The Guardian Nigeria

STAY ALERT IN PUBLIC PLACES, DEFENCE HQTRS ADVISES CITIZENS

THE Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has urged Nigerians to remain vigilant in crowded areas, including markets, churches, and other public gatherings, to enhance personal and community safety. In a statement released on Friday on its X handle and obtained...

How poor services, high costs, easy drug access fuel addiction crisis

Nigeria has about 14.3 million people abusing illicit drugs but fewer than 200 treatment centres. This imbalance is troubling. Even worse, only a small number of these centres actually treat addiction, as most focus mainly on psychiatric care. TINA...

L P leadership verdict alters opposition politics ahead of 2 0 2 7

• Court orders INEC to recognise Usman-led LP caretaker committee • Stakeholders fear judiciary aiding ruling party’s strategy to weaken opposition • Gambari dismisses one-party fears, blames weak ideology • Abure faction, others allege judicial...

Gaps in e-transmission, vote-buying sanctions spark calls for reform

AS Nigeria inches towards the 2027 general elections, debates over electoral credibility have returned to the forefront, largely driven by unaddressed gaps in the Electoral Act 2022. Specifically, stakeholders are concerned about the unresolved...

Over 500,000 deported in one year of Trump’s return

OVER the past year, President Trump’s administration has deported about 230,000 people who were arrested inside the country and another 270,000 at the border, a New York Times analysis has shown. The number of deportations from interior arrests since...

SEC’S new capital rules stir anxiety, stress-test portfolio managers

RIVERS POLITICAL CRISIS DEEPENS

• State Assembly Directs Chief Judge To Set Up Panel To Investigate Gov Fubara, Deputy • Court Halts Process For Seven Days • Four Lawmakers Opposed To Governor, Deputy’s Removal Make U-turn

U.S. began Operation Desert

Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. 42-country coalition forces led by the United States, went to war with Iraq, beginning the Gulf War. • 1945 - Germany World War II: Adolf Hitler moved into his underground bunker, the so-called Führerbunker,...

NEWS PAGE 3 Lingering sit-at-home disruption may hurt S/east’s N5.7tr fiscal plan

• N1.3 trillion IGR projection hangs in balance • Governors damn insecurity, target 300% revenue spike • General perception of insecurity continues • ‘Mondays more important than any other day for business survival’ THERE are concerns that the nearly...

Amid revenue uncertainty, vehicles, ‘sundry expenses’ cut big slices

• Presidential vehicles allocation increased by 135% to N11.25 billion • HCSF, 10 ministries rewrite digitalisation script, to spend N2.5b on stationery • Cost jumps by 42 per cent this year • Villa mini solar grid gets N7 billion • State House,...

WHY ‘NIGERIA FIRST’ POLICY REMAINS RICH IN PACKAGING, LEAN IN IMPACT

For decades, Nigeria’s leaders have spoken about the need to build a competitive industrial economy, yet the manufacturing sector’s performance tells a different story. Despite being central to job creation, economic diversification, and export growth,...

Nigeria’s fuel, crude importation concern defies price war

IMPORTATION of petroleum products and crude oil into Nigeria will persist in the short term despite the resumption of new regulators and the appointment of a new board in the nation’s oil and gas industry. Coming amid rising tension among local...

APC draws battle line with Wike over Rivers political control

• Party leadership seeks Tinubu’s intervention over state’s crisis • Wike lacks authority in party affairs, APC leaders insist • APC scribe asks FCT minister to resign, rejects corruption allegations • Rivers deputy governor, SSG formally join APC •...

Venezuela crisis may create $10b hole in FG’S N58tr spending plan

GEOPOLITICAL developments in Venezuela and the prospect of a major rattle in global oil supply dynamics could exert downward pressure on crude prices and ultimately stress-test the Federal Government’s N58.18 trillion 2026 spending plan. The crisis,...

I HOPE DONALD TRUMP’S INTERVENTION WILL STOP INTERNAL COLONIALISM IN NIGERIA – Bolaji Akinyemi

Professor Akinwande Bolaji Akinyemi clocks 84 on Sunday, January 4, 2026. The iconic figure of International Relations has been active in the public for decades. Born January 4, 1942 in Ilesa, Osun State, Akinyemi attended Igbobi College in Yaba from...

A year to test policies, shape politics, measure performance

From the historic enactment of a range of comprehensive tax laws that have now become controversial and enmeshed in a credibility crisis, to Aliko Dangote’s emergence as the face of Nigeria’s energy security and industrialisation via his yeoman’s...

Over 20 million households stick to firewood, charcoal over affordability

EFCC arraigns EX-AGF Malami in Abuja today

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will today arraign former Attorney-general of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) before Justice Nwute of Federal High Court, in Abuja. This is following the fresh money...

