Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, accusing his administration of worsening poverty in Nigeria through the devaluation of the naira.   Obasanjo made the remarks on Wednesday at the Financial Times Africa Summit 2026 in London, United Kingdom, where he argued that the sharp decline in the naira’s value had significantly weakened Nigerians’ purchasing power. According to a report by The PUNCH, the former president said the naira’s depreciation had effectively made Nigerians 300 per cent poorer. “We do not live in isolation as a country. We interact with the rest of the world. And overnight, you devalue the currency by 300 per cent. The naira went from N500 to a dollar to N1,500 to a dollar. What that meant was that every Nigerian is made poor by 300 per cent,” Obasanjo said. He described Nigeria as the “poverty capital of the world”, arguing that the country had the largest number of people living in poverty. “You cannot say to me that that is good for Nigeria. You cannot say to me that that is good for us in any sense,” he added. Obasanjo Questions Economic Recovery The former president also rejected arguments that Tinubu should be given more time to deliver the benefits of his economic reforms. Obasanjo said he had yet to see sufficient improvement in the economy to justify the hardship experienced by Nigerians. “For the economy, I don’t see anything getting better. What policies are you seeing through? You impoverish your people, and you want to see impoverishment through?” he asked. He further argued that the policies introduced by the Tinubu administration were not in the best interests of Nigerians. “Nobody can deny that,” he said. Former President Questions Fuel Subsidy Removal Obasanjo also criticised the handling of petrol subsidy reform, noting that fuel costs affected virtually every aspect of economic activity. While acknowledging the importance of addressing the subsidy issue, he argued that corruption associated with the system should have been tackled first. He maintained that a country facing severe economic difficulties should focus on reducing corruption, waste and unnecessary luxury while increasing production. Naira Depreciation and Inflation The Central Bank of Nigeria unified the country’s foreign exchange market windows on June 14, 2023, during the early days of Tinubu’s administration. Before the policy, the official exchange rate stood at approximately ₦460.80 to the dollar. By October 19, the official rate had weakened to about ₦1,333.54 per dollar, according to figures cited by The PUNCH. The naira also fell to approximately ₦1,607.05 per dollar in early May 2025. Despite the currency’s depreciation, official figures indicated that some economic indicators had improved. The National Bureau of Statistics reported that headline inflation fell to 14.63 per cent in September 2026, compared with 20.98 per cent a year earlier. However, food inflation remained high at 19.59 per cent, while Nigeria’s real gross domestic product grew by 4.43 per cent in the second quarter of 2026. The figures highlight the continuing economic pressures facing households, particularly the cost of food and other essential goods. FG Defends Savings From Subsidy Removal Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said on August 19 that the removal of petrol subsidies had saved the Federal Government ₦15.8 trillion between June 2023 and December 2025. The savings form part of the government’s justification for ending the subsidy regime, a policy that has significantly altered petrol pricing and public finances. Efforts by The PUNCH to obtain a response from the Presidency to Obasanjo’s remarks were unsuccessful. The newspaper reported that the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, could not be reached.

Hundreds of youths took to the streets of Enugu on Thursday to protest the alleged killing of popular socialite Izuchukwu Nnaji, popularly known as Stone, following his reported arrest by operatives of the Enugu State Police Command’s Anti-Cult Tactical Squad.   The protest followed the discovery of Nnaji’s lifeless body at the morgue of the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Parklane, on Thursday, sparking outrage and calls for justice. According to PUNCH, Nnaji was reportedly arrested at about 3am on Wednesday at The Bull Hotel in Enugu, where he had lodged after celebrating his birthday with friends on Tuesday night. The protesters marched towards the Enugu State Government House, carrying placards and demanding the arrest of the officers allegedly involved in the incident. They also called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. Brother alleges unlawful arrest and killing Speaking to journalists, the deceased’s elder brother, Ogochukwu Nnaji, alleged that his brother was unlawfully arrested and killed without justification. He said the family became concerned after they could not locate Nnaji and subsequently contacted the hotel management, who reportedly confirmed that police operatives had taken him away during the night. The family later traced his body to the ESUT Parklane Hospital morgue on Thursday. “My brother was extrajudicially killed. He was neither a cultist nor an armed robber; he was a well-known celebrity. We are demanding justice,” Ogochukwu said. The allegations have heightened tensions in Enugu, with protesters seeking accountability from the officers involved. Incident recalls killing of Igbo Jah The latest incident comes about 18 months after the fatal shooting of popular Ogene musician Okezie Chikezie Mba, widely known as Igbo Jah, by an operative attached to the same tactical squad. In October 2024, Inspector Ozonwanji Joseph was accused of fatally shooting the musician, an incident that attracted widespread condemnation in the state. The latest allegations have renewed public attention on police conduct and demands for accountability. Police yet to respond Efforts by PUNCH to obtain comments from the Enugu State Police Command were unsuccessful as of the time the report was filed. The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, did not respond to phone calls or text messages sent to him concerning the incident. The circumstances surrounding Nnaji’s death remain subject to investigation, while protesters and his family continue to demand justice.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately publish Nigeria’s preliminary voters’ register, warning that the failure to make it accessible online could undermine public confidence in the 2027 general election.   