”
He called for a return to a truly democratic nation, the fear he said was achieved on June 12, 1993, by collectively voting for democracy. “We must stand in defence of Nigeria’s democracy today.
“I urge everyone to respect and protect the institutions of the democratic state, obey the governing laws of the state, be accountable to the people, and fulfil the responsibilities of responsible governance as contained in the constitution.
“As we build a New Nigeria, these tenets shall be the pillars of our true democracy. It is possible,” Obi said.
On Wednesday June 12, Nigeria celebrated its democracy day and the president delivered his long-awaited speech. The president in his speech reflected on the sacrifices of pro-democracy activists, and also made general statements across issues bordering on minimum wage, economic challenges occasioned by removal of fuel subsidy and his reforms aimed at reducing overdependence on oil revenues.
On Minimunm wage: The President Bola Tinubu disclosed that arrangements have been concluded to send an executive bill to the National Assembly (NASS) to pass a law for a new national minimum wage to be paid workers in the country.
Honouring sacrifices of past heroes: Tinubu reflected on the sacrifices of pro-democracy activsts, this including Chief MKO Abiola, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, and others.
Economic reforms: Tinubu emphasized that the Nigeria’s economy was built on a flawed foundaton, adding that his administration reforms are intended to create a stronger, better foundation for future growth.
He noted that he understands that occasioned hardship, stressing that they are necessary repairs required to fix the economy over the long run so that everyone has access to economic opportunity, fair pay and compensation for his endeavour and labour.
Dialogue and Cooperation: Tinubu highlighted his administration’s approach of negotiating with labour unions over issues like the national minimum wage, favouring dialogue over conflict.
Lastly, President Tinubu urged Nigerians to stay committed to democracy, vowing to do his utmost best to protect rights, freedoms of all Nigerians.
In our opinion, though the president’s speech shows evident acknowledgment of the major challenges currently bedeviling the country, it only reassured of economic reforms that will fix the country’s situation, but no clear policies on how to tackle these challenges were outline through out the speech.
Democracy Day in Nigeria was moved to June 12 to honour the significance of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. This election, widely regarded as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history, was won by Chief MKO Abiola.
However, the military government at the time annulled the results, leading to widespread protests and a protracted struggle for democracy.
TEXT OF PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU’S NATIONAL BROADCAST ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF UNBROKEN DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA, DEMOCRACY DAY 12TH JUNE 2024 ABUJA
My fellow Nigerians, let me begin by congratulating all of us for witnessing the celebration of another Democracy Day today, the 12th day of June 2024. This year also marks our nation’s 25 years of uninterrupted democratic governance.
On this day, 31 years ago, we entered our rites of passage to becoming a true and enduring democratic society.
Going through this passage was hard and dangerous. During the fateful six years that followed, we fought and struggled for our natural rights as human beings put on this earth by the divine hand of our Creator.
We lost great heroes and heroines along the way. In this struggle, the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, the most significant symbol of our democratic struggle, his wife, Kudirat, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and Pa Alfred Rewane, among others sacrificed their very lives.
They bravely surrendered their futures, so that our nation might have a better one.
Let us honour the memories of Chief Anthony Enahoro, Chief Abraham Adesanya, Commodore Dan Suleiman, Chief Arthur Nwankwo, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, Chief Frank Kokori, Chief Bola Ige, Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Chief Ganiyu Dawodu, Chief Ayo Fasanmi, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Chief Olabiyi Durojaiye, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, Chima Ubani, and others who have transited to the higher realm.
The sacrifices of General Alani Akinrinade, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Professor Wole Soyinka, Chief Ralph Obioha, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, among many others, should never be forgotten. For at least six years, they bore the pains and difficulties of life in exile.
While the exiled pro-democracy activists kept the fire burning, their comrades at home sustained the pressure on the military brass hats. Among the latter are Olisa Agbakoba, Femi Falana, Abdul Oroh, Senator Shehu Sani, Governor Uba Sani, Chief Olu Falae, and other National Democratic Coalition leaders such as Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Chief Ayo Opadokun.
The sacrifices they made, and the precious gift brought about by their selfless devotion can never be repaid. Neither shall it be forgotten.
We could not have won the battle against military dictatorship without the irrepressible Nigerian journalists who mounted the barricades along with the pro-democracy activists. We celebrate them today, along with their media establishments such as The Punch, Guardian, National Concord, Tribune, The News/Tempo, and TELL Magazines. Military authorities proscribed these media establishments and jailed their journalists for standing for free speech and civil liberties
Despite the lethal might of the military government, what appeared to be high and unyielding walls of dictatorship came tumbling down. The dismal fortress exists no longer.
The power of an idea, the power of the people proved more potent than all the guns and munitions, than all the guns, the munitions and the threats of the strongmen.
The nation exited the yoke of military rule in 1999 to become the most populous democracy on African soil, the beacon of democratic self-determination for the black race and one of the largest democracies in the world.
This change stands as a pivotal moment in human history. From this change, we shall never turn, nor shall the annals of mankind’s progress forget the sublime meaning of this great moment.
Today, 25 years later, we celebrate the silver anniversary of our journey in democracy.
We have steadied the course.
