Here is a roundup of some Nigerian newspaper headlines, accompanied by our advocacy-driven demands for government action in addressing citizens’ concerns.
1. The Guardian: Nigerians Won’t Accept Technical Glitch Excuses, PDP Warns INEC
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned against any attempt to manipulate the 2027 general elections, insisting that Nigerians will not accept excuses of technical glitches in the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Our Take: We call on INEC to ensure that the 2027 general elections are free of excuses wrapped in the usual ‘technical glitch’ packaging. Nigerians are no longer amused by malfunctioning machines suddenly forgetting how to work on election day.
2. Daily Trust: Amid Peace Deal in Katsina: Bandits Abduct 55 in Zamfara
Daily Trust reports that bandits yesterday abducted 43 worshippers from a mosque in Gidan Turbe village, Tsafe local government area of Zamfara State.
They were also said to have kidnapped 12 persons at Godai village, Bukkuyum LGA of the state, on Sunday. Both incidents occurred at a time community leaders and some armed groups in neighbouring Katsina State had entered into a peace deal.
Our Take: The federal and state governments must move beyond endless ‘peace deals’ that seem to grant bandits more press coverage than actual punishment, and instead collaborate on a joint security strategy that reclaims forests like Gahori Mountain from criminal control.
3. Vanguard: 2009 Agreement: SSANU, NASU to Shut Down Varsities 22 September
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, have informed the federal government of plans to shut down public universities on 22 September if their demands are not addressed.
Our Take: Nigerian universities cannot keep running on a ‘strike–resume–strike’ timetable. We call on the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labour and Employment to sit down with SSANU and NASU to resolve the unresolved 2009 agreement, unpaid salaries, and allowance disputes before 22 September, instead of its usual strategy of waiting until gates are locked and lectures abandoned.
