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: High Fertiliser Cost: Farmers Dump Rice, Maize Cultivation
Daily Trust reports that there may be another food security crisis in the country due to the rising cost of fertiliser.
According to the report, farmers and their associations said the cost of fertilisers is not within their reach. This is despite the recent claim by the federal government that it had distributed fertilisers free of charge to farmers nationwide to support cultivation and improve yields.
Our Take: We urge the Federal Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, to provide answers regarding the gap between government claims and farmers’ realities. Immediate steps must be taken to ensure timely, equitable, and transparent distribution of fertilisers to smallholder farmers, particularly those cultivating staple crops like rice and maize, to avert a worsening food security crisis.
2. Daily Trust: Five Months after, Probe of Alleged Boko Haram Funding Drags in National Assembly
The allegations against the United State Agency for International Development (USAID) and other local and international NGOs of funding activities of Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and other violent groups have failed to disappear even as coming up with verifiable and undisputable evidence of such activities have remained a herculean task. This is just as both chambers of Nigeria’s legislature are yet to conclude the investigations they launched into the allegations five months ago.
Our Take: We call on the National Assembly to conclude its investigation into the alleged terrorism financing by USAID and other NGOs. Relevant bodies, including the Office of the National Security Advisor, intelligence agencies, and the Ministry of Justice, must ensure a transparent, evidence-based process that safeguards national security and the credibility of humanitarian aid.
3. Punch: IG Orders Security as Retired Cops Plan Pension Protests
Retired police officers have reaffirmed their commitment to embark on a nationwide protest today, 21 July, 2025, insisting that their action is devoid of any political agenda and solely focused on pressing for their exit from the pension scheme.
Our Take: We call on the National Assembly, particularly the Senate and House Committees on Police Affairs and Pensions, as well as the Pension Commission (PenCom) and the Ministry of Police Affairs, to urgently engage with the concerns of retired police officers and work towards a fair resolution of their demand to exit the Contributory Pension Scheme. The federal government must prioritise dialogue, transparency, and policy review to ensure that those who have served the nation are treated with dignity and not left to protest for their entitlements in old age.
4. ThisDayLive: Food Insecurity: Stakeholders Demand Urgent Reforms, Increased Funding in 2026 Agriculture Budget
As deliberations for the 2026 national budget intensify, stakeholders from across Nigeria’s agriculture sector have issued a call for urgent reforms, inclusive policies, and increased budgetary allocation to agriculture.
This is just as they noted with dismay the continued decline in federal allocation to agriculture, falling to just 1.2 per cent of the national budget in 2025, a sharp drop from the 4.2 per cent allocated in 2024.
Our Take: We call on the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and other relevant agencies to focus on increased and sustained investment in agriculture by reversing the declining budgetary allocation trend and ensuring that the 2026 agriculture budget reflects inclusive, gender-responsive, and climate-smart reforms.
