News

World leaders pay tribute to anti-apartheid hero, Desmond Tutu, who died at 90

Published

4 years ago

December 26, 2021

Condolence messages have started pouring in from world leaders for the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and anti-apartheid veteran, Desmond Tutu, who died on Sunday at the age of 90.

One of the tributes came from the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who praised his leadership and humour.

The prime minister said, “He was a critical figure in the fight against apartheid and in the struggle to create a new South Africa – and will be remembered for his spiritual leadership and irrepressible good humour.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa had announced the death of Archbishop Tutu in a statement on Sunday.

The statement issued on behalf of the Tutu family described him as a man who “turned his own misfortune into a teaching opportunity to raise awareness and reduce the suffering of others.”

“The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa,” the statement read.

“He wanted the world to know that he had prostate cancer and that the sooner it is detected, the better the chance of managing it.

“Ultimately, at the age of 90, he died peacefully at the Oasis Frail Care Centre in Cape Town this morning.”

Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his campaign of non-violent opposition to South Africa’s white minority rule.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu changed the world, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, said, adding, “The world is different because of this man.”

Tutu preached against the tyranny of the white minority but his fight for a fairer South Africa never ended, calling the Black political elite to account with as much feistiness as he had the white Afrikaners, according to Reuters.

In his final years, he regretted that his dream of a “Rainbow Nation” had yet to come true.

“Ultimately, at the age of 90, he died peacefully at the Oasis Frail Care Centre in Cape Town this morning,” Dr Ramphela Mamphele, acting chairperson of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu IP Trust and Co-ordinator of the Office of the Archbishop, said in a statement on behalf of the Tutu family.

A frail-looking Tutu was seen in October being wheeled into his former parish at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, which used to be a safe haven for anti-apartheid activists, for a service marking his 90th birthday.

Dubbed “the moral compass of the nation”, his courage in defending social justice, even at great cost to himself, always shone through. He often fell out with his erstwhile allies at the ruling African National Congress party over their failures to address the poverty and inequalities that they promised to eradicate.

Life and times

Tutu, just five feet five inches (1.68 metres) tall and with an infectious giggle, travelled tirelessly throughout the 1980s, becoming the face of the anti-apartheid movement abroad while many of the leaders of the rebel ANC such as Nelson Mandela were behind bars.

Although he was born near Johannesburg, he spent most of his later life in Cape Town and led numerous marches and campaigns to end apartheid from St George’s front steps, which became known as the “People’s Cathedral” and a powerful symbol of democracy.

‘A prophet and a priest’

Having officially retired from public life on his 79th birthday, Tutu continued to speak out on a range of moral issues, including accusing the West in 2008 of complicity in Palestinian suffering by remaining silent.

In 2013, he declared his support for gay rights, saying he would never “worship a God who is homophobic”.

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere recalled “a great little man who showed the power of reconciliation and forgiveness”.

“We are better because he was here,” Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King, said. Palestine Liberation Organisation official Wasel Abu Youssef said Tutu was “one of the biggest supporters” of the Palestinian cause.

Tutu and his long-time friend Mandela lived for a time on the same street in the South African township of Soweto, making Vilakazi Street the only one in the world to host two Nobel Peace Prize winners.

“His most characteristic quality is his readiness to take unpopular positions without fear,” Mandela once said of Tutu. “Such independence of mind is vital to a thriving democracy.”

At a Boxing Day service at St George’s, the Very Reverend Michael Weeder paid homage to Tutu from the Archbishop’s former pulpit, saying it was “once the celebrated point of command” before asking the handful of parishioners present to bow their heads in a moment of silence.

“It is sad, but he was old and served his country very well and it’s a very painful loss at a time when there is a leadership crisis in the country and the world,” said Ntokozo Mjiyako, a lawyer, taking an early morning stroll in Cape Town.

British billionaire businessman Richard Branson, said, “The world has lost a giant. He was a brave leader, a mischievous delight, a profound thinker and a dear friend … He used his incredible moral courage to bridge divides and showed all of us how we have one common humanity.”

Related Topics:demise Desmond Tutu Featured

Up Next

We’ll fight purported banning of Hijab in S’West schools — MSSN

Don't Miss

805 Nigerian doctors got British licence in six months, total now 9,189 –British Agency

News

INEC Seeks N1.04 Trillion for 2027 Elections, Operational Needs – Amupitan

Published

5 hours ago

February 13, 2026

Trends Admin

INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan

INEC Seeks N1.04 Trillion for 2027 Elections, Operational Needs – Amupitan

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has requested a total of ₦1.04 trillion from the Federal Government of Nigeria to fund off-cycle elections this year, the 2027 general election, and its operational activities in 2026, subject to approval by the National Assembly of Nigeria.

The request was made by INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan while defending the commission’s spending proposal before the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters of the National Assembly. Amupitan urged lawmakers to grant timely approval and release of funds, warning that delays could hamper preparations for upcoming elections.

According to the INEC chairman, the commission is seeking ₦873.778 billion for the 2027 general election and ₦171 billion for its 2026 operational activities. The 2026 allocation covers Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections, by-elections scheduled for next week, and the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections slated for June and September.

