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[SIMON KOLAWOLE] "Strange but true: General Abdulsalami Abubakar would never have been Nigeria’s head of state if not for depression. You heard me right. After finishing at the Provincial Secondary School, Bida, in 1962, he got admission into the Technical College, Kaduna, but, having also attended an interview for the Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC) — now known as the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) — he opted for a military career and was enlisted into the newly formed Nigerian Air Force in 1963. He was sent for training in Germany, where everything was going smoothly with his flight lessons until he had depression. He was forced to drop out as he could not take part in the final round of training. But another door opened: he returned to Nigeria and transferred to the Nigerian Army. In Nigeria’s history, only the army produced military heads of state. If he had not dropped out of the air force, he would never have been head of state. It so happened that when Gen Sani Abacha, the head of state, died suddenly on June 8, 1998, Abdulsalami was chosen by the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC), Nigeria’s highest ruling body, as his successor. He went on to organise the transition to civil rule in record time, leading to the birth of the fourth republic in May 1999. Nigeria has now practised democracy non-stop for 27 years. Until now, the longest spell was six years, from 1960 to 1966."
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Abdulsalami, born on June 13, 1942 in Minna to a Hausa father from Kano and a Kanuri mother from Nguru, marked his 84th birthday yesterday by unveiling his autobiography, ‘Call of Duty’, taking readers through the story of his life: his birth, childhood, youth, military career and family. In addition to Abdulsalami, he was also named “Abdullahi”. The Emir of Kano at the time of his birth was Alhaji Abdullahi Bayero dan Muhammad Abbas who reigned from 1926 to 1953. It was an honour to be named after a king — he also became known by the nickname “Mai Kano”, the traditional title of the emir. But the amazing detail was how he became, so to say, “Mai Nigeria”.
Police destroy IED planted by bandits on Zamfara road
The Zamfara state police command says it has discovered and safely destroyed an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by bandits along the Kunchin Kalgo axis of Tsafe LGA of Zamfara state.
In a statement on Saturday, Yazid Abubakar, the command’s spokesperson, said the explosive device was discovered and safely removed by the explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) unit.
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Abdulsalami: Pursuit of peace has been my core mission since I left public service
Abdulsalami Abubakar, Nigeria’s former head of state, says pursuit of peace has been his “core mission” since he handed over to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999.
Abubakar spoke in Abuja on Saturday during celebrations marking his 84th birthday and the launch of three of his new books, including his autobiography.
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‘Security is Nigeria’s problem’ — Arewa youths call for unity against insecurity
The Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) has called on Nigerians to reject divisive tendencies and the “embers of hate” that can undermine national unity.
Speaking at a Democracy Day celebration rally in Abuja on Friday, Mohammed Aboki, deputy speaker of the north-central zone of the assembly, warned against the politicisation of insecurity, adding that national security is a collective responsibility.
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.@fesadedayo: "From Obasanjo to Umaru Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan, Muhammadu Buhari and now, Bola Tinubu, Nigeria merely witnesses a change of baton of a punisher for a greater punisher. We exchange tyrannical Snowballs for heartless Napoleons. While in Animal Farm, Snowball, who initially took over its running, was mild, Napoleon eventually exiled Snowball, seizing absolute control. Our new democratic Napoleons do not have blood flowing in their veins."
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Labour Party to withdraw suit as INEC restores candidate to Enugu by-election list
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has restored the name of the Labour Party (LP) candidate to the list of contenders for the Enugu senatorial by-election scheduled for June 20.
The Nenadi Usman-led leadership of the party had, on Monday, sued the commission at the federal high court in Abuja over the alleged “wrongful exclusion” of its candidate from the forthcoming election.
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Morocco positioning itself as bridge for Africa-Europe trade, says minister
Leila Benali, Morocco’s minister of energy transition and sustainable development, says the country is positioning itself as a strategic bridge for trade and investment between Africa and Europe as it expands infrastructure in ports, energy and logistics.
Benali spoke at the inaugural ELI Morocco Forum in Tangier, held on the sidelines of the 14th International Equestrian Festival MATA, on Friday, where she said Morocco’s development strategy is anchored on international partnerships designed to build domestic capability rather than dependency.
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World Cup round-up: Vinicius rescues point for Brazil against Morocco
Morocco held Brazil to a one-all draw in a fiercely contested match of Group C at the 2026 World Cup.
Ismail Saibari got the first goal before Vinicius Jr. pulled one back for Brazil before a gyrating crowd at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
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Tinubu: Abdulsalami chose honour, integrity over allure of power — we owe this democracy to him
President Bola Tinubu has hailed Abdulsalami Abubakar, former head of state, for choosing “honour and integrity over the allure of power” during Nigeria’s transition to civilian rule in 1999.
Tinubu spoke in Abuja on Saturday at the public presentation of three books in honour of Abubakar to mark his 84th birthday.
