Today’s Headlines: Nigerians dislike President Tinubu, may re-elect him in 2027 – British newspaper, Trump vows to hit Iran ‘very hard’ if linked to FlyDubai incident

The British newspaper The Economist has observed that many Nigerians dislike President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, citing struggles with a high cost of living and ongoing insecurity. Despite this unpopularity, the paper suggests he may still secure re-election in the January 16, 2027, presidential election, noting that his apparent lack of concern ahead of the vote reflects Nigeria’s complex electoral dynamics more than any strong personal support. In related comments, President Tinubu used his Independence Day address to declare that the era of difficulties has ended and prosperity lies ahead, while firmly ruling out any return of the fuel subsidy. Petrol prices currently stand between ₦1,370 and ₦1,450 per litre following the subsidy’s removal in May 2023.

Opposition figures have challenged these claims, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress dismissing the prosperity pledge as a “Yahoo Yahoo promise” and pledging to restore the fuel subsidy if elected. Atiku, Peter Obi of the New Nigeria People’s Party, and around 15 other candidates are among those seeking to unseat Tinubu in the upcoming contest.

𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝘃𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝗜𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗹𝘆𝗱𝘂𝗯𝗮𝗶 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸

US President Donald Trump warned on Thursday that Iran will be “hit very hard” if it is found to be linked to a pilot’s attack on a flydubai flight to Israel.

The dramatic events a day earlier saw passengers help stop the plane from crashing, making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia before the flight’s mostly Israeli passengers were flown home to a hero’s welcome.

Trump’s warning came as the United Arab Emirates opened an investigation into whether the incident was linked to terrorism, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the suspect had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”.

𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗔𝗨 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆

The 15th edition of the West African University Games will begin at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, on Friday, October 2.

The Games, scheduled to run until October 12, will bring together student-athletes and university delegations from across West Africa for competitions in various sporting events.

The programme includes football, athletics, basketball, volleyball, swimming, table tennis, badminton and boxing, among other sports.

Preparations have been ongoing at the host institution, with arrangements covering sporting facilities, accommodation, transportation, security and medical services.

The competition is expected to provide a platform for student-athletes to showcase their talents while promoting sporting development and interaction among participating universities.

𝗖𝗡𝗚 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗯𝘂’𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲

Despite President Bola Tinubu’s directive that transportation fares should begin to fall from October 1 through the deployment of Compressed Natural Gas-powered buses, commuters across several states have continued to pay the same, and in some cases higher, fares.

Findings by The PUNCH across the states on Thursday showed that the presidential directive had yet to translate into widespread reductions in transport fares.

While some state governments have introduced subsidised or free CNG-powered transportation schemes, the initiatives remain limited in coverage, leaving millions of commuters dependent on commercial buses whose operators continue to grapple with high fuel, spare parts and maintenance costs.

Jamiuwrite [email protected]