NIGERIAN NOTCH

Pope Francis has lamented what he calls today’s “culture of insults” in the world. Pope Francis In his homily during Pentecost Mass Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, Francis also decried that “the more we use social media, the less social we are becoming.” He warned of the temptation to cling to “our little group, to the things and people we like,” saying it’s only a “small step from a nest to a sect, even within the church.” The pope said that “nowadays, it is fashionable to hurl adjectives” in what’s tantamount to “a culture of insults.” He recommended responding “to malice with goodness.” Francis also said the Catholic Church risks becoming a mere organisation with propaganda as its mission instead of a mission to foster joy and harmony.  

A former governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, fielded questions from reporters in Lagos on the 26th anniversary of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, the recognition of June 12 as ‘Democracy Day’ and the imperative of electoral reforms. Excerpts:  *What is the significance of June 12 as Democracy Day and public holiday?* The significance of June 12 is that the June 12, 1993 election created the current political dispensation we now enjoy. It was the sacrifice made by Basorun MKO Abiola, who refused to compromise and surrender the mandate given to him by the entire country. It is also a celebration of some of our heroes and heroines who lost their lives in the struggle for the creation of sustainable democratic norms in Nigeria. I say this because NADECO that is the father and mother of this democracy was founded, not just to claim the mandate of MKO Abiola, but the original philosophy of NADECO was to fight for respect for democracy in Nigeria. The seco...

More than 1,500 concerned Nigerians, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), BudgIT and Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE) have filed a lawsuit asking the Federal High Court to “restrain, prevent and stop the National Assembly Service Commission from paying the incoming members of the 9th National Assembly individually and/or collectively over N4.68 billion as ‘welcome package’.” SERAP, BudgIT and EiE, suing for themselves and on behalf of 1,522 concerned Nigerians, stated that: “The Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has failed to do any downward review of salaries and allowances of members of the National Assembly since 2007 in spite of the economic downturn in Nigeria. Yet, the commission is statutorily required to review the pay of the lawmakers, in conformity with the country’s economic realities and to achieve fiscal efficiency.”