As Nigerians react to the election of Sir Keir Starmer
Foreign affairs trended in the Nigerian social media space in the last two weeks. The core issues were the youth revolt in Kenya and the UK general election.
| #UKDecides2024 |
The 2024 UK General Election took place yesterday. All the registered political parties in the UK – Labour, Conservatives, SNP, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, Green and Plaid Cymru – all partook in it.
By securing over 400 seats in the Parliament, the Labour Party, a certain Sir Keir Starmer, stopped a 14-year run of the Conservatives by beating the incumbent PM, Rishi Sunak, to become the next UK Prime Minister. He’ll be sworn in later today by the King, King Charles. Just imagine…
On social media yesterday, I saw our Nigerian sister, DJ Cuppy—Sir Femi Otedola’s daughter—in the UK rooting for the Labour Party. I was ‘flabber-whelmed’ and ‘over-ghasted’!
Oh yes…!
This is because her head wasn’t broken. Her clothes were neither torn nor bloodied. She wasn’t politically disenfranchised in any form. The Brits didn’t tell her to go to her fatherland and talk that trash even as she’s legally resident in the UK. No one threatened to throw her into the River Thames or any of the canals and channels that dot the UK…no! She even exercised the audacity to campaign for an opposition against the run of play…in another man’s country! That’s preposterous!
She voted peacefully in an election that had near zero – if not zero – electoral malfeasance. My friends Alhassan, Maduka, Oluwafemi, Chika, Mustapha, and many others also did. They might have even voted in the comfort of their homes and sent the damn thing by post or electronically.
Their ‘BVAS’ machine worked.
The results sheets (if any were used) were not mutilated, and papers were minimally used anyway.
They didn’t budget or use over N300 whooping Billion for such a chicken exercise.
No ballot box was snatched.
Their Army, Police, and thugs were not seen anywhere conspiring, aiding, or abetting any malfeasance. They’re not needed in the process at all!
Rishi Sunak didn’t threaten anyone aggrieved to ‘Go to Court!’; instead, the process was crystal-clear for anyone to “Go and Verify.”
Glitches didn’t happen despite having enough time to prepare for a seemingly regular (and not do-or-die) exercise.
The winner, Sir Keir Starmer, 61, is an Oxford graduate. His name, genealogy, age, academic records, ‘State’ of origin, etc.,s are all in the public domain for anyone to ‘go and verify’.
The election was free and fair. Exhales!
‘I’m not happy’
God, why!?
God, when…!?
Engr. (Sir) Okechukwu Muodilim (KSJI)
2. Kenyans poke their fingers in the eyes of Nigerians
3. Dangote’s advocacy
https://x.com/dangotegroup/status/1808188380678967530?s=46&t=uJjhL6RtrzBi9vQBS0iNtw
Africa’s richest man and foremost industrialist has been sounding like an advocate for critical issues in the Nigerian economy. He spoke on the challenges in the oil and gas sector, the Petroleum Industry Bill, and accused the international and local oil companies of sabotage against Dangote Refinery.
He was forthright at a Manufacturers Association of Nigeria event at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Aso Villa. The Dangote Group posted the highlights on X.
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Alhaji Aliko Dangote as the new chairman of the Presidential Economic Coordination Council (PECC), which is tasked with strategising the country’s current economic situation. Members of the Council include Mr Tony Elumelu, chairman of the United Bank for Africa, and Bismarck Rewane, CEO of the Financial Derivatives Company Limited.
Other members of the 31-member Council include Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, 12 ministers, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso.
Members from the Organized Private sector include Dangote, Elumelu, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu, Ms Amina Maina, Mr Segun Ajayi-Kadir, Dr Funke Opeke, Dr Doyin Salami, Mr Patrick Okigbo, Mr Kola Adesina, Mr Segun Agbaje, Mr Chidi Ajaere, Mr Abdulkadir Aliu, and Mr Rasheed Sarumi.
4. Nyesom Wike versus Ireti Kingibe at the FCT.
The actions of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike drew concern and condemnation on social media over the fortnight.
• Wike swore that Senator Kingibe, representing the FCT, could not win an election in the territory again with him as the minister and then abused her directly. He asked her to go and hang on an electricity transformer.
• He wore an expensive designer dress that immediately drew attention.
One wit has remarked that public attention (praise or condemnation is oxygen to politicians. Could Wike’s motive be to remain in the public mind for good or ill?
Whatever it is, Ovation publisher and politician Chief Dele Momodu worried about the assault on Nigerian morality in Wike abusing an elder such as Senator Ireti Kingibe.
Writing on Instagram, Momodu expressed his disappointment and shame at the National Assembly’s failure to denounce Wike’s behaviour, stating, “Power drunkenness, a 56-year-old man insulting a 70-year-old woman, a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria telling her to go and hug a transformer and die on national television, and the National Assembly has not called the bluff off this man who acts like Nigeria now has two presidents.”
Momodu questioned President Tinubu’s inaction, asking, “How many votes and how much money did this Wike man give Tinubu that he is allowing him to rampage in Rivers, FCT, and other parts of Nigeria?
Wike, however, doubled down at the launch of construction work on Kwaitta-Yebu Road, praising the former senator Philip Aduda, taking a jibe at Kingibe and avoiding mentioning her name. He stated that “some senators” do not connect with their people but only envy those working.
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