Nigerian Newspapers: 10 things you need to know Friday morning
Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian newspapers:
1. The Presidency has clarified that the ongoing Freedom of Information Act case involving President Bola Tinubu before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia is a civil records-disclosure dispute and not a criminal case. In a statement on Thursday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the case did not amount to a criminal charge, trial or judicial finding against Tinubu.
2. About 37 people have reportedly died after inhaling fumes from a petroleum product at a jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State. The incident occurred on Thursday at the Okari Jetty in the Okrika Mainland area, where youths from Okrika and neighbouring communities had reportedly gathered to load a petroleum product from an illegal tapping point.
3. The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), on Thursday said terrorists are using motorcycles given to Nigerians as palliatives to wreak havoc across the country. He, however, advised state governors and lawmakers to stop giving motorcycles as palliatives, arguing that some of the motorcycles eventually end up in the hands of terrorists to facilitate and enhance their nefarious activities.
4. Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has declared that he is ready to lose his life while protecting his votes in the 2027 election. Speaking at a town hall meeting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Thursday, Obi charged Nigerians to prevent a repeat of the “irregularities” witnessed during the 2023 general election.
5. The Rivers State Police Command has arraigned two police officers dismissed over the killing of a 22-year-old University of Port Harcourt graduate, Anthony Obodo. The two officers, Corporal Alfred Louis and Corporal Michael Ejekwu, were arraigned before a magistrate’s court sitting in Port Harcourt and subsequently remanded at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre.
6. Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has described the state’s 2026 Appropriation Bill as a “breath of fresh air”, expressing optimism that it would usher in a new phase of development and cooperation in the state. Fubara spoke on Thursday after signing the 2026 Appropriation Bill into law at the State Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt.
7. The naira on Thursday appreciated to N1,405 per dollar from N1,410 in the parallel market on Wednesday. Likewise, the naira appreciated to N1,322.5 per dollar in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, NFEM.
8. Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has warned political parties against relying on the number of governors they control as a guarantee of victory in the 2027 general election. Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, spoke on Thursday at the NDC Town Hall Meeting in Rivers State, where he argued that several governors, particularly in the North, had performed poorly and might struggle to campaign for their parties ahead of the elections.
9. Oyo State Police Command has arrested six suspected fake currency dealers and recovered 89 pieces of counterfeit €100 notes valued at €8,900 (N14.15 million) in Ibadan. The command’s spokesperson, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Ibadan. Olayinka said the suspects were allegedly linked to the possession, circulation and production of counterfeit euro currency.
10. The Emir of Gumel in Jigawa State, Dr Ahmad Muhammad Sani has died at the age of 84. The first-class traditional ruler died in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday, after a 46-year reign. Announcing his death, the Secretary to the Jigawa State Government (SSG), Malam Bala Ibrahim, said the state received the news with “heavy hearts and profound sorrow”.