Atiku made the demand in a statement issued on Thursday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council. He said registered voters should be allowed to inspect the list, challenge questionable entries and correct omissions before the elections. According to Atiku, INEC announced that Nigeria had more than 103 million registered voters, but members of the public who visited its portal to check the register reportedly encountered an empty page. “Show Nigerians the register,” he said, insisting that the number of registered voters announced by the commission was not a substitute for public access to the list. Atiku Questions INEC’s Voter Register Exercise INEC had announced a seven-day public scrutiny exercise scheduled for October 9 to 15, 2026, to enable registered voters to inspect the preliminary register and report false entries or missing names. However, Atiku accused the commission of failing to make the register available online during the exercise, alleging that this violated the Electoral Act 2026. He cited Section 19(1) of the Act, which he said requires the register to be displayed at registration areas and online. The former vice-president urged INEC to publish the list according to local government areas, area councils and wards to make verification easier for voters. He also questioned conflicting statements reportedly attributed to the commission’s chairman concerning when the public display exercise took place. Atiku said the chairman had reportedly stated on October 5 that the exercise had already been completed, while the commission subsequently announced October 9 to 15 as the period for public scrutiny. He called on INEC to clarify the dates and provide the links and access records relating to the alleged online publication. Atiku Raises Concerns Over Ballot Paper Authentication Beyond the voters’ register, Atiku raised concerns about the authentication of ballot papers ahead of the 2027 elections. He referred to Section 63(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which, according to his statement, allows a returning officer to count a ballot paper without INEC’s official mark if the officer is satisfied that it came from a book supplied to the relevant polling unit. Atiku questioned what evidence would establish the origin of such ballot papers and how political parties could challenge claims they considered false. He called on INEC to introduce enforceable safeguards against counterfeit ballot papers and urged the National Assembly to address any loopholes that could leave ballot authentication dependent on an officer’s unsupported assurance. The statement also raised questions about the companies awarded contracts to print sensitive election materials, alleging that INEC had yet to respond to inquiries on the matter. ADC Calls for Transparency Ahead of 2027 Elections Atiku maintained that the African Democratic Congress and its presidential candidate were entitled to information about the procedures that would determine the credibility of the presidential election. He accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of allowing a situation in which voters could not adequately verify their registration details. According to him, the absence of public access to the register could prevent Nigerians from determining whether their names had been omitted or whether questionable entries had been included. He warned that the situation could create opportunities for electoral manipulation if voters were unable to scrutinise the list before election day. Atiku urged INEC to publish the register, explain the conflicting dates surrounding the display exercise and provide voters with the opportunity to challenge false entries and restore omitted names. He also appealed to international partners, election observers and democratic institutions to pressure the commission to comply with the law before the elections. Atiku stressed that transparency before voting was as important as examining election results afterwards, adding that voters needed to confirm their names on the register to exercise their voting rights. The allegations and demands were contained in a statement issued by the Atiku campaign council, as reported by PUNCH on October 23, 2026.

An Adamawa State High Court has sentenced three men to death for kidnapping two Catholic priests in February 2025, marking the seventh death sentence secured by the Department of State Services (DSS) in 2026.   The convicts, identified as Taledo Demiel, Namomai Medan and Mikaila Yusuf, were found guilty by Justice Christopher Mapeo on Thursday. The court convicted the men of criminal conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, harbouring a kidnapped person and negotiating to receive ransom for the release of Reverend Fathers Matthew Dutsemi and Abraham Sauman. Justice Mapeo subsequently sentenced the three men to death for kidnapping, armed robbery and other offences. Seventh Death Sentence Secured by DSS in 2026 According to Channels Television, the judgment is the latest in a series of death sentences secured in cases involving kidnapping, terrorism and other serious crimes across Nigeria this year. On May 20, an Ekiti State High Court sentenced Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar to death by hanging for kidnapping. On June 3, a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced four men to death by hanging for their roles in the June 2022 massacre at St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State. The convicts were identified as Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Alqasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulkareem Idris. On June 15, a Katsina State High Court sentenced Hauwa’u Mukhtar, a female arms courier, to death by hanging. The following day, a Kogi State High Court sentenced Jibrin Halilu to death by hanging for kidnapping and murdering his neighbour in Obajana. On June 22, a Sokoto State High Court sentenced three men, Muhammed Yusuf Sallau, Jabbi Ahlaji Yale and Kabiru Muhammed, to death by hanging for terrorism and transporting arms. More recently, on September 28, a Sokoto State High Court sentenced Ibrahim Usman, also known as Dan Iyali, to death by hanging over his involvement in the killing of three kidnapped persons in the state. The latest judgment in Adamawa adds three more convictions to the list of death sentences secured in cases handled by the DSS in 2026.