Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, accusing the administration of worsening the cost-of-living crisis despite increased government revenues.   Atiku, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in a statement issued on Friday. His comments followed Tinubu’s description of Atiku’s proposal to reintroduce a form of petrol subsidy as evidence of “serious ignorance” of governance and economic management. Atiku said his proposal was not a return to the previous open-ended petrol subsidy regime. Instead, he described it as a targeted, capped, budgeted and time-bound production-support mechanism aimed at increasing domestic refining and protecting consumers from sharp price shocks. He argued that Nigeria’s economic circumstances had changed significantly since Tinubu announced the removal of petrol subsidy in May 2023. According to Atiku, the subsidy removal, combined with foreign exchange liberalisation, contributed to increases in petrol prices, transport costs and food prices, while the naira also depreciated significantly. “Economic prescriptions respond to prevailing conditions,” Atiku said, arguing that current economic realities required policymakers to reassess existing measures. Atiku questions NNPC costs The former vice president also questioned petroleum-related costs recorded in the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited. He cited figures of approximately ₦17.5tn in energy-security costs and petroleum under-recoveries, including about ₦7.13tn classified as energy-security costs and ₦8.67tn in under-recoveries. The figures were presented by Atiku as part of his argument that questions remain over the financial arrangements surrounding the petroleum sector. “If subsidy is dead, why are under-recoveries alive?” Atiku asked, while also calling for greater transparency over petroleum-sector finances. He further questioned approximately ₦30tn in Federation Account revenues, deductions, savings and transfers that he said required reconciliation, as well as the ₦12.8tn Service-Wide Vote contained in the 2026 budget. FG defends subsidy removal The Federal Government has maintained that petrol subsidy had become financially unsustainable and that its removal was necessary to free resources for development, strengthen public revenues and reduce distortions in the petroleum market. The administration has also pointed to increased Federation Account allocations to states as one of the benefits of the reforms. Atiku rejected that argument, saying higher government allocations should not be treated as evidence of economic success if ordinary Nigerians were simultaneously experiencing reduced purchasing power and rising living costs. He argued that economic reforms should ultimately be judged by their effect on citizens rather than the size of government revenues. The renewed dispute over petrol subsidy comes as Nigeria moves towards the 2027 presidential election, with the economic impact of Tinubu’s reforms emerging as a major political issue.

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries and the arrest of a man accused of promoting another fictitious government agency within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.   The affected permanent secretaries are M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah. The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Musa Aliyu, disclosed the development on Friday after briefing Tinubu for the second time in two days. According to Aliyu, the newly uncovered body operated as the National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office and had been allocated office space within the OSGF without presidential authorisation and contrary to existing laws. The ICPC chairman identified George Buchi Nwabueze as the promoter of the office and said he allegedly operated under several variations of his name. “The promoter was discovered to also operate under four other variations of his name,” Aliyu said. Tinubu subsequently directed the immediate arrest of Nwabueze and the suspension of the three permanent secretaries. Aliyu said the ICPC had engaged the OSGF to obtain information relevant to its investigation and would continue probing the circumstances surrounding the fictitious office. The latest discovery follows an earlier investigation into the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, whose alleged promoter, Adeniyi Adeyemi, is facing prosecution over alleged forgery and impersonation. An ICPC interim report submitted to the President on August 6 had also identified two other alleged fictitious bodies: the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership. The National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is therefore the fourth alleged fake agency uncovered since the investigation into the PFIFC scandal began.

Premier League champions Arsenal have completed the signing of England defender Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa for a reported £51 million ($69 million), strengthening their defence ahead of the new season.   The 28-year-old has signed a long-term contract with Arsenal and is expected to play a key role in manager Mikel Arteta’s plans as the Gunners begin their title defence. Konsa is set to partner Gabriel Magalhaes in central defence following William Saliba’s lengthy absence with a back injury. Jurrien Timber’s fitness is also a concern after his long-term groin problem. The England international could make his Arsenal debut against his former club when the Gunners travel to Aston Villa on August 31. “It’s a privilege to be here and I can’t wait to get started,” Konsa said. “I want to keep winning, I’m hungry to win and that’s what I’m here for.” Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta praised Konsa’s quality, athleticism and tactical intelligence, while highlighting his ability to operate both at centre-back and right-back. The defender completed his medical at Arsenal’s London Colney training ground on Thursday before finalising the move. Konsa said conversations with Arsenal’s England players, including Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, helped convince him to join the Premier League champions. The defender joined Villa from Brentford in 2019 and made nearly 300 appearances for the club. He helped Villa win the Europa League last season and finish in the Premier League’s top four twice in the last three seasons. His departure comes during a significant period of change at Villa, with Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Lucas Digne also leaving the club during the close season. The signing is Arsenal’s latest major addition after the club won their first English league title in 22 years. The Gunners have also recruited Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis, while Piero Hincapie’s loan move from Bayer Leverkusen was made permanent.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November 2026 as part of preparations for Nigeria’s 2027 General Election.   INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Friday when he received a delegation from the Canadian High Commission led by Canada’s Chargé d’Affaires to Nigeria, David Sproule, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. The exercise will test the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and other electoral equipment while allowing the commission to identify and resolve potential operational challenges ahead of the elections. Amupitan said the mock accreditation is one of five strategic priorities adopted by INEC for the 2027 polls. The others are consolidating technological gains, deepening electoral inclusion, strengthening institutional capacity and technical support, and countering misinformation while protecting electoral integrity. He described the August 15 Osun State governorship election as an important benchmark for the commission’s preparations, noting that 3,556 of the state’s 3,763 polling units, representing 94.5 per cent, opened for accreditation and voting by 8:30 a.m. According to the INEC chairman, the Osun election also recorded strong BVAS performance, smooth result uploads to the IReV portal and proactive crisis management. INEC will require approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel to conduct the 2027 elections across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide. The commission has also established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) unit to explore responsible applications of AI in areas including data management, voter registration and results transmission. The unit will also work on safeguards against the misuse of AI. Amupitan said INEC would participate in the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections in Ottawa, Canada, from September 9 to 11, 2026. The conference will examine responsible AI applications in elections and emerging threats such as deepfakes and disinformation. He also reaffirmed INEC’s independence and neutrality, saying the commission remained committed to democratic integrity. The Canadian delegation reaffirmed Canada’s support for Nigeria’s democratic and electoral processes, particularly voter participation, women’s inclusion, public awareness, technical assistance and election observation. The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.