Here is a roundup of some Nigerian newspaper headlines, accompanied by our advocacy-driven demands for government action in addressing citizens’ concerns.
1. Punch: Marketers Back Refineries’ Sale, Project Lower Fuel Prices
Oil marketers and industry stakeholders have thrown their weight behind the proposed sale of Nigeria’s refineries under the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, calling for transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability in the process.
Our Take: The federal government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), must ensure that the proposed sale of the nation’s refineries is carried out with utmost transparency, inclusivity, and accountability. It is crucial that the process involves key industry stakeholders, civil society actors, and regulatory bodies to prevent another round of mismanagement and financial waste.
2. Daily Trust: Agitation for New States, LGAs Dominate North’s Constitution Review Hearings
Agitations for the creation of new states and local government areas, state police, defined constitutional roles for traditional rulers, among others, dominated the space during a public hearing on constitution review in northern states at the weekend.
Our Take: The National Assembly must treat the constitution review process as a genuine opportunity to address long-standing structural and governance challenges in Nigeria, particularly those raised by citizens across the zones. Lawmakers should ensure that all submissions, including calls for new states, local government areas, state policing, and clearly defined roles for traditional rulers, are thoroughly evaluated through a transparent, inclusive, and participatory process.
3. Vanguard: Managers Fail in Enlisting New Contributors, Resort to Poaching
Data from the National Pension Commission (PenCom) indicates that pension assets have grown to over N22.5 trillion, about 83 percent over the last five years, when it stood at N12.3 trillion.
But the same data shows that in sharp contrast, the number of new pension contributors grew by merely 20.8 percent to 391,958 over the same period from 324,552 recorded in 2020.
Our Take: We call on PenCom and Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to focus on genuine expansion by actively promoting awareness and trust in the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), especially among informal sector workers and underserved populations. Sustainable growth of the pension industry depends on expanding the contributor base to secure the future of more Nigerians and preserve the integrity of the scheme.
