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I am Not Impressed with the Democracy that We Are in Today – Kola Abiola
The son of the acclaimed winner of the June 12 presidential election, Kola Abiola, has said Nigeria’s democracy the way it was currently being practiced was not what his late father, Chief MKO Abiola, and several Nigerians died for.
He further said it was not the kind of democracy several Nigerians laid down their lives on the line for. The younger Abiola, said this during the Tribe Naija, 2021 Democracy Day Fireside chat, with the theme: ‘This thing Called Democracy,’ in Abuja, on Saturday.
Abiola said, “I am not impressed with the democracy that we are in today, because it is not what my father and others died for. Is not what they put their lives on the line for.
“And I want to make sure we get what they will be proud of in their graves. The mantle is now for me to make sure that happens and that is what I mean by completing that bridge.”
Abiola called for a positive disruption of the system to bring about the kind of change that will make Nigeria work for all citizens irrespective of religious, ethnic, political affiliation and social status.
He noted that the Tribe Naija platform, under which the dialogue was being hosted, was designed to bring together young Nigerians who have the passion to think outside the box to bring about a positive change in the country.
Abiola said, “So, let us not make a mistake about the system. There is no system. We have inherited a system and it is time we turn that system on its head. The system just throws up what they want us to have and we have to pick from what they throw up for us to vote for.
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
