Nigerian Newspapers September 30: Tinubu Returns, 2026 Budget, Eagles Thrashing, Others

Newspapers across the country report on a variety of issues ranging from the return of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from his vacation in the United Kingdom and France to the issues surrounding the implementation of the 2026 budget to the 66th Independent Anniversary Celebration and the Economic challenges facing Nigerians….

Newspapers across the country report on a variety of issues ranging from the return of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from his vacation in the United Kingdom and France to the issues surrounding the implementation of the 2026 budget to the 66th Independent Anniversary Celebration and the Economic challenges facing Nigerians.

Other issues like the thrashing received by the Super Eagles Of Nigeria at the hands of the Wild Dogs of Guinea-Bissau in an AFCCON qualifier also got prominent mention.

1. The Nation leads with the report on the return of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Nigeria after his working vacation to the United Kingdom and France with the President dismissing speculations about his health and declaring he is ready to continue to work for Nigerians.

“There is nothing wrong with me. I am healthy, ready to go.”

With those words, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday dismissed social media rumours about his health, attributing the speculation to politics. Politics

Tinubu, who returned to Nigeria after an extended working leave in Europe, said he was healthy and ready to resume work.

He arrived in Lagos aboard Nigerian Air Force One, which landed at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, at about 6:22 pm.

He was received by Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, other government officials and party leaders. Read More in The Nation

2. The Punch in its front page lead story reports on the response by the National Emergency Management Agency and the various States Emergency Management Agencies to the flood ravaging parts of the country.

Anger, sorrow and anxiety have gripped communities across the country as torrential rainfall and flooding killed residents, displaced families, submerged homes, destroyed roads and other infrastructure and disrupted economic activities.

From the North to the South, floods have affected several communities, forcing residents to abandon their homes while farmers, traders, and business owners have suffered significant losses.

In some areas, roads and bridges were washed away, cutting off communities and disrupting transportation, while schools and health facilities were also affected.

This came after the Nigerian Meteorological Agency warned of more rain in the days ahead.

A NiMet official noted that Nigeria was still within the rainy season, which was currently at its peak in the central and southern states.

He said the agency’s seasonal forecast did not indicate that rainfall would end before September, urging residents to pay attention to its daily weather forecasts.

“We are still within the rainy season. We give daily weather forecasts; we are in September, and if you check our seasonal forecast. We didn’t say the rain is going to stop before September. So we are at the peak of the rainy season, particularly in the central and southern states. So we will keep getting this rainfall as the ITD continues its southward movement with Zone C. Read More In Punch

3. The Nigerian Tribune in one of its front page lead stories reports on the extension of the capital component of the 2025 budget till December 2026 by both arms of the National Assembly.

Senators reconvened and adjourned quickly again on Tuesday for another two weeks after extending the implementation of the capital component of the 2025 budget till December 31, 2026.

The lawmakers, who proceeded on their annual recess on July 23, reconvened on Tuesday only to adjourn to October 13 again.

However, before the adjournment, they extended the implementation of the capital component of the 2025 to December 31.

The step, the Senate explained, was taken to give room for the execution of ongoing projects already captured in the budget.

Tuesday’s extension, which was done after an executive session presided over by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, was the 4th since December, last year. The budget was first extended to March 31, 2026, then June 30 and later September 30.

On Tuesday, the lawmakers granted another extension to December 31, 2026.

Nigeria budgeted a total of N54.99trillion in 2025. The signed budget included ₦3.65 trn for statutory transfers, ₦14.32 trn for debt servicing, ₦13.64 trn for recurrent expenditure, and about ₦23.96trn.

Customers of a discounted foodstuff scheme in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, have looted the operators’ warehouse after the facility was shut and the operators became unreachable.

Videos obtained by Daily Trust on Tuesday showed residents removing food items from the warehouse of Global Food Initiative, the outfit at the centre of the controversy.

The crowd, which had gathered in front of the warehouse for hours, suddenly broke lose, whisking away bags of rice, groundnut oil, among others.

The development came a day after hundreds of customers gathered at the premises demanding food items they had paid for or refunds.

The customers had paid in advance for discounted food items offered by the operators, who reportedly shut the premises and became unreachable.

The scheme, which began operations about three weeks ago, sold a 50kg bag of rice for N27,000, 25 litres of vegetable oil for N30,000 and a pack of spaghetti for N10,000.

Customers were required to pay in advance and return after seven days to collect their goods.

Some customers reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of naira, with one woman saying she paid N300,000 for 11 bags of rice, while another said she paid N1.2 million for food items intended for her stepdaughter’s wedding.

The operators have remained unreachable, while the number of affected customers and the total amount collected could not be independently confirmed.

The Osun State Police Command deployed officers to the area to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

The command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the police became aware of the situation after arriving at the scene and that nobody had formally reported the incident at the time. Read More in Daily Trust

5. The Vanguard leads with the reported plan by Public Service employees and Labour unions to embark on an industrial action to press home their demands for action to cushion the effects of the rising costs of the Premium Motor Spirit and its knock on effect on other services.

Public servants, under the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, JNPSNC, yesterday threatened to embark on national strike, with effect from October 2, should the Federal Government fail to respond to the demand in the President’s Independence Day broadcast tomorrow.

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has also thrown its weight behind the public servants’ thret.

Recall that the workers had on September 30, 2026, issued an ultimatum to the Federal Government over the rising cost of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, otherwise known as petrol, demand for a wage award and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage.

They had earlier on September 21, written President Bola Tinubu stating their demands.

The JNPSNC, made up of eight public sector unions, yesterday issued the three-day warning strike notice should government fail to slash the price of petrol to N500 per litre, announce a wage award and introduce other measures to cushion effects of crushing hardship in the country.

Members of the JNPSNC include the Nigerian Civil Service Union, NCSU; Medical and Health Workers Union, M&HWU; Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN; and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, NANNM. Read More in Vanguard

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