Welcome to Monday’s roundup of Nigerian newspaper headlines, accompanied by our advocacy-focused calls on issues that impact citizens.
1. Punch: Foiled coup: ECOWAS deploys troops to Benin, plotters arrested
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Sunday announced the immediate deployment of elements of its standby force to the Republic of Benin after condemning what it described as an attempted military takeover in the country.
Our Take: West Africa cannot keep spinning in this endless loop of coups like a region stuck on repeat. ECOWAS leaders, from Chair Bola Tinubu to the Mediation and Security Council, must finally confront the deeper issues driving these takeovers, from weak institutions to public distrust in governance. As troops head to Benin, the bloc should match military steps with real political solutions, or else we will all be here again in a few months pretending to be shocked. After all, if leaders won’t fix the foundations of democracy, they shouldn’t be surprised when soldiers keep trying to ‘edit’ the script.
2. Daily Trust: Genocide: U.S. lawmakers visit Nigeria on fact-finding mission
A high-level delegation of U.S. lawmakers and diplomats visited Nigeria on Sunday for a security-focused fact-finding mission amid rising concern in Washington over alleged killings of Christians. Congressman Riley Moore, who has been outspoken about religious persecution in Nigeria and has called for tighter oversight of U.S. military aid, shared on X that he came “in the name of the Lord” and had held productive meetings.
Our Take: If Riley Moore can ‘come in the name of the Lord’, then our leaders – President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Advisor, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa – can at least act in the name of common sense: investigate alleged abuses, protect vulnerable communities, and provide transparent updates so citizens don’t have to rely on foreign delegations to get the truth.
3. The Guardian: Concerns over Fiscal Governance as 2026 Budget Misses Timeline
The Guardian reports that, for the third consecutive year under President Bola Tinubu, the Federal Government has begun the budgeting process later than the stipulated timeline, undermining efforts to maintain a January-to-December fiscal cycle. Last week, the Federal Executive Council approved the 2026–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP), a move seen not only as a procedural lapse and breach of the Fiscal Responsibility Act but also as a sign of the casualisation of Nigeria’s annual budget.
Our Take: It is high time President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Finance, and the Budget Office of the Federation stopped treating Nigeria’s budget like a ‘flexible guideline’ and started respecting the Fiscal Responsibility Act. Delayed processes and inflated oil benchmarks might make for interesting headlines, but they do nothing for ordinary Nigerians waiting on schools, roads, and hospitals. If the government wants to keep calling it a ‘budget’, it should try sticking to the calendar and reality.
4. Vanguard: FG Secures Release of 100 School Children Abducted in Niger State
Vanguard reports that Nigerian authorities have secured the release of 100 kidnapped schoolchildren, and that the children from St. Mary’s Catholic school in Papiri are set to be handed over to local government officials in Niger State.
Our Take: Kudos to Niger State authorities and security agencies for securing the release of 100 kidnapped schoolchildren, but this should not be news. Governors and the Federal Government must act to prevent abductions, not wait for last-minute rescues to make headlines.
