Welcome to Friday’s roundup of Nigerian newspaper headlines, where we scan the papers and then gently remind power that citizens are still awake.
1. Daily Trust: FCT schools, health centres remain shut as workers strike lingers
Daily Trust reports that the strike by FCTA workers under the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) has now entered its ninth day, with primary schools and health centres remaining closed, leaving pupils at home and residents queuing for care that isn’t coming. The FCT chapters of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) have joined in solidarity, turning the city into a quiet, school-free zone.
Our Take: Minister of the FCT, His Excellency Nyesom Wike, and the FCT council chairmen, it is time for you all to step in to resolve this ongoing strike, reopen schools, and ensure health centres are fully functional, because children need classrooms, residents need doctors, and the city cannot survive on good intentions alone.
2. Punch: FG’s N9 trillion domestic loans surge drains lifeline from businesses
Fresh data from the Central Bank of Nigeria suggest that in 2025, the Federal Government did most of the borrowing while the private sector watched from the sidelines. Government credit surged ahead by N9.19trillion, a 695.6 percent swing, despite high interest rates, as fiscal pressures pushed Abuja deeper into the local money market. Meanwhile, net credit to businesses actually fell by N1.543 trillion, showing just how tough things got under tight monetary conditions. In short, the government grabbed the mic, the seat, and the snacks, while the private sector was asked to manage with vibes and resilience.
Our Take: The Central Bank of Nigeria, the Ministry of Finance, the Debt Management Office, and the National Assembly need to step in and restore some balance by slowing the Federal Government’s appetite for domestic borrowing and deliberately making room for businesses to access credit. This means the CBN nudging banks to look beyond government IOUs, the Finance Ministry and DMO practising a bit of borrowing restraint, and lawmakers actually keeping an eye on the numbers.
3. The Guardian: N58.4tr Budget Scales Through Second Reading Without Debate
The House of Representatives, under the watch of Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, yesterday passed President Bola Tinubu’s N58.4 trillion 2026 appropriation bill through second reading without debate, swiftly endorsing the ‘Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity’ after an almost one-hour closed-door meeting.
Our Take: Having passed the budget without the inconvenience of debate, lawmakers must now compensate for the silence by opening the committee stage to real scrutiny, public hearings, and detailed disclosures Nigerians can actually see and understand. They should publish every line item, invite experts and citizens to interrogate spending choices, and explain how N58.4 trillion will magically deliver ‘shared prosperity’ beyond press statements.
