Welcome to Monday’s roundup of Nigerian newspaper headlines, accompanied by our advocacy-focused calls on issues that impact citizens.
1. The Guardian: Oversight Concerns as Assemblies Hastily Pass N34.63 Trillion Budgets
We begin with The Guardian, which reports that across Nigeria’s states, budget processes are increasingly marked by hurried legislative approvals that return appropriation bills to governors almost unchanged, raising concerns about weakened oversight and eroding checks and balances. In several states, trillion-naira budgets are passed in days, or even hours, often after late submissions, reinforcing the perception that lawmakers prioritise speed and political alignment over scrutiny.
Our Take: State assemblies must remember they were elected to scrutinise budgets, not to rubber-stamp them like festive souvenirs; a trillion-naira document deserves debate, not a 24-hour miracle. Citizens, on their part, must stop clapping for speed and start demanding transparency, public hearings and explanations, because governance is not a group chat where governors drop files and lawmakers reply ‘approved’.
2. Daily Trust: US airstrikes: Casualties likely in Sokoto
Daily Trust reports that US-led airstrikes carried out late Thursday are believed to have hit terrorist camps in Tangaza local government area of Sokoto State, according to security sources, local officials and residents, though official confirmation remains limited. A senior security source described the operation as a ‘huge success’, while the local council chairman confirmed strikes on forest camps near Tandami village, noting injuries but no confirmed fatalities and reports of fighters fleeing towards Niger Republic.
Our Take: The federal government, the Defence Headquarters, the Nigerian Air Force and relevant security agencies must promptly brief Nigerians with clear, verifiable details on the Tangaza airstrikes, because national security updates cannot continue as bedtime stories told by ‘credible sources’. Citizens deserve facts, not suspense, especially in a situation that has cost thousands of lives.
3. Vanguard: FG, 34 States Commit N93 Trillion to Tackle Hardship
Vanguard reports that the federal government and 34 of the 36 states of the country have proposed N92.979 trillion as budgets next year to fight hardship and improve the fortunes of Nigerians in 2026.
Our Take: With a proposed N92.979 trillion budget for 2026, the National Assembly and state houses of assembly must rigorously scrutinise spending plans to ensure they truly ease hardship, not expand political luxury. Citizens should demand transparency and results, because without accountability, Nigerians may once again watch trillions fight hardship, only for hardship to win by a landslide.