FG seeks to calm markets as U.S. airstrikes test sovereignty, economy

AT LAST, TRUMP STRUCK

• Airstrikes: Jabo Isn’t Bandits, Terrorists’ Location –Security Expert • Partnering U.S. Surest Way To Defeat Insurgents – Okoh • PDP Urges FG To Improve Communication • Strikes On Terrorists, Enclaves Timely, Inevitable – Afenifere • Action Sparks...

Power crisis lingers into Christmas as output averages 3,000MW

NIGERIA’S epileptic power sector is throwing more consumers into darkness as grid capacity shrinks to about 3,000 megawatts (MW). The current darkness is unconnected to gas constraints, liquidity crisis and ageing plants, which have triggered over N5...

Makinde, opposition cite Wike factor, say authoritarian drift threatens 2027 polls

Investors wary as demolitions flatten over 2,500 houses

• Over 300 houses pulled down in Mile 12 fresh demolition in Lagos • Regulatory lapses fuel over N2tr investment loss • Building control agencies culpable, say stakeholders • Lagos govt acted within law, explored corrective options’ • Lagos extends...

Fiscal indiscipline fuels budget chaos, governance gaps

13 DAYS TO EXPIRATION, TINUBU SEEKS TO CUT 2025 BUDGET BY OVER N6t, PRESENTS N58.18t 2026 BUDGET ESTIMATES

WITH just 13 days left in the 2025 fiscal year, President Bola Tinubu has moved to scale down the nation’s 2025 budget by over N6 trillion. This is as the president formally requested the National Assembly’s approval to extend the 2025 budget...

Tax reforms pushback, revenue crisis threaten 2026 fiscal plan

• President asks NASS to approve N43.56tr spending plan • Reps step down MTEF/FSP over disagreement on oil benchmark • President to present 2026 budget estimates amidst unresolved MTEF/FSP • Senate member, opposition raise fresh opposition to tax...

Ododo recovers arms cache, vows total anti-terror war in Kogi

THE Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) has indefinitely adjourned its public hearing on the bill seeking to amend the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi Establishment Act, sponsored by...

S’court’s verdict on emergency rule unsettles polity, power structure

• Critics warn judgment may embolden presidential overreach • CUPP faults ruling, says due process questions left unresolved • Dissenting justice rejects suspension of elected officials • Analysts divided over implications for federalism, separation...

Buhari's legacy on trial as Emefiele ex-ministers face N3.5tr graft probe

SEVERAL senior figures linked to the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari are being investigated and prosecuted for alleged corruption totalling an estimated N3.47 trillion. The scale of the allegations, unfolding amid a crippling debt...

DANGOTE REFINERY CUTS PETROL GANTRY PRICE TO N699, MARKS 20TH PRICE ADJUSTMENT IN 2025

DANGOTE Petroleum Refinery has again slashed the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), reducing its petrol gantry rate from N828 to N699 per litre, in what has become its most significant downward review in recent months. The new price took...

Pricing, weak tourism infrastructure threaten $2b Detty December target

NIGERIA’S Detty December boom is fast becoming a billion-dollar tourism engine. Yet, industry experts warn that the gains may falter without urgent fixes to chaotic pricing, weak infrastructure, flawed data systems and overstretched airports,...

54 taxes, charges account for 35% of airfare cost, stifle traffic demand

THE journey to achieving affordable air travel has been complicated by fiscal hurdles, with over 54 taxes accounting for 35 per cent of the airfare cost in Nigeria. The tax burden has reduced travelling options for millions of average Nigerians, who...

Fubara, Adeleke’s exit shatters embattled PDP, dims 2027 hopes

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suffered twin blows yesterday as Rivers Governor Fubara joined the APC and Osun Governor Adeleke declared for Accord: moves that further fracture the opposition, strengthen APC’S grip across the Southsouth and...

How Nigeria’s intervention secured key trade route, regional supply chain

• Experts warn of knock-on effects for regional supply chains • Porous borders, dense trade heighten Nigeria’s exposure • Analysts link Nigeria’s move to shift toward non-indifference • ADC questions FG’S priorities, seeks stronger response to...

Relief in Cotonou as NAF, joint force repel coup plotters in Benin Republic

AJOINT military force, comprising the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), the Beninese army and French forces, yesterday foiled another coup attempt in the democracyweary Sahel region. It started early yesterday morning with gunfire near the president’s...

IGBOS AND THEIR TROUBLE WITH NIGERIA

As Nigeria grapples with political uncertainty, social tension, and security challenges, Ambassador Thomas Aguiyi-lronsi, a seasoned diplomat, former Minister of Defence, in this interview with OLUDARE RICHARDS, speaks on critical political, social,...

