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: Poverty, Hunger Driving Sokoto Children Out of School
Daily Trust reports that thousands of children in Sokoto State are on the streets of Sokoto begging, hawking or doing menial jobs to survive. They form a large part of the high number of out-of-school children in the north-western Nigerian state.
Our Take: We call on Governor Ahmad Aliyu and the State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Ahmed Ala, to act based on the Sokoto State Child Protection Law and urgently address the alarming rise in out-of-school children in Sokoto by implementing targeted interventions that tackle poverty-driven absenteeism.
2. Daily Trust: Marketers to Ojulari: Fix Port Harcourt Refinery or Resign
Oil marketers under the aegis of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) have asked the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Bayo Ojulari, to either fix the Port Harcourt Refinery immediately or resign from his position.
Our Take: Mr. Bayo Ojulari, Nigerians have waited long enough for the ‘Port Harcourt Refinery Resurrection Project’ to move beyond endless commissioning ceremonies and photo ops. It is time to deliver tangible results by fast-tracking repairs, ensuring transparency in timelines, and getting the facility running at full capacity to reduce our crippling fuel import dependence, or, if that is too tall an order, kindly step aside for someone who can turn the wrenches instead of the headlines.
3. Punch: By-elections: INEC Deploys 7,726 BVAS Machines in Edo, Anambra, 10 States
The Independent National Electoral Commission will deploy 7,726 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices for the upcoming by-elections scheduled for Saturday, August 16, 2025 in 12 states.
Our Take: Dear INEC, deploying 7,726 BVAS machines is commendable, but Nigerians want more than a gadget parade, we want an election where the devices actually work, the results reflect the votes, and ‘network issues’ don’t suddenly develop selective amnesia. Let August 16 be a test of credibility, not comedy.
