5% Fuel Tax: Tinubu’s Administration Keeps Inventing New Ways to Punish Nigerians
A new fuel surcharge under the 2025 Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA) could push petrol and diesel prices even higher next year, adding to the strain of the 2023 subsidy removal.
Starting January 2026, Nigerians are expected to face another increase in fuel prices following the introduction of a 5 per cent surcharge on petrol, diesel, and other fossil fuels, as stipulated in the newly signed Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA) 2025.
Signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on June 26, 2025, the NTAA forms part of a broader fiscal overhaul that includes the Nigeria Tax Act (NTA), Nigeria Revenue Service Act (NRSA), and Joint Revenue Board Act (JRBA). These laws aim to boost government revenues and promote the transition to cleaner energy sources, but the 5 per cent tax could further inflate already high fuel prices and increase the cost of living.
Currently, Nigerians pay between ₦890 and ₦1,000 per litre of petrol following the fuel subsidy removal in 2023. The new surcharge will be applied on top of existing pump prices, meaning consumers could pay an additional ₦42.50 per litre, according to estimates by Billy Gillis-Harry, President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN).
Gillis-Harry, quoted by the DailyTrust, described the tax as “sudden” and “costly,” warning that marketers will likely pass the burden directly to consumers. He urged the government to consider instead taxing imported fuel and using the proceeds to support domestic refining, such as at the Dangote Refinery.
The economic impact could be substantial. In 2024, Nigeria consumed approximately 18.75 billion litres of petrol, valued at about ₦15.93 trillion (based on an average of ₦850/litre), according to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
A 5 per cent surcharge on this volume would generate roughly ₦796.5 billion in new revenue, with even more expected from diesel and aviation fuel.
The surcharge will be collected monthly by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), which is set to be renamed the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS). Minister of Finance Wale Edun approved the tax.
However, several essential fuels and clean energy sources are exempt from the new tax, including:
Cooking gas (LPG), Household kerosene, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Solar, wind, and hydropower, Geothermal energy, Biofuels from plant or animal waste.
With inflation already high, many Nigerians fear the tax will drive transportation, food, and electricity costs even higher, exacerbating the economic hardship triggered by earlier reforms.
The 5 per cent fuel tax may also raise questions about the government’s commitment to easing the cost-of-living crisis while promoting clean energy. For many, the measure feels more like a revenue grab than a genuine climate policy.
"Justice Delayed, Justice Denied? The Debate Over Compensation for Sidney Holmes' 34 Years of Wrongful Imprisonment"
A Florida man who spent 34 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit is set to receive $1.7 million in compensation for the decades he lost behind bars.
Sidney Holmes, wrongfully convicted in 1989 for a 1988 Florida armed robbery based on a shaky eyewitness identification of his car, spending 34 years in prison before exoneration in 2023, a case where the Innocence Project’s reinvestigation revealed no physical evidence linking him to the crime.
Florida’s initial compensation denial under the "clean hands" provision—unique nationwide for barring exonerees with prior unrelated felonies—forced a special bill, SB 10, to award Holmes $1.7 million, reflecting a 2025 legislative shift after only five of 88 exonerees received payouts since 2008 under the $50,000/year cap.
Research from the National Registry of Exonerations (2025 data) shows 3,696 U.S. exonerations, with Florida’s 90 cases often involving flawed forensics, suggesting Holmes’ case exemplifies systemic issues like unreliable witness IDs, corroborated by a 2019 study in Forensic Science International on misidentification rates exceeding 30% in similar convictions.
Since they have succeeded in flooding touts on all roads in Lagos....na Airport remain to capture. During Buhari na Meiti Allah now na touts time to cruise.
[quote]Meet 72-Year-Old Dr Usman Hadi Who Invented Water Stove “No Kerosene, No Gas” in Gombe State
Dr. Usman Hadi, a 72-year-old from Gombe State, Nigeria, invented a water-powered stove using no kerosene or gas, a breakthrough developed over three years without formal education, challenging the narrative that advanced innovation requires Western schooling, as detailed in a 2023 Punch Nigeria article.
His creation leverages water’s chemical properties—likely through electrolysis or combustion of hydrogen extracted from water—to generate heat, a process supported by studies like a 2019 Journal of Cleaner Production paper on hydrogen energy, though his exact method remains unverified due to limited technical disclosure.
Recognized with an honorary PhD from Gombe State University and employed as a lecturer, Hadi’s over 78 inventions, including a Vespa-engine helicopter that crashed in 1971, highlight a self-taught genius overlooked by global innovation hubs, raising questions about resource allocation for grassroots inventors.
