Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know Tuesday morning

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:

1. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of running a government that demands endless sacrifices from Nigerians while continuously seeking fresh loans. Reacting to the move to obtain a fresh $1.5 billion loan from the World Bank when public debt has hit N166.79 trillion, Atiku said the President must first account for the money already borrowed.

2. Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, has pledged to reinstate the petroleum subsidy after tackling corruption in the country. Obi made the pledge at a town hall meeting organised for the Obi/Kwankwaso presidential ticket in Sokoto on Monday. He said corruption remained the major challenge confronting Nigeria, adding that his administration, if elected, would tackle corruption across all sectors.

3. A downpour lasting more than nine hours on Monday submerged several houses in Makurdi, the Benue State capital. The rainfall, which began overnight and continued into the evening hours of Monday, affected several residential areas. The flood destroyed household items and left commuters stranded.

4. The naira on Monday depreciated to N1,382 per dollar from N1,378 in the parallel market last weekend. Similarly, the naira depreciated to N1,331.5 per dollar in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, NFEM.

5. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress have moved to amend their suit challenging President Bola Tinubu’s eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election, with the Federal High Court in Abuja fixing October 13, 2026, to hear the application. The suit also joined the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission as defendants.

6. The Rivers State House of Assembly has backed the bill for the creation of state police in Nigeria. With its backing, the Assembly joined its counterparts in Osun and Edo in declaring support for the bill. The Rivers Assembly, during plenary on Monday, voted unanimously to approve the proposed alteration of the 1999 Constitution, as forwarded by the National Assembly, to provide a constitutional pathway for the establishment of state police in Nigeria.

7. Three women were killed and another person injured when gunmen attacked a mining site in the Rakum community, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, on Monday. The attackers reportedly stormed the mining site around 4:30 p.m. and opened fire on workers before fleeing the scene.

8. A joint operation by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Edo State Command, and the Nigerian Army has led to the destruction of two cannabis plantations measuring 0.544092 hectares, with an estimated yield of 1,360.23kg. The operatives also destroyed 107kg of processed cannabis, including cannabis seeds, at Eko Camp, Illushi, in the Esan South-East Local Government Area of the state.

9. No fewer than 1,500 members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Alapa/Onire/Odegiwa Ward, Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State, have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress. The defectors announced their decision to join the APC on sunday during a ward meeting attended by the Chairman of the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, Abdullateef Alakawa; a member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Shittu Motunrayo; and other party executives and supporters.

10. Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, Seyi Makinde, has said Nigeria can be reset within four years if elected president in 2027. Makinde spoke on Monday at the APM North-Central Town Hall Meeting in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital. He said his proposed administration would introduce a new security architecture, chart a new path for education, and rebuild the economy through the use of data, science and logic.