Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Don’t turn Nigeria to banana republic, Obanikoro tells anti-Tinubu protesters

“They are daydreaming. There is no perfect election anywhere in the world.

• April 2, 2023
Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro
Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro

A former Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, says those protesting and kicking against the inauguration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, on May 29, should not turn the country into a banana republic.

Obanikoro, also a former Ambassador to Ghana, made the remark while speaking with journalists on the sideline of the 9th Ramadan Lecture of Anwar-Ul Islam College, Agege Old Students’ Association (ACAOSA), on Saturday in Lagos.

The lecture was titled, “Islamic Perspective of a Good Governance: Any Lesson for Nigeria?”

Mr Obanikoro said: “They are daydreaming. There is no perfect election anywhere in the world.

“For anyone that is not satisfied, what is next is to go through the judiciary. If you feel aggrieved, go to the court.

“We cannot turn Nigeria into a banana republic.

“Our system is not perfect; it is a work in progress. We have to continue to work at it until we get to a situation that all of us will be comfortable with.”

Describing as sad and unfortunate the calls by some people for an interim national government, Mr Obanikoro said that those calling for it showed that they did not appreciate democracy, hence not qualified to lead such government.

“It sounds crazy to me,” he added.

(NAN)

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

U.S. and Saudi Arabia logos.

World

U.S., Saudi Arabia to seal nuclear programme deal

Ms Kelanic described the decision as reckless and not in the U.S. interest.

Former Governor Osun State, Adegboyega-Oyetola (Photo Credit: @GboyegaOyetola)

NationWide

Tinubu govt changed trajectory of maritime sector via robust reforms: Minister

Mr Oyetola added that agencies under the ministry generated more than N1.8 trillion in revenue in 2025.

Lagos hajj terminal

NationWide

FG upgrades Lagos hajj terminal

Mr Keyamo attributed the project to President Bola Tinubu’s vision to revitalise aviation infrastructure nationwide.

Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC)

Hot news Home top

Revoked Licences: NDIC begins payment to 46 MfBs’ depositors

The Central Bank of Nigeria revoked the banks’ licences for failing to meet regulatory requirements for continued operations.

Scale of justice.

Abuja

Court advises Emeka Ike, Wike’s aide to consider reconciliation in N10 billion suit

The judge consequently adjourned the matter until October 12 for hearing by agreement of all the counsel.

Central Bank of Nigeria Logo

Economy

MPC rate to keep capital market stable, says stockbroker

The committee retained the monetary policy rate (MPR) at 26.5 per cent at the end of its 306th meeting on Tuesday.