Video
E get wetin baba no dey talk for interviews...but e dey mention hose, pipe, iron, burner, valve and bottle...he say he dey arrange am together so e fit cook with am. pic.twitter.com/VFuzP84Pu5
Do you know the history of King Henry VIII? The six wives, his creation of the Church of England, which we all know as Anglican Church, when the pope denied him a divorce? Here is a few points, the real story is straight-up nightmare fuel.
This was a king so grotesquely obese, his waist measured 54 inches — bigger than most people are tall. He weighed 400 pounds in an era when 140 was average. His legs oozed pus from open, rotting ulcers so foul, servants gagged or ran away. His stench could be smelled from rooms away. His body decayed while he was still alive — and when he died, his coffin exploded from internal gases. Yes, exploded.
By the end of his life, Henry was a walking corpse — literally. Carried around by servants, trailed by staff mopping up pieces of dead flesh that fell off as he moved. His death was so gruesome, dogs were seen licking his remains off the street during the funeral.
Why was he like this? Likely a combination of Cushing’s syndrome, a traumatic brain injury from a jousting accident, and unchecked power. That injury? Knocked him unconscious for 2 hours — after that, he changed: paranoid, erratic, dangerous.
And yes, the wives. You know about the beheadings, but not the psychological torture. Anne Boleyn? She was forced to watch five innocent men — including her own brother — executed before she lost her head to false charges.
Katherine Howard? She was just a teen, murdered because of past relationships. Henry even made a law requiring wives to confess their full sexual history — under threat of death. Divorce wasn’t freedom — it was forced, terrifying negotiation.
Meanwhile, he ate like a monster. 5,000+ calories a day. Whole pigs, chickens, fish, gallons of wine. He believed swans made him graceful, oysters enhanced performance, and deer made him a better hunter. He banned “commoner food” like turnips because it offended his royal ego. Kitchens ran 24/7 with over 200 staff just to feed him — and every bite was tested for poison while guards watched. Meals were military operations.
And his paranoia? They were off the charts. Crossbows by his bed, daggers under his pillow, armed guards in his bedroom. Secret tunnels in castles. Spy networks spying on other spies. Even his children were watched. People were executed for dreams he had about betrayal.
Even in death, Henry caused chaos. His bloated corpse burst mid-funeral. His tomb? So unstable it collapsed multiple times. Some said they heard strange noises and smelled rot years later — likely more gases leaking out.
This wasn’t just a king. He was a decaying symbol of how absolute power corrupts absolutely. The real Henry VIII was no hero — he was a royal horror story.
US Commission Drags Nigerian CEO, Nantomah To Court Over Alleged $1.9million Real Estate Fraud
The SEC’s complaint, submitted at Wisconsin Eastern District Court on August 1, 2025, concerns a real estate-related offering fraud allegedly perpetrated by Nantomah through three Wisconsin limited liability companies he owned and controlled.
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a lawsuit against a Nigerian man, Joseph Nantomah, and a number of firms over alleged $1.9million fraud.
The SEC’s complaint, submitted at Wisconsin Eastern District Court on August 1, 2025, concerns a real estate-related offering fraud allegedly perpetrated by Nantomah through three Wisconsin limited liability companies he owned and controlled.
The firms are; Investors Capital LLC, Global Investors Capital LLC, and High Income Performance Partners LLC.
The complaint alleges that, from approximately May 2020 through at least January 2024 (the “Relevant Time Period”), the defendants solicited investors by promising to purchase, fix, and flip real estate for profit.
The defendants allegedly collectively raised at least $1.9million from at least 30 investors throughout the United States.
Unbeknownst to investors, many of whom were members of the Nigerian-American community, Nantomah allegedly misused their money by spending at least 80% of it on himself and his other ventures, and not on the promised real estate transactions.
Nantomah held himself out as an “Incredibly Successful entrepreneur” who amassed a multi-million dollar real estate portfolio after emigrating from Africa to Wisconsin in 2016 “with just $4700,” to become a “notable and sought after millionaire investor” who serves as a speaker, life coach, mentor, consultant, and philanthropist.
Nantomah made these and similar representations on his website, on social media sites, during presentations to potential investors, and during financial coaching seminars.
Likewise, Nantomah’s claims on his website in 2024 that he owned “real estate assets currently valued at over $23 million,” were also untrue.
According to public records searches, during the Relevant Time Period, Nantomah and the entities he controlled—including Defendants Investors Capital, Global Investors Capital, and High Income Performance Partners (together, the “Entity Defendants,”) – owned only 11 properties with a collective value of approximately $1million.
Nantomah further allegedly enticed investors with promises of lucrative returns on investments (or “ROI”) in a year or less.
Meanwhile, the defendants have not paid most investors as promised in the written and verbal investment agreements.
The SEC accuses the defendants of violations of the federal securities laws, namely Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder.
The regulator claims that there is a reasonable likelihood that, unless restrained and enjoined, Defendants will continue to violate these federal securities laws.