How stigma, poor treatment, funding hobble HIV/AIDS roll back

HIV response in Nigeria has moved beyond the battle against stigmatisation to a fight for the continuity of lifesaving treatment. While the antiretroviral therapy has transformed the disease into a manageable condition, recent disruptions in drug...

Senate, Reps adopt hard-line anti-terror measures, back Musa

Reps probes missing N30b NSIPA fund, demand resumption of programmes

T Oensure the well-being of the citizenry, the House of Representatives has moved to track more than N30 billion recovered during the Federal Government's 2024– 2025 investigation into alleged financial infractions at the National Social Investment...

Federal High Court order in Nestoil–fbn Quest case still valid

CONFUSION triggered by viral social media posts claiming that the Court of Appeal has overturned a Federal High Court order in the dispute between Nestoil Limited and FBN Quest has been dispelled following a detailed investigation into the matter. A...

42,000 schools still vulnerable despite $30m Safe School funds

THE serial abduction of Nigerian schoolchildren and teachers by armed bandits has raised questions about the status of the Safe School Initiative (SSI) and why the government halted implementation of the scheme despite billions donated for its...

Oborevwori Unveils Ambitious 1.664trn Delta 2026 Budget

• Targets Record Infrastructure Growth NEWS/PAGE 41

Tinubu declares emergency on insecurity, backs govs on state police

• Tinubu orders mass military, police recruitment • FG urges herders to embrace ranching, drop illegal arms • Cautions states on boarding schools in remote areas • Gani Adams seeks South-west community security network • Yoruba Ronu faults Southern...

Dangote partners Honeywell Int’l on refinery expansion, 1.4mbpd 2028 target

DANGOTE Group has announced its strategic partnership with Honeywell International Inc. to support the next phase of expansion of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. This collaboration will provide advanced technology and services that will enable the...

Military decries complexity of threats as S’west govs call for state police

HOW BANDITS SHOT MY HUSBAND IN MY PRESENCE – Late Vice Principal’s Wife

“I felt bad that such an incident happened to my family. The mother of my kidnapped daughter also lost her father, who was the security guard killed by bandits. She has not been eating and is rapidly losing weight” – Abdullahi Maga

NGE insists on free press as Tinubu urges fairness, pledges recovery

• Guild seeks tax reliefs, low-interest loans; President ‘endorses’ industry rescue plan • When press thrives, democracy breathes, editors tell Tinubu • Media freedom flourishing under Tinubu administration, says Minister • Uzodimma warns editors...

Ambition, legal battles stall PDP convention, threaten 2027 prospects

THE Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) slow-motion disintegration has reached critical mass, with stakeholders warning that personal ambition, compromised judicial interventions, strategic defections by sitting governors, and Nyesom Wike’s determination...

33yrs later, hope dims for safer, pipeline supplies of Jet A1 to airports

• Millions lost daily to road trucking as airports operate below safety standards • Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt pipeline tank farms rot away • Airlines use five million litres daily, depend on Lagos for 80% supply • Experts wary of ‘imminent’ fuel...

Soludo triumphs in Anambra as ADC, observers decry vote-buying

SOLUDO’S Solution, the slogan of Anambra State governor, Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo, made an emphatic statement of validation, yesterday, when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returned the former Central Bank governor as the...

TINUBU SEEKS GLOBAL ALLIES TO BOOST NIGERIA’S WAR AGAINST TERRORISM

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has called on Nigeria’s international partners to stand firmly with the country as his administration scales up its campaign against terrorism and other violent crimes undermining national peace and development. This is even as...

Old battles linger amid new threats, fight for survival, truth

When Reverend Henry Townsend founded Iwe Irohin in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on November 23, 1859, he aimed to promote literacy among the Yoruba people, besides other objectives. The publication, first printed fortnightly in Yoruba, added an English...

Referendum call heightens over ‘elitist’ Constitution reform plot

AGROWING chorus of voices, from legal icons, civil society groups and regional bodies, has revived the push for a referendum in Nigeria’s Constitution, exposing deep unease over a system many describe as elite-controlled and undemocratic, and...

Senate probes rail derailments as new loans, contract debts cause stir

THE National Assembly was engulfed in a flurry of legislative and political drama yesterday, as lawmakers grappled with infrastructure failures, public debt concerns and protests over unpaid contracts. At the Senate, lawmakers resolved to launch a...

