Welcome to Thursday’s roundup of Nigerian newspaper headlines, where we scan the papers and then gently remind power that citizens are still awake.
1. The Guardian: Despite Demand, 2.5 Meters May Rot Away as FG, DisCos Trade Blame
Nigeria’s electricity metering crisis has entered a familiar blame-passing season, with the federal government and DisCos trading accusations as up to 2.5 million already-procured meters risk expiring quietly in warehouses by 2026.
Our Take: If 2.5 million meters are destined to ‘rest in peace’ inside warehouses, then the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, DisCos, and regulators should at least stop pretending this is a technical problem and admit it is a governance sham, publish a clear deployment timetable, name the DisCos blocking installations, enforce penalties that actually bite, and let consumers track meter rollouts the way they track election results, ward by ward.
2. Daily Trust: Electoral bill delay fuels uncertainty ahead 2027
As 2027 creeps closer, the National Assembly is drawing side-eye for dragging its feet on the Electoral Amendment Bill 2025, leaving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and everyone else anxiously refreshing the calendar. The House of Reps passed the bill before heading off for Christmas rice and New Year rest, but the Senate decided the work could wait till after recess, and then waited some more.
Our Take: As 2027 draws closer, Nigerians should demand more than recycled assurances and closed-door ‘executive sessions’. The Senate must publish a clear legislative timetable, and pass the Electoral Amendment Bill with enough time for INEC to plan without guesswork. Nigerians should also insist that electoral reform be treated as democracy infrastructure, not optional paperwork.
3. Punch: Outrage over police crackdown on Lagos anti-demolition protesters
Lagos State had another ‘welcome to megacity living’ moment on Wednesday after residents protesting the demolition of their homes were met with tear gas and arrests instead of answers. People from Makoko, Oworonshoki, Owode-Onirin, Oko Baba and nearby communities showed up in Ikeja with placards basically saying, ‘We’re poor, not criminals’, and reminding the state that development should not come with blood pressure and homelessness.
Our Take: What citizens should demand now is simple: an immediate halt to forced demolitions, the release of arrested protesters, and a transparent, public process that guarantees compensation, relocation, and dialogue before any bulldozer starts its engine, because tear gas is not an urban planning tool and protest placards are not a security threat. Lagos residents must insist that the state government and police remember they work for the people, not against them, otherwise.
