Speaking on the state of Nigerian politics and leadership, Datti said Atiku has remained a constant contender in presidential races for decades without delivering the change Nigerians yearn for.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

Former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has taken a swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his persistent presidential ambitions, saying Nigeria urgently needs a new generation of leaders to rescue the country from its deepening crisis.

Speaking on the state of Nigerian politics and leadership, Datti said Atiku has remained a constant contender in presidential races for decades without delivering the change Nigerians yearn for.

Recounting his political journey, Datti said he and Atiku have crossed paths repeatedly on the presidential stage.

“When I was doing my NYSC (National Youth Service Corps), Baba Atiku was already an aspirant. In 2018, we contested primaries together. In 2023, we contested again; I as a vice president elsewhere, when his own vice president had left him. And now, for God’s sake, in 2027 again,” he said.

The Labour Party chieftain described Nigeria’s political space as hostile to genuine reformers, lamenting that capable Nigerians are being pushed out by a system dominated by godfathers, money politics and broken promises.

“There is a need for a new generation of Nigerian leaders, and they do exist,” Datti said. “A whole new generation is waiting for a new leader to lead them to a new party.”

According to him, Nigeria is not short of competent citizens who can solve the nation’s problems, but the structure of politics discourages them.

“There are good Nigerians, there are people capable of fixing Nigeria’s problems, but they are discouraged by the expensive, difficult and treacherous system full of godfathers and bad promises,” he stated.

Datti added that despite the obstacles, many Nigerians are still eager for change and are searching for credible leadership.

“There are good Nigerians who are looking for that leader to lead them to fix Nigeria’s problems,” he said.

His remarks come amid renewed speculation about Atiku’s political future and the possibility that he may seek to run for president for the seventh time, this time under his new party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

A British man, Corky, has complained about his Nigerian girlfriend, Bibian, who constantly pesters him to take photos of her while criticising his photography skill at the same time.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

The video posted on Facebook has elicited varying reactions with some people telling Bibian to stop stressing their ‘in-law’ while others told him to bear it as taking photos of one’s partner is an expression of love.

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Iranian women have launched a striking new form of protest, lighting cigarettes with burning images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a bold act of defiance that has spread rapidly online.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

Videos and photographs of the protests have been shared thousands of times across social media platforms, showing women without headscarves smoking cigarettes ignited by portraits of the country’s most powerful figure. Burning images of the supreme leader is a serious criminal offence under Iranian law, while women smoking in public has long been restricted or discouraged.

Iranian women light cigarettes with burning photo of their country?s supreme leader

By combining both acts, and openly defying mandatory hijab laws, protesters are challenging not only Iran’s political authority but also its rigid social controls. Observers say the symbolism of the act makes it particularly difficult for authorities to suppress.
Iranian women light cigarettes with burning photo of their country?s supreme leader

“This kind of protest doesn’t rely on mass gatherings that can be dispersed,” one analyst noted. “It spreads digitally and privately, making enforcement far more complex.”

The trend has emerged amid deepening economic hardship and renewed nationwide unrest. Iran has been gripped by protests over inflation, unemployment and the collapse of the rial, with demonstrations breaking out in cities across the country.

While the current unrest has not yet reached the scale of the mass protests seen three years ago, human rights groups say dozens of people have been killed during clashes with security forces in recent weeks.
Iranian women light cigarettes with burning photo of their country?s supreme leader

Authorities imposed a nationwide internet and phone blackout on Thursday night as protests intensified, largely cutting Iran off from the outside world. The blackout followed days of growing demonstrations and reports of escalating violence.

Ayatollah Khamenei has accused protesters of acting on behalf of foreign powers, particularly the United States and President Donald Trump. He said demonstrators were attacking public property and warned that Iran would not tolerate what he described as “mercenaries for foreigners.”