Welcome to Wednesday’s roundup of Nigerian newspaper headlines, where we scan the papers and then gently remind power that citizens are still awake.
1. Daily Trust: Sit-at-home: Traders protest Onitsha market closure
So Daily Trust is reporting that traders at Onitsha Main Market took to the streets on Tuesday to protest the state government’s one-week closure of the market ordered by Governor Chukwuma Soludo. They are also demanding that business and livelihoods should resume immediately.
Our Take: The people of Anambra State should start by asking the obvious questions: who is protecting traders brave enough to open, and who takes responsibility if things go wrong, because ‘open at your own risk’ is not a security policy. Traders’ associations should count their losses, not just their chants, demand compensation, and knock firmly on the doors of the House of Assembly to ask whether shutting markets is lawful or just convenient.
2. Punch: DisCos blame low generation as grid collapses third time
Nigeria’s power grid may be back to its old ways, after collapsing three times in less than a month, twice in just four days, like it is warming up for a comeback tour nobody asked for. Nigerians are now left squinting at their candles and asking if the national grid has officially missed the memo that it was supposed to be retired from this kind of drama, while distribution companies blame low power generation and insist this is not a return to the bad old days.
Our Take: At the very least, Nigerians deserve advance notice if darkness is now a scheduled service, so generators can be fuelled and candles restocked in peace. If the grid insists on collapsing this often, the public is well within its rights to demand answers, reforms, and a power sector that works harder than the excuses defending it.
3. The Guardian: Tinubu Pushes Defence, Economic Ties in Türkiye as Aides Dismiss Health Fears
The Presidency has brushed aside health concerns after President Bola Tinubu had a brief stumble during a welcome ceremony in Ankara, Türkiye, blaming it on a poorly laid blue carpet that clearly did not get the memo about state visits. According to his media team, meetings went on as scheduled, a live press conference followed, and Nigeria–Türkiye relations remained steady, proof that while the carpet slipped, the visit did not.
Our Take: Citizens should demand less panic-driven spin and more substance. Beyond watching memes of stumbles, Nigerians have a right to ask: what exactly is Nigeria gaining from this Türkiye visit – jobs, investments, security partnerships, or infrastructure deals? It is not enough to sign papers; the president needs to ensure that these trips translate into tangible benefits for the country.
