Here is a roundup of some Nigerian newspaper headlines, accompanied by our advocacy-driven demands for government action in addressing citizens’ concerns.

1. Daily Trust: Provide Safety Net for Nigerians, Okonjo-Iweala Tells Tinubu

The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has urged President Bola Tinubu to introduce social safety nets to protect vulnerable Nigerians from the harsh impact of ongoing economic reforms.

Our Take: We call on President Tinubu to urgently roll out real, well-targeted social safety nets, because while Nigerians are famously resilient, the goal of economic reform should not be to see who can survive the longest without fainting in the market queue.

2. The Guardian: Prison Overcrowding: FG Tasks Public, Philanthropists on Inmates, Decongestion

The federal government has called on well-meaning members of the public and philanthropic groups to support government efforts in decongesting correctional facilities across the country through the option of fine payment.

Our Take: The federal government must move beyond passing the collection plate to the public and take real responsibility for fixing prison overcrowding by reforming sentencing laws, funding fine and compensation payments for the poor, and investing in proper rehabilitation. A justice system that survives on donations is starting to look less like a correctional service and more like a charity fundraiser with cells.

3. Punch: By-elections: INEC Deploys Poll Materials as Parties End Campaigns

The Independent National Electoral Commission has completed arrangements for Saturday’s by-elections in 16 constituencies across 12 states, even as political parties and candidates intensified campaigns ahead of the close of political activities at midnight on Thursday.

Our Take: We call on INEC to ensure Saturday’s by-elections are truly free, fair, and credible—because Nigerians have had enough of polls that start like a well-planned drama and end like an improvised comedy.