Welcome to today’s roundup of Nigerian newspaper headlines, accompanied by our advocacy-focused calls for government action on pressing issues that impact citizens.
1. The Guardian: World Food Day: Federal Government Tasked on Support for Local farmers, Equitable Distribution
The federal government has been urged to invest in local farmers, promote agroecology and support equitable food distribution to create a more resilient food system that nourishes both people and the planet.
Our Take: As we mark yet another World Food Day, it is time to swap the rhetoric for real seeds in the hands of real farmers. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Ministry of Finance, and related agencies like the Bank of Agriculture and the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) must move beyond promises and invest meaningfully in local food producers, because hunger won’t wait for policy roundtables or hashtags.
2. The Guardian: How praise-singers override party agenda, scorecards at rallies
The Guardian also reports in its big story that, as politicians increasingly use artistes for image laundering or vilification of opponents, there is a need to separate the chaff of entertainment from the substance of serious issues of statecraft.
Our Take: As 2027 approaches, politicians must remember that governance is not a stage show and citizens are not an audience waiting for their next hit single. It is time to trade catchy choruses for concrete plans and let scorecards, not soundtracks, do the convincing, because no matter how loud the praise singers get, bad governance still sounds off-key.
3. Punch: Nigeria missing as IMF lists Africa’s fastest-growing economies
Punch reports that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revealed that Nigeria is not among Africa’s fastest-growing economies, as countries such as Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda continue to lead the continent’s growth trajectory in the world.
Our Take: Nigeria cannot keep clapping for neighbours like Rwanda and Benin while sitting out of Africa’s growth parade. The President’s ‘Renewed Hope’ should start showing up in GDP figures, not just campaign speeches.
4. Daily Trust: Decision on Clemency Not Final – FG
The federal government said yesterday that it had not completed the process for the clemency recently announced for Maryam Sanda and 81 others.
In a statement yesterday, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, emphasised that the exercise had not been concluded.
Our Take: Before Nigerians are asked to applaud any act of mercy, the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM) owes the nation an honest explanation of how its list was compiled for transparency and accountability’s sake.
5. Vanguard: INEC: In my time, losers’ll congratulate winners — Amupitan
National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), yesterday, began his tenure on a promising note, assuring that under his watch, elections will be so credible that losers will congratulate winners.
Our Take: Professor Amupitan must now prove that his promise of elections where losers congratulate winners won’t remain another poetic line in Nigeria’s democratic comedy. To earn public trust, INEC under his watch must prioritise transparency, technology integrity, and timely result transmission, because Nigerians are tired of elections where the only thing faster than vote counting is the court summons. Let’s hope this new era of ‘credible elections’ lasts longer than the campaign posters.
