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: Early Campaign Threatens Democracy – INEC
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has raised concern over the growing trend of premature political campaigns in Nigeria, warning that the practice undermines governance and erodes the integrity of the electoral process.
Our Take: INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu must go beyond raising alarms and actually enforce the Electoral Act 2022 by sanctioning parties and aspirants already turning the streets into campaign carnivals years before kickoff. This will show that Nigeria’s elections are guided by law, not by who can plaster the biggest ‘thank you’ poster first, because if early campaigning keeps going unchecked, 2027 ballots might as well be printed today.
2. The Guardian: Grid Collapse May Worsen as GenCos Lose N66.26 Billion, 1,866MW to Load Rejection
Nigeria’s electricity sector was thrown into turmoil yesterday, following yet another collapse of the national grid, plunging most parts of the country into blackout and showing that the persistent instability of the system is yet to be over despite the unbundling of the transmission segment of the power sector.
Our Take: Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, must stop treating grid collapses like surprise birthday parties and urgently enforce accountability across the power chain. Nigerians cannot keep celebrating ‘National Blackout Day’ every other week while billions vanish into thin air and homes are lit only by generators and candlelight.
3. Punch: Tinubu Orders Fresh Push to Crash Food Prices
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a Federal Executive Council (FEC) committee to move swiftly on measures to further reduce food prices across the country.
Our Take: If President Tinubu is serious about bringing food prices down, then his government must move beyond forming committees and actually fix the insecurity and high transport costs strangling farmers, because Nigerians can’t keep cooking ‘policy statements’ for dinner while onions and rice are priced like imported gadgets.
