Connect with us

News

Happy Independence Day Nigerians! President Buhari’s Speech [FULL TEXT]

INDEPENDENCE DAY ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THE OCCASION OF NIGERIA’S SIXTY-FIRST INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY, FRIDAY 1ST OCTOBER, 2021.

Citizens of Nigeria.

It is with full gratitude to God that today, we celebrate Nigeria’s sixty-first Independence Anniversary.

  • For 1st of October 1960 to happen, all hands were on deck. East, West, North all came together to celebrate freedom. Today should not only serve as a reminder of the day the British handed over the reins of power to Nigerians, but also unified Nigerians from all ethnic groups, religions, and regions.
  • Today, despite the challenges we face, most Nigerians still maintain the spirit of 1st October. That positive outlook and determination make Nigeria a peaceful and prosperous nation. It is due to this collective attitude that Nigeria doggedly continues to remain a united and indivisible nation.
  • Fellow Nigerians, the past eighteen months have been some of the most difficult periods in the history of Nigeria. Since the civil war, I doubt whether we have seen a period of more heightened challenges than what we have witnessed in this period.
  • Our original priorities for 2020 were to continue stabilizing our economy following the deep recession while restoring peace in areas confronted with security challenges. But the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating impact on all nations meant we needed to shift gears and re-strategize.
  • Nigerians came together as one to fight against COVID-19. It is this attitude and by the special grace of God, we continue to survive the pandemic as a nation and indeed, provide leadership and example at regional and international levels.
  • The doomsday scenario predicted for our country never came. Even as the Delta variant continues to spread, we have built the capacity we need to respond now and into the future.
  • I will therefore appeal to Nigerians not to take COVID lightly, adhere to public health and social measures, put your mask on, and get vaccinated. We can control this pandemic, but it requires effort on everybody’s part. The investments we made in response to COVID-19 will also serve our country to tackle any future disease outbreaks or pandemics.
  • Despite the global inequity in access to vaccines, the Government of Nigeria has continued to explore all available options to ensure Nigerians have free access to safe and effective vaccines.
  • Some five million vaccine doses have been administered to Nigerians through efforts led by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and we will continue to explore options for purchase or acquisition of vaccines such as through COVAX and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust.
  • I will take this opportunity to remind the global community that the current state of access to COVID-19 vaccines is unacceptable. We cannot afford a situation where a handful of countries keep the global vaccine supply to themselves at the expense of other nations.
  • We must act now to accelerate the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. This is the message I conveyed to the international community in New York last week.
  • As we push to source vaccines for our immediate needs, we shall invest more to support our pharmaceutical and research agencies to come up with ideas for locally developed vaccines. Should another pandemic arise in the future, Our question is simple; will Nigeria be ready?
  • Accordingly, I have directed the Ministries of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Health, Education and Science and Technology to work with Nigerian and International pharmaceutical companies and research organizations to enhance Nigeria’s domestic pharmaceutical capacity.
  • Already, the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority is raising a $200 million fund for this initiative that will complement the Central Bank of Nigeria’s ongoing N85 billion Healthcare Sector Research and Development Intervention Scheme to support local researchers in the development of vaccines and drugs to combat communicable and non-communicable diseases, including COVID-19.

Fellow Nigerians, this is just the beginning.

  • Similarly, on our approach to food security, I am proud to announce Nigeria has commenced its journey to pharmaceutical independence.
  • This journey, which will take years to achieve but will ultimately result in Nigerian-based companies developing the Active Pharmaceutical substances and competence needed for us to make our own drugs and vaccines.

Fellow Nigerians,

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Tupac’s killer found guilty after 30 years

Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been found guilty in Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder after trial testimony also raised an alleged payment involving Diddy. A Las Vegas jury has found Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty of first-degree murder in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, delivering the first conviction in one of hip-hop’s most notorious unsolved cases, nearly 30 years after the shooting.

Jurors took less than three hours to reach their verdict following a nearly two-week trial, convicting the 63-year-old former Compton gang leader of murder with a deadly weapon, with intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. Davis was not accused of pulling the trigger himself.

Prosecutors argued he was the “shot caller” who handed the murder weapon to the gunman, believed to be his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, seeking revenge after Shakur’s entourage assaulted Anderson earlier that night. Under Nevada law, someone who facilitates a murder can be convicted of the crime itself.

