Author: Optimal Times

As the Oyo State House of Assembly celebrates one year anniversary, the Speaker, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, said  it has been 12 months of steady legislative progress for the 10th Assembly in the state. The Speaker stated this on Thursday at a special plenary sitting to mark the first year anniversary of Oyo State House of Assembly, and presentation of State of the State address by Governor Seyi Makinde. He said from available records, the achievements of the 10th Oyo State House of Assembly in its first year had surpassed that of the first legislative year of the 9th Oyo State…

In the last three days, it has been one story of lamentation or the other from a section of the PDP in Ekiti State. Reason is the activities of former Governor of Ekiti State and leader of the PDP in the State, Ayo Fayose, on Monday and Tuesday. The question is, who is afraid of Fayose and why is his just two days political activities in Ekiti now their source of worry? It should be recalled that Fayose was in Ekiti on Monday. He met in Ado Ekiti, with over 1,000 members of the PDP from across the 16 LGs…

Each time a country goes through minimum wage negotiation, you can take it for granted that the argument to put politicians on that same salary scale will come up. It is a common argument, one that the Victorian Socialists Party in Australia included in their campaign promises. Granted, they were an upcoming party—the equivalent of the many political parties in Nigeria that exist through their press releases until elections are around the corner—and were unlikely to win anyway. Still, asking politicians to feel what they dish out is a universally resonant sentiment. In 1816, when the United States Congressmen voted…

… Unites with 1000+ young African campaigners to call for more funding for Africa’s 200 million under-fives By Wuraola Oyedokun An Ibadan-based education activist,  Halimat Omowumi Olaniyan,  has united with more than a thousand young African campaigners to call for increased funding for preschool education. To mark the Day of the African Child on June 16, Halimat Olaniyan, 27, has joined more than 1,500 Global Youth Ambassadors from the global children’s charity Theirworld to demand urgent support for Africa’s youngest learners. The youth activist calls for more investment in preschool education to stop children in Africa from   falling behind. According to her, ‘’Numerous…

Yoruba leader, Prof. Banji Akintoye, has  lauded the Southwest Governors  for adopting a single Anthem. The governors, had on Monday, in Lagos adopted a common anthem, In a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan by Dr. Tunde Amusat, Akintoye also congratulated all Yoruba sons and daughters for the feat. He said by the act, the  governors had  won the hearts of all Yoruba people everywhere. The leader said: ‘’On behalf of the many millions of Yoruba people in our Yoruba Self-determination Struggle, constituting the overwhelming majority of Yoruba men and women in Yoruba land in Nigeria and…

The context of what is being celebrated as democracy in Nigeria is merely civil rule. Although some scholars describe this period as an uninterrupted, unpierced, and unbroken 25-year democratic era, this is due to the fact that on May 29th, 1999, 25 years ago, the military who controlled and operated the political space were sent back to the barracks. The above context simply uses military intervention to define democracy. What we may need to know is that the struggle that birthed democracy in Europe was not under military conditions but in an era when people ruled themselves without checks,…

NIGERIA has celebrated another democracy day as a monument to MKO ABIOLA and tribute to celebrated names mentioned in the speech of President Tinubu. A large number of these great Nigerians stepped on the sacrificial blood of MKO to become Presidents, Governors, Senators, Representatives, Assembly members. In some ways Nigeria has appreciated their sacrifices and rewarded for their struggle for return to civil rule. I am glad that the president remembered the selfless sacrifices of the media. Some of the media people have been duly rewarded with political positions. Quite a large number of them remain unknown and unsung because…

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Engineer Oyedele Hakeem Alao (Allow Alao),on Wednesday, felicitated with President Bola Tinubu and all Nigerians on the occasion of June 12.  Alao urged Nigerians not to forget the sacrifices of those who fought for the democracy we are all enjoying today, including Chief Moshood Abiola, who paid the ultimate price for his convictions, calling on them to get involved and remain steadfast as major stakeholders in the process of governance. Alao, in a statement by his Media Office to mark 2024 Democracy Day, said June 12 has become a…

Former Vice President and Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 polls, Atiku Abubakar,  on Wednesday, sympathised  with President Bola Tinubu for falling at the Eagles Square during a parade. President  Tinubu missed his steps and fell  while boarding a presidential vehicle at the 2024 Democracy Day event. The incident occurred immediately after Tinubu arrived at Abuja’s Eagles Square, which served as the programme location. The president briefly lost his footing as he was about to step onto the car but quickly regained his balance. Concerned by the incident,  Atiku sympathised with the President. In his X- handle,…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,  on Wednesday, slipped while boarding the parade vehicle at the venue of the 2024 Democracy Day. Tinubu had approached the vehicle shortly after he arrived at the Eagles Square, Abuja venue of the programme. It was  observed that 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 event at Eagles Square was part of a series of events to mark the country’s Democracy Day celebration.