Democracy is neither a foreign nor abstract concept devoid of real-life meaning for us. Neither can we afford to reduce or minimalise it to being nothing but the mere holding of periodic elections where one candidate and party outdo another.
While elections attract dramatic attention, they are but one aspect of democracy. Democracy is a way of life that encompasses a broad outlook of which elections are but a part. As such, a nation can have elections without being democratic. But a nation cannot be truly democratic without holding elections.
That we have established a tradition of holding transparent, open, and fair elections gives credence to our democratic bearing. That we have experienced peaceful transitions of government affirms our democratic temperament.
Fellow Nigerians, true democracy shines its light into the daily lives of the people who live under its nurturing wings. It affords us the freedom and liberty to think as we want, live where we want and pursue whatever legitimate endeavour that suits us.
Democracy does not assume some false or forced unity of opinion. In fact, democracy assumes that conflicting ideas and differing opinions shall be the order of the day. Given the diversity and variety of the human experience, there must be diverse perspectives and viewpoints.
What democracy demands is that we do not resolve differences through force and repression. But we make allowance for the legitimacy of views that differ from our own.
Where other forms of government impose against the will of the people, democracy aims to make leaders sufficiently humble that they conduct themselves as servants of the common good, not as viceroys of the narrow interests of the mighty.
My dear compatriots, Nigeria faced a decision of untold gravity twenty-five years ago: Whether to veer toward a better destination or continue aimlessly in the fog of dictatorship.
We made the right choice then. We must continue with that choice now.
As Nigerians, we must remind ourselves that no matter how complicated democracy may be, it is the best form of governance in the long run. We must also be aware that there are those among us who will try to exploit current challenges to undermine, if not destroy, this democracy for which so much has already been given.
These people do this not to make things better but to subject all other people and things to their control and dominance until the point that, if you are not counted among their elite, then your life will be small and no longer owned by you.
This is the great battle of our day and the major reason we specially celebrate this Democracy day.
Fellow Nigerians, our Democracy is more than a historic fact. It is a living, breathing reality.
The true meaning of this day is not to focus solely on the great deeds of the past that have brought us to this point.
Yes, we pay eternal honour to those who laid down their lives, sacrificing everything to pave the way for the nation.
I stand uniquely placed in this regard. I was among those who took the risk to midwife the birth of our democracy. I am now a direct and obvious beneficiary of the fruits of those historic efforts.
As president of this nation, I am morally and constitutionally bound to preserve this precious form of governance. I vow to do my utmost best to protect your rights, freedoms, and liberties as citizens of Nigeria.
Even more than that, I pledge to do whatever is necessary to cement democracy as our way of life.
Although the challenges are steep and multiple, I am grateful to lead Nigeria at this moment in her history and point in her democratic journey.
I come before you also to declare that our most important work remains before us. This real test has never been whether we would rise to challenge the slings of misfortune and grievous pain of dictatorship.
The real test is whether we shall lower our guards as the shadow of despotism and its evident physical danger fade.
I say to you here and now that as we celebrate the enshrinement of our political democracy, let us commit ourselves to the fulfilment of its equally important counterpart, the realisation of our economic democracy.
I understand the economic difficulties we face as a nation.
Our economy has been in desperate need of reform for decades. It has been unbalanced because it was built on the flawed foundation of over-reliance on revenues from the exploitation of oil.
The reforms we have initiated are intended to create a stronger, better foundation for future growth. There is no doubt the reforms have occasioned hardship. Yet, they are necessary repairs required to fix the economy over the long run so that everyone has access to economic opportunity, fair pay and compensation for his endeavour and labour.
As we continue to reform the economy, I shall always listen to the people and will never turn my back on you.
In this spirit, we have negotiated in good faith and with open arms with organized labour on a new national minimum wage. We shall soon send an executive bill to the National Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of our law for the next five years or less.
In the face of labour’s call for a national strike, we did not seek to oppress or crack down on the workers as a dictatorial government would have done. We chose the path of cooperation over conflict.
No one was arrested or threatened. Instead, the labour leadership was invited to break bread and negotiate toward a good-faith resolution.
Reasoned discussion and principled compromise are hallmarks of democracy. These themes shall continue to animate my policies and interaction with the constituent parts of our political economy.
I take on this vital task without fear or favour and I commit myself to this work until we have built a Nigeria where no man is oppressed.
In the end, our national greatness will not be achieved by travelling the easy road. It can only be achieved by taking the right one.
The words of the American President Franklin Roosevelt certainly ring true:
“There are many ways of going forward. But only one way of standing still”!
We dare not slumber lest the good things awaiting our immediate future pass us by. We dare not plant our feet in idle standstill in the middle of the intersection of hope and despair.
We know the proper way forward and we shall take it!
The initial rays of a brighter tomorrow now appear on the early horizon. An abundant future and our capacity to achieve that future lie within our reach. Democracy and the institutions it begets offer to take us to our profound destination.
Let us board this progressive train together. Together, let us move Nigeria forward.
Let’s continue to keep the fire of democracy burning. Let’s keep the torch lit for generations to come.
May God continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria and preserve our democracy.
I wish us all a Happy Democracy Day.
PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU