Naijaonpoint looks at the top happenings making headlines on the front pages of Nigeria’s national newspapers today, Friday, 13th June, 2025.
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday attracted praises and knocks for the list of honourees he announced as democracy heroes. While some Nigerians lauded the President for his tribute to the heroes of the June 12, 1993 struggle, others lamented that key names were conspicuously omitted from the list. The late Moshood Abiola was named winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, regarded as the freest and fairest in the country, which was annulled by the military under General Ibrahim Babangida.
In a rather symbolic replay of fate, the same sombre suspense and apprehension, which defined the June 12, 1993, historic election also pervaded the celebration of June 12 as Democracy Day yesterday. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to reschedule the programmes set aside to mark the day raised public scepticism amid plans by the Take It Back movement to hold a nationwide protest against hardship and bad governance.
President Bola Tinubu has asked leaders of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to put their house in order instead of accusing him of turning Nigeria into a one party state, saying it was his pleasure seeing them in disarray. Tinubu, who taunted the PDP national leadership while addressing the joint sitting of the National Assembly on the occasion of June 12 Democracy Day also seized the occasion to confer national honours on living and late heroes and heroines of Democracy.
LEKAN Abiola, one of the children of the late Moshood Kashimawo, MKO, Abiola, winner of the annulled June 12, 1993, elections, yesterday, disclosed that former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd), has apologised to the family for invalidating the polls.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday conferred national honours on over 60 Nigerians – living and posthumous – in recognition of their contributions to the democratic journey and roles in the pro-democracy struggle. Among them are eminent Nigerians, who are leading lights of this newspaper.
Thank you for reading, that is all for today, see you again tomorrow for a review of Nigerian newspapers.