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TOP STORIES ON THECABLE THIS MORNING | 14/6/2026
CBN moves to make banks’ subsidiaries independent, prevent use of customer funds for affiliated firms
thecable.ng/cbn-moves-to-mak…
Trump: US-Iran deal will be signed Sunday, Strait of Hormuz to reopen immediately thecable.ng/trump-us-iran-de…
Abdulsalami’s ex-CSO recounts military pressure to extend transition programme thecable.ng/ex-chief-securit…
‘Monstrous cynical game’ — Chimamanda faults Euracare for seeking order to delay inquest into son’s death lifestyle.thecable.ng/monstr…
‘With assault rifles around you, it took courage to say no to power ’ — Jonathan praises Abdulsalami thecable.ng/with-assault-rif…
INSIDE STORY: How Abike Dabiri, Umeh initiated Ethiopia prisoner transfer
thecable.ng/inside-story-how…
DHQ confirms abducted general’s death, vows crackdown on terrorists thecable.ng/dhq-confirms-abd…
EXTRA: ‘You will reach 100 but I and Gowon will not be there’ — Obasanjo jokes with Abdulsalami on 84th birthday thecable.ng/extra-you-will-r…
Kemi Badenoch: Nigeria is an oil producing country but never had electricity thecable.ng/kemi-badenoch-ni…
‘Act of statesmanship’ — Thabo Mbeki hails Abdulsalami for fast-tracking Nigeria’s return to civilian rule thecable.ng/act-of-statesman…
‘Tinubu must go’ — youths protest in Abuja over school kidnappings thecable.ng/tinubu-must-go-y…
Court issues arrest warrant for ex-minister Uche Nnaji over ‘certificate forgery’ thecable.ng/court-issues-arr…
Abducted retired army general dies in bandits’ captivity thecable.ng/just-in-abducted…
Aiyedatiwa: Ondo ready for state police — we have the structure in place thecable.ng/aiyedatiwa-ondo-…
António Guterres appoints Ahunna Eziakonwa as special adviser on Africa thecable.ng/antonio-guterres…
VIDEO: Nigerian inmates in Ethiopia jubilate as FG seals transfer agreement thecable.ng/video-nigerian-i…
IDP Chronicle: The soldier’s widow who became an accidental midwife to ‘268’ babies thecable.ng/idp-chronicle-th…
Obi: No reason for Nnamdi Kanu’s imprisonment — no one should be arrested for insulting people thecable.ng/obi-no-reason-fo…
Security agencies arrest six wanted ‘criminals involved in killing of police officers’ in Enugu thecable.ng/security-agencie…
‘I was locked inside a room after Abacha died’ — Abdulsalami’s startling revelation in autobiography
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Ajayi, Ogazi win men’s titles at national collegiate championship in US thecable.ng/ajayi-ogazi-win-…
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Trump: US-Iran deal will be signed Sunday, Strait of Hormuz to reopen immediately
US President Donald Trump says a deal between Washington and Tehran will be signed on Sunday and claimed it will lead to an immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump made the announcement on Saturday via his Truth Social platform.
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CBN moves to separate banks from fintech units, prevent use of customer funds for subsidiaries
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has proposed new rules to separate banks from other financial entities, like financial technology (fintech) company, under their control, in a bid to make the subsidiaries operate independently.
CBN also plans to restrict the use of customer funds for their subsidiaries.
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Troops arrest ’10 terrorist informants’ in Niger state
Troops of the Nigerian Army have arrested 10 suspected terrorist informants and collaborators during a fighting patrol in Borgu LGA of Niger state.
Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, reports that the operation was conducted at about 10:05am on Thursday by troops operating from the forward operating base (FOB) in Audu Fari.
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ADEYEMI ADEGBOLA: Senator Adams Oshiomhole has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of NNPC Ltd. During the 10 June 2026 session of the Senate Public Accounts Committee, he made strong remarks regarding the company and its operations. However, subsequent developments indicate that his views were not universally shared within the Senate. On Thursday, 11 June 2026, the Senate, through a motion sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, distanced itself from the remarks, stating that they did not represent the official position, resolution, finding, or determination of the Senate as an institution. Senior lawmakers, including Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro, urged caution in public commentary and emphasized the need to uphold due process, fairness, and the integrity of public institutions."
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Abdulsalami’s ex-CSO recounts military pressure to extend transition programme
Abdul Aliyu, a retired major general and former chief security officer to Abdulsalami Abubakar, says the former head of state resisted pressure from some military officers to extend his transition programme and handover date after assuming power in 1998.
Aliyu spoke in Abuja on Saturday during celebrations marking Abubakar’s 84th birthday and the launch of three of his new books, including his autobiography.
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‘We thought it was a scammer’ — Mayorkun’s mom recalls first message from Davido
Toyin Adewale, the ace Nollywood actress, has recounted how her celebrity son Mayorkun connected with Davido for the first time.
The ‘Holy Father’ hitmaker rose to prominence after his cover of Davido’s ‘The Money’, which eventually earned him a signing to Davido’s record label, DMW, where he was signed from 2016 to 2021.
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‘Monstrous cynical game’ — Chimamanda faults Euracare for seeking order to delay inquest into son’s death
Chimamanda Adichie has faulted Euracare Hospital, Lagos, for playing a “monstrous, cynical game” by delaying the inquest into the death of the 21-month-old son.
The award-winning author also shared a copy of a letter dated April 16 that she wrote to the chairman of the hospital’s board of directors, detailing the alleged stalling tactics employed by the medical institution as her family pushed for justice.
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‘With assault rifles around you, it took courage to say no to power ’ — Jonathan praises Abdulsalami
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has extolled Abdulsalami Abubakar, former military head of state, for the role he played in Nigeria’s democracy.
Jonathan spoke in Abuja on Saturday at the public presentation of three books honouring Abubakar on his 84th birthday.
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INSIDE STORY: How Abike Dabiri, Umeh initiated Ethiopia prisoner transfer
On Friday, the federal government signed an agreement with Ethiopia to transfer more than 100 Nigerian prisoners back home to serve the remainder of their sentences.
The deal has been welcomed as a breakthrough, but negotiations had gone on for years.
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