You might hate me for this, but Nigeria’s president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, gives off main character energy. 

He has faced and defeated many opps to win on February 25: angry Gen-Zs on social media, nosy journalists who wanted to know his wealth’s source, and disloyalty from members of his camp. 

While he was his biggest opp, he has taught many of us that it doesn’t matter if you make public gaffes or have an endless list of controversies; there will still be people who believe in you enough to give you the highest political seat in the country. 

If we were in a movie, Tinubu’s presidential win would be his “happily ever after”, but things are playing out quite differently in the real world as it seems some Nigerians and world leaders are not acknowledging his success the way he wants. 

It’s customary for current world leaders to welcome new leaders into their fold. So far, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and President Julius Bio of Sierra Leone, among others, have congratulated Tinubu. 

But, there’s unrest in Tinubu’s camp because  the United States President, Joe Biden, is yet to call or send a message congratulating the president-elect. Although the US Department of State Spokesperson, Ned Price, sent his congratulations while also pointing out the need for a better electoral process, the agitations in the All Progressives Congress (APC) camp remains because it’s deemed customary for America’s allies to be officially congratulated by the President. 

The APC’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) are demanding that Joe Biden call Tinubu, especially given the long-standing relationship between the two countries. Former lawmaker, Shehu Sani, has also advised the American President to at least send a WhatsApp message to the president-elect. 

It’s getting amusing how after the hustle Tinubu put into winning at the polls, he now has to struggle with a lack of acknowledgement from world leaders. Someone said, “Tinubu campaigned for votes. He’s also campaigning for congratulations”

What else happened this week?

Tinubu president-elect Joe Biden

Uber driver gets ₦5 million compensation

If you remember, during the first anniversary of the #EndSars protest, there was a viral video of police officers assaulting an Uber driver. 

The driver, Mr Clement, was going to drop off a passenger from Lagos island to the mainland when he encountered a protest at the toll gate disrupted by the police. Teargas canisters were being thrown to disperse the crowd, and Clement abandoned his car on the street, running for his life. When he returned to pick up his car, he was accosted and maltreated by the police, who tried to force him into a Black Maria. 

Tinubu president-elect Joe Biden

Luckily, people were around while this happened, and they made a video of this incident. There was public outrage over what happened, but it didn’t end there this time. A human-rights lawyer, Mr Inibehe Effiong, took up the case and sued the Nigerian Police, the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency, the Attorney General of Lagos, and the Lagos State Government. 

And thankfully, this is one of the few times where legal steps worked. On March 14, 2023, the court ruled in favour of the victim and awarded him the sum of ₦5 million in damages for violating his rights to dignity. 

Video of the week

Question of the week

The Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, has revealed that the federal government is considering increasing youth corp members’ allowances to celebrate the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at 50. What should the new NYSC allowance be? 

Ehen one more thing…

On March 13, 2023, the CBN finally approved using old banknotes until December 31, 2023. But do you remember the reason behind the old notes leaving in the first place? Here’s why

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