Beyond the verdict, testimony during the trial surfaced a detail that has drawn far less attention than the conviction itself: an alleged connection to Sean “Diddy” Combs. According to testimony reported by Rolling Stone, Combs allegedly arranged for money to be passed to Davis through an intermediary named Zip Martin, reportedly intended as payment tied to the killing.

The arrangement reportedly fell apart when Martin, in poor health at the time, never followed through on meeting Davis as investigators had hoped. Combs, now serving a 50-month sentence following his 2025 conviction on prostitution-related transportation charges, has consistently denied any involvement in Shakur’s death, and no charges have been filed against him in connection with this testimony.

Prosecutors built much of their case on Davis’s own past statements, including admissions made in police interviews and details from a memoir he authored, in which he described handing his nephew the gun used in the shooting.

Davis did not testify in his own defence. His attorney, Michael Sanft, argued throughout the trial that Davis fabricated or exaggerated his account for money and notoriety, telling jurors that investigators failed to independently verify his claims.

Judge Carli Kierny ordered Davis held without bail ahead of sentencing, scheduled for October 13, where he faces a possible life sentence without parole. After the verdict was read, Davis calmly asked the court for his personal belongings, including his phone and laptop, and indicated he intends to appeal the conviction.

The verdict lands just two weeks before the anniversary of Shakur’s death on September 13, giving his family a name and now a conviction attached to the killing they’ve waited nearly three decades for.

Continue Reading

News

Nathaniel Bassey shocked after Pastor Jerry Eze surprises him with birthday car

Gospel singer and minister Nathaniel Bassey has expressed shock after pastor Jerry Eze surprised him with a car as a birthday gift. Nathaniel Bassey shared a video of the moment he received the car, with the singer repeatedly asking who had sent him the gift.

Accompanying the video was a heartfelt message in which Bassey described himself as speechless after the surprise. Bassey revealed that although he usually keeps gestures like this private, he decided to share the surprise with his followers.

He explained that Pastor Jerry had secretly worked with his wife to get the car for him without his knowledge.

“Normally I keep things like this private, but not this one. I want to share this.
Woke up yesterday just desiring a nice, easy day of gratitude to God. Unknown to me, my brother and friend @realjerryeze had this holy coup ongoing with my wife.


In truth, the surpriser had been surprised. Still don’t know how to really express this in words.
He insisted on going for the very best when my wife suggested one to get. In his words, “My brother can’t drive that”

The gospel minister also revealed that Pastor Jerry plans to make similar gestures for other people.

“Pastor Jerry, not only has he done this for me. I know of a couple of other ones like this He is currently planning. The man gives like his life depends on it.
And I’m here to publicly say THANK YOU, PJ (pastor Jerry) – You know, even if you never do this, I’d still love you the same.
Thank you, Sir. Like I told you, I am speechless.”

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Reconciliation with ex-husband Churchill helped women restore broken relationships-Tonto Dikeh

Actress Tonto Dikeh has revealed how her reconciliation with her ex-husband, Olakunle Churchill, inspired her to help at least 10 women restore broken relationships with the fathers of their children. Dikeh shared this while urging single mothers to let go of hurt and embrace forgiveness for their own peace and healing.

According to the actress, her reconciliation with Churchill prompted several women in similar situations to reach out to her for guidance on how she overcame the pain of their decade-long dispute.

Ever since my reconciliation with my ex-husband, hundreds of women have reached out asking the same question: How did you learn to forgive?

While I couldn’t reply to everyone, I reached out to those whose pain mirrored my own. Today, to the glory of God, at least 10 women have been reconciled, restoring peace, healing hearts, and stepping into healthy co-parenting. God has truly turned my personal story into a tool for restoration.

If you are carrying bitterness today, please hear this: Forgiveness is never for the person who hurt you; it is for you. It is the key to moving your life forward. God will not inflict pain on others just because we are hurting,” she explained

Dikeh added that women who struggle with broken relationships should trust God rather than remain trapped in bitterness.

“True closure doesn’t come from people; it comes from God. He promises to restore the years that the cankerworm has eaten. Not just days or weeks, but years. Every tear you’ve shed and every year spent in pain will be turned into a powerful testimony.”

Dikeh’s message comes months after she announced the end of her long-running feud with Churchill, the father of her son, King Andre.

The former couple got married in 2015, but their marriage collapsed less than two years later. Their separation became a highly publicised dispute, with both parties involved in several accusations and public exchanges. Their disagreements also extended to issues around their son, with custody and co-parenting becoming part of the conflict. After years of hostility, Dikeh announced in January 2026 that she and Churchill had reconciled.

Continue Reading

Trending