Breakdown of the 2027 Election Budget

The N873.778 billion earmarked for the 2027 general election includes:

₦379.748 billion for operational costs
₦92.317 billion for administrative expenses
₦209.206 billion for technology
₦154.905 billion for election capital costs
₦42.608 billion for miscellaneous expenses

For the N171 billion proposed for 2026 operations, Amupitan said:

₦109 billion would cover personnel costs
₦18.7 billion for overheads
₦42.63 billion for election conduct
₦1.4 billion for capital expenditure

He noted that the budget was prepared in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates submission of election budgets at least one year before a general election.

Calls for Timely Fund Release and Dedicated Network

Amupitan criticized the envelope system of budgeting, describing it as unsuitable for INEC’s operational needs that often require urgent interventions. He appealed for a bulk release of funds, highlighting the need for a dedicated communication network to enhance accountability and transparency during elections.

“If we have our own network, Nigerians can hold us responsible for any hitch,” he said.

Lawmakers Back INEC’s Proposal

Senator Adams Oshiomhole argued that no government agency should impose the envelope budgeting system on INEC, emphasizing that full release of funds is critical for smooth election preparations. Similarly, House member Billy Osawaru called for the budget to be placed on first-line charge, allowing the commission access to all funds immediately.

Following deliberations, the joint committee approved a one-time release of INEC’s annual budget and pledged to consider increasing allowances for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members deployed for election duties. The proposed increase would cost ₦32 billion, equating to ₦125,000 per corps member.

Senator Simon Lalong, chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, assured INEC of lawmakers’ support, pledging close collaboration to ensure a successful 2027 election. House Committee chairman Bayo Balogun also promised legislative backing but cautioned INEC against overpromising, citing prior misrepresentations about real-time uploads to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, which was never provided for in the Electoral Act but only in INEC regulations.

The approval of the commission’s budget and operational requests is expected to enhance election preparedness, technological deployment, and transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections, while addressing logistical and operational challenges that have hampered past polls.

INEC Seeks N1.04 Trillion for 2027 Elections, Operational Needs – Amupitan

News

Aso Rock Goes Solar as Tinubu Orders National Grid Disconnection

Published

6 hours ago

February 13, 2026

Trends Admin

President Bola Tinubu and Minister of Power Adelabu and Aso rock

Aso Rock Goes Solar as Tinubu Orders National Grid Disconnection

President Bola Tinubu will fully disconnect the Aso Rock Presidential Villa from the national grid by March 2026 following allegations of electricity overbilling for power not supplied, the State House has confirmed.

The State House Permanent Secretary, Temitope Fashedemi, made the disclosure while defending the 2026 State House budget before the Senate Committee on Special Duties. He revealed that the solar mini-grid project at the Presidential Villa was completed in December 2025 and is currently undergoing technical testing ahead of a full transition to solar power.

Fashedemi explained that during the testing phase of the new solar installation, officials discovered what he described as significant overbilling by the electricity distribution company. According to him, the State House observed instances where it was billed for electricity that was not supplied and has begun reconciliation discussions to address what he termed “legacy liability.”

Aso Rock Goes Solar as Tinubu Orders National Grid Disconnection

News

2026 Electoral Bill: Senate Explains Limits of IReV in Real-Time Transmission

Published

6 hours ago

February 13, 2026

Trends Admin

INEC Election Result Viewer (IReV)

2026 Electoral Bill: Senate Explains Limits of IReV in Real-Time Transmission

The Nigerian Senate has declared that genuine real-time transmission of election results can only be achieved if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) adopts a full e-voting system, clarifying ongoing debates surrounding the review of the 2026 Electoral Bill.

Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 2026 Electoral Bill, Adeniyi Adegbonmire, made the clarification during an interview on Arise News Channel on Thursday.

According to him, the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) was never designed to function as an electronic voting platform and cannot deliver instant transmission of votes under Nigeria’s current manual voting structure.

IReV Is Not an E-Voting Platform

Adegbonmire explained that IReV is strictly a results publication portal. He stressed that ballot papers are thumb-printed and counted manually at polling units before results are entered into Form EC8A by the presiding officer.

“It is the Form EC8A that has been filled manually and will be transmitted to IReV,” he said, adding that changing the terminology in the Electoral Bill from “transmit” to “upload” would not alter the process.

Manual Voting Still Determines Results

Under Nigeria’s current electoral framework, voters cast ballots manually, and votes are counted by hand at polling units. The presiding officer then records the figures in Form EC8A, which must be signed and countersigned by party agents before being uploaded to IReV.

Adegbonmire emphasised that electronic transmission begins only after manual collation is completed.

“When you have not complied with the proper filling of Form EC8A, you cannot transfer, transmit or upload it,” he said.

He further clarified that electronic transmission does not affect the sanctity of voting, since vote casting and counting remain manual.

Why E-Voting Is Key to Real-Time Results

The senator argued that for true real-time election result transmission, Nigeria would need a system where votes are cast, counted, and automatically transmitted electronically from polling units to a central server — a process only achievable through a legally backed electronic voting system.

Although INEC introduced technology such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and IReV during the 2023 general elections, vote counting is still conducted manually under the Electoral Act 2022.

The ongoing review of the 2026 Electoral Bill has therefore reignited national debate over broader electoral reforms, digital infrastructure upgrades, and the possibility of transitioning to e-voting in Nigeria ahead of future elections.

Lawmakers say adopting e-voting would require substantial legal amendments, investment in secure digital infrastructure, cybersecurity protections, and extensive voter education.

Until then, the Senate maintains that real-time transmission, in the strictest sense, remains unattainable under the present manual voting system.