Trump’s threat sparks investor fears as economists split on impact

• CPPE warns of capital flight; Oxford Economics tempers concerns • Security chiefs meet as FG dismisses Trump’s claim, cites flawed U.S. intel • Chad shuts border with Nigeria over security fears, rumours of U.S. troop movement • EFCC defends silence...

Trump’s warning unsettles Nigeria, raises concerns over religion, sovereignty

Reps approve Tinubu’s $2.34b loan, empower EFCC to seize assets without conviction

HOUSE of Representatives, yesterday, approved President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s request to raise a total of $2.347 billion from the international capital market to part-finance the 2025 budget deficit and refinance maturing Eurobonds. The approval...

‘Election year to test Nigeria’s reform momentum, growth recovery’

ABOUT two and a half years after Nigeria began a series of what economists have described as necessary but painful reforms – scrapping fuel subsidies, liberalising the foreign exchange (FX) market and streamlining taxes (a third leg of the economic...

Trump rules out running for VP, hints at third term

UNITED States President, Donald Trump said on Monday that he would rule out running for the vice-presidency in the 2028 U.S. election, an unorthodox approach that some of his supporters have floated to allow the Republican U.S. president to serve a...

767 LGAS without active websites amid autonomy, N3tr yearly windfall

SERVICE CHIEFS: WHY TINUBU STRUCK

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Friday ordered sweeping changes in the leadership of Nigeria’s Armed Forces in a move aimed at strengthening the nation’s security architecture and consolidating command loyalty within the military. This was even as Governor...

Northern leaders back Tinubu as opposition cautions APC, alleges attacks

5G promise fades as pricey phones, services shut out poor Nigerians

• Cheapest 5G smartphone costs minimum wage earner two months’ salaries • Subscribers lament erratic services amid high data consumption • Mafab’s 5G remains in limbo as MTN, Airtel struggle to win market • 6G network may go global in five years THREE...

Chaos as police disperse Abuja protesters, S’East shuts down for Kanu

Farmers in limbo as bureaucracy stalls N50b tractor rollout

• Agricultural supplies gather dust at NASC headquarters • Farmers lament delay, await sharing formula • Ministry awaits presidential directive on distribution • Agric operations time-bound, tractors may miss planting season • Experts fault lack of...

HAS PDP CRUMBLED IN SOUTH EAST, SOUTH SOUTH?

With the defection of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, his appointees, and all elective political office holders in the state elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the PDP has finally...

How praise-singers override party agenda, scorecards at rallies

With musicians playing more prominent roles in election campaigns, they lend rhythm and excitement to political rallies nationwide, turning campaign grounds into concert arenas and using their popularity to sway public sentiment. Sometimes, these...

Wike mocks defectors as Diri dumps PDP with 21 Bayelsa lawmakers

IN a pointed counter to his critics, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, yesterday turned long-standing accusations of disloyalty on their head, noting that those who once accused him of destabilising the Peoples Democratic...

APC consolidates power as Mbah ends PDP’S 26-year reign in Enugu

ENUGU State Governor Peter Mbah yesterday defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in a move that has redrawn Nigeria’s political map. Mbah led the entire political structure of the state,...

Criticisms, outrage, suspicion trail presidential pardon of 175

Legal Director/company Secretary, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Uaboi Agbebaku (left); Human Resource Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Grace Omo-lamai; Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Thibaut Boidin; Governor, Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-olu;...

My Husband’s Grooming To Become A Business Tycoon Is Bearing Fruits — Shade Okoya

CALL her a woman of valour, and Dr Folashade Okoya, MON, the Managing Director of Eleganza Industrial City Limited, stands tall in full representation even as she joins the list of worthy ambassadors and products of the University Of Lagos (UNILAG) who...

85% unreached as Nigeria buckles under massive care gap

People don’t know about mental health, and they don’t know where to seek help. Religion is also a major hindrance to the management of mental illness in Nigeria because, a lot of the time, whatever Africans don’t understand, they mystify. Only nine...

Anxiety lingers over insecurity, fate of displaced persons

• Benue communities emptied by herder raids, reprisals • Farmlands abandoned as insecurity cuts off access across Niger • Lithium discovery blamed for renewed violence in Oke-ode • Police vow displaced residents will return home before end of...

NELFUND kicks as institutions hike tuition fees, charges for profit

THE Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has expressed concern over the astronomical increase in tuition fees by some institutions, ranging between 20 and 521 per cent, The Guardian has learnt. A document obtained from the Fund’s internal risk...

INSIDE STORY OF SOYINKA CENTRE FOR CULTURE, CREATIVE ART

FROM the gate to the complex, the well-mown lawn appeared welcoming, while the trees swayed to rhythms of the wind. The massive movement of visitors was noticeable, as security agencies took over every nook and cranny of the complex. Everywhere was...