From economic shocks to governance gaps, these headlines from Nigerian newspapers highlight urgent issues that demand more than just discussion. 

1. ‘Manufacturers, others decry new four percent levy on imports’ –  Daily Trust

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) sparked backlash last week with a four percent hike in import charges, drawing criticism from manufacturers, economists, and other stakeholders.

Our Take: Dear Nigeria Customs Service, with the economy already squeezing Nigerians like a tight pair of jeans, this new four percent import levy feels like adding weights to sinking ships. Manufacturers are gasping, consumers are groaning, must we tax our way into deeper hardship? It is time for a rethink before ‘Made in Nigeria’ turns into ‘Unavailable in Nigeria’.

2. ‘107 days of blackout: Patients, caregivers desert UCH wards as health services decline’ –   The Guardian

The public power crisis rocking the University Teaching Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, is taking an embarrassing toll on the flagship tertiary hospital and the public whose wellbeing depends on it.

Our Take: It seems UCH is now the University Candlelight Hospital, where patients double as power engineers. A 107-day blackout in a flagship hospital is a national embarrassment. We call on the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Jesse Otegbayo, and the Minister of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, to ensure power and dinity is restored to this federal hospital.

3. ‘N70,000 minimum wage: States’ salaries rise by 90 percent to N3.8 trillion’ – Punch

The amount budgeted for personnel costs, including salaries and allowances to state civil servants, has increased from N2.036 trillion spent in 2024 to N3.87 trillion in the approved 2025 budget.

Our Take: With salaries now swallowing N3.87 trillion, state governments relying on federal allocations like a monthly allowance won’t cut it. It is time to get creative with Internally generated revenue, unless the next plan is to impose a ‘breathing tax’.