A member of the presidential guard brigade caused a stir on Monday morning when she collapsed at the parade ground shortly before the commencement of the inauguration programme. Multiple sources told The PUNCH that they can recall seeing the young guard feeling uncomfortable while mounting guard before falling to the ground. We thought she had died before she was carried on a stretcher to one of those mobile clinics around. But after a while, she went back to the parade ground and vomited again. If there is any emergency on the parade ground, the FRSC or Guards brigade will do an evacuation because they don’t like seeing civilians going in and out there.”

The president Bola Ahmed Tinubu has promised Nigerians that his administration will not rule over them but will be a listening government. Tinubu and vice president Kashim Shettima were sworn-in by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola in a glamorous ceremony at the Eagles Square in Abuja on Monday. The president thereafter gave his official inaugural speech since taking over the mantle of leadership from retired General Muhammadu Buhari. We shall reach out to all but never put down a single person for holding views contrary to our own. “I declare that these things are within our proximate reach because my name is Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and I am the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

He was sworn in at Eagles Square with the Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Olukayode Ariwoola administering the oath of office on him. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has renamed Maiduguri International Airport after the immediate former president Muhammadu Buhari. Zulum announced this on Monday during his second-term swearing-in celebration at Ramat Square in Maiduguri. He noted that, the airport formerly known as Maiduguri International Airport but is now set to be known as Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, Maiduguri. According to him, Buhari has done his best for people of Borno and Nigeria at large. He said people of Borno State will never forget Buhari for bringing peace to the state and North-East region.

The new governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti says Abia is facing a difficult and challenging road ahead, even as the state is starting from an enormously negative position. Gov Otti disclosed this in Umuahia during his acceptance speech after he was sworn in, stating, “We have a very difficult and challenging road ahead of us. Abia State is starting, not from zero, but from an enormously negative position. Otti made a startling disclosure that Abia has a local and foreign debt of about N200 billion and an alleged N50 billion in unpaid salaries, gratuities, and pensions. From June 2023, all salary and pension obligations of the State would be settled by the 28th of every month.

After taking the oath of office, the newly sworn-in President in his inaugural speech made several promises and vows to take Nigeria to the next level. Here, we extract ten main key points from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s inaugural speech. His inaugural speech sent a message to the nation’s apex bank to ensure a unified exchange rate. In Agriculture, President Tinubu pledged his administration would make food available in abundant yet less costly. Tinubu promised the review of the new naira redesign as both currencies would be treated as legal tender.

President-elect, Bola Tinubu and Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima have both been sworn in as President and Vice President of Nigeria, respectively. The Oath of Office was administered by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kayode Ariwoola, on Monday. Tinubu, a former Senator and governor of Lagos State was declared the winner of the February 2023 presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The candidate of the All Progressives Congress polled a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat his closest rival of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, who polled a total of 6,984,520 votes in the election while Peter Obi of the Labour Party came third in the election with a total of 6,101,533 votes and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP came fourth with 1,496,687 votes. Details later…

Mr President, you have been an honest, patriotic leader who has done his best for the nation you love. Our administration shall govern on your behalf but never rule over you. Our government also shall work with the National Assembly to fashion an omnibus Jobs and Prosperity bill. We shall work with ECOWAS, the AU and willing partners in the international community to end extant conflicts and to resolve new ones. There, Nigeria shall reside forever.

The presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi, says it will be ‘extremely weird’ of him to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Obi, who spoke through his aide, Tai Obasi, also denied planning a demonstration ahead of today’s inauguration of the incoming President. They are not happy about how everything was manipulated against Obi who has given them so much hope. But it will be extremely weird for him to attend a ceremony of a man whose election victory he is challenging in court. I can’t confirm if he receives an invitation to the swearing-in ceremony.

The former governor of Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, Mr Tinubu, 71, was sworn in as Nigeria’s president in Abuja, the capital city, in the presence of thousands of Nigerians and several heads of governments. Even with his election still being contested in court by opposition parties, Mr Tinubu has pledged to reunite the country. Some analysts also say the promises made by Mr Tinubu and the hope they bring are reminiscent of when Mr Buhari was first elected president in 2015 as a former military head of state. Dr Seun Kolade, a Nigerian development expert and associate professor at De Montfort University in the UK, said: “No Nigerian president has come into office with so much goodwill from citizens as President Buhari, but no other president has squandered it as quickly as President Buhari did. Mr Tinubu must also act quickly and decisively to tackle Nigeria’s security crises with the country already in a critical situation, analysts said.

The outgoing governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, on Sunday handed over to the incoming governor, Rev. In his speech, Ortom said his administration was handing over N187bn debt which makes up of salary arrears, loan, contractual obligations and others. The outgoing governor, who gave summary of contents in his handover note, said a total of N734.9bn acrued to the state through out his eight years. He added that the expenditure gulped N735.6bn, admitting that debt situation of the state was on a high side. In his brief remarks, the incoming governor appreciated Ortom for the handover.

The President-elect, Bola Tinubu, on Sunday night, asked Nigerians not to pity him over the enormous task of nation building before him. While alluding to challenges bedevelling the country, Tinubu said he was well aware of the task he set out for and do not expect pity from Nigerians. Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor, stated this during inauguration dinner and gala night. He rather asked Nigerians to him accountable on his promises, adding that he campaigned to be elected because of the challenges bedevelling the country. “We have corruption, insecurity and many problems confronting us… but don’t pity me.

A non-profit group, Wild Africa Fund (WAF) has called for strong laws and enforcement to protect endangered species in the country. While launching a campaign to raise awareness about the threats facing endangered species in Nigeria to mark Endangered Species Day, a yearly event to celebrate and act to protect threatened and endangered species, the group urged the National Assembly to pass the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill and Nigerians to protect endangered species. He said: “Our iconic giraffes, rhinos, and cheetahs have already gone into extinction due to illegal wildlife activities. It will be disastrous for Nigeria to lose its remaining endangered animals.”These endangered species play significant roles in preserving the ecosystem. “We hope this signals a new era for Nigeria to become the regional leader in policing and prosecuting wildlife crime,” Knights said.

Hours before the end of his tenure, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd. ), on Sunday, approved the conferment of a Special Award on the Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo. Sambo was conferred with “Commander of the Order of the Niger” for his contributions to the country’s transportation sector, a statement signed by the minister on Sunday disclosed. This honour is much as theirs as it is mine. “May the new government usher in unending prosperity for us as individuals and as a nation at large.

A socio-political activist, Obiora Omeje, has advised security agencies to allow citizens to express their feelings ahead of the swearing-in of Enugu State Governor-Elect, Peter Mbah. Omeje, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, saying, however, that Mbah’s swearing-in cannot be truncated by anyone. The socio-political activist further remarked that, whereas protest was a constitutional right of the citizens, it had no connection with the inauguration of the governor-elect. He said, “Protest is the fundamental right of Ndi Enugu; the right to protest is provided in the law; the people should be allowed to express themselves. “However, such protest should not truncate the process; the courts are there for aggrieved politicians to vent their anger.