Accordingly, the SEC seeks a judgment against the defendants that: (a) imposes permanent injunctive relief, including prohibiting Nantomah from again offering or selling securities; (b) orders disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest; and (c) imposes civil monetary penalties.
[8/5, 5:31 PM] +234 802 396 2289: On the 13th of May 2025, the court sat to decide on the damages to be awarded in the case of Mr. Alfred Olusanya and Olayinka Nnochiri.
The plaintiffs appeared virtually but were represented by their attorney who was present in court.
The defendant who also appeared via Zoom was not represented.
The court had earlier granted a default judgment against Mr. Nantoma and his company, Investors capital LLC. The court stated that the plaintiffs did, in fact, enter into a Ponzi Scheme agreement with Mr. Joseph Nantoma, which was breached.
The plaintiff, Mr. Alfred Olusanya, invested $55,000 into a ‘fix and flip’ real estate investment with the defendant and expected a return of $70,000 from the defendant's real estate business, which never happened. So also, is Ms. Nnochiri who invested $50,000 and expected the return of $65,000. The court found that there was a breach of contract and granted both parties statutory 5% interest per year on their investment.
Mr. Joseph Nantomah, however, stated that he was transparent about the procedures relating to his investment.
He said that when he claimed that he has a portfolio of $21 million, it was a combination of the assets of those business partners that he was working with.
He said that the plaintiff with their attorney used manipulative words to present his words in their favour.
He claimed he never approached any of the investors and he never stole from them.
Mr. Nantomah in his words stated that “they approached me because they saw I was having success”. He said all of his investors attended his classes and trainings and that they gave good reviews during his classes. L
In response to Mr. Nantomah’s assertion, the plaintiff attorney reiterated the fact that this isn't a business deal that went wrong, but a case of theft.
She stated that her client relied on Mr. Nantomah’s false and fraudulent misrepresentations of his real estate portfolio, the self-acclaimed success in real estate and living the American dream.
She said that her clients later realised that it was all lies. They realised that he did not have a massive real estate portfolio, he is not a millionaire, and he is not investing their money as promised.
The court, after listening to both parties, granted actual damages to plaintiffs to cover the court cost and their attorney’s fees.
The court reinforced the fact that Mr. Nantomah’s dealings with the plaintiffs were nothing but a Ponzi scheme.
The court stated that there were no actual properties that were flipped and sold at a loss in this case, as the defendant had claimed.
The court described the situation as a case of taking money from the plaintiffs and running with it. The court went further to say that Mr. Nantomah’s definite intention was to take the money from the plaintiffs and to convert the same to his own use.
As a result, the court granted both plaintiffs exemplary damage, each in the amount of $25,000 for their civil theft claim. In the deceptive trade practices claim, the court also granted punitive damages and awarded both plaintiffs the sum of $25,000, each.
The defendant's conduct was said by the court to be malicious and intentional.
The court concluded that Mr. Nantomah cannot represent his company, Investor Capital LLC, being a legal entity on its own.
The court went further to say that when Investor Capital, LLC, is represented in court, the plaintiffs reserve the right to file damages claims against the company, based on the previous default judgment against Investor Capital LLC.
It all started during our SS3 days at Methodist Boys High School, Oron. I still remember those years like a half-faded dream. She wasn’t just anyone.
She was the Assistant School Prefect of Methodist Senior Science College, another of the three Methodist schools under the cathedral’s wings in Oron. The other was Mary Hanney Secondary School.
Every first Sunday of the month, all three schools would gather at the grand old Methodist Cathedral for worship. It was during one of those joint services that I saw her.
Dorothy. Graceful, confident, sharp. We exchanged contacts that day. I was in the dormitory then, living the typical high school boy life, but meeting her felt like something rare. Something different.
Fast forward to 2017, fate crossed our paths again, this time at the JAMB registration center. We recognized each other instantly. Smiles. Laughter. A flicker of what-could-be.
Then life picked up speed. Everyone got admitted into universities. We all scattered, chasing dreams in different directions. Time, as always, carried us forward.
Years later, someone brought her up in conversation. They asked, “Felix, you still keeping up with that crush of yours?”
I laughed. “No, not really.”
Then he insisted, “Check the Castedraw. Just check it.” He even sent me the link.
I clicked.
And there she was.
My heart sank.
Dorothy—my once high school crush—is now a renowned Nigerian p0rn star.
I stared at the screen, stunned. Not in judgment. Just… in disbelief. The girl I used to admire from afar during cathedral services, now living a life I never could’ve imagined for her.
What could’ve happened between then and now?
What dreams did she give up? What paths did she have to take?
I guess life really does come at you in ways we’ll never fully understand."
Written by Felix Ibok
*** Sadly, that's the new path where alot of our girls are heading And they are doing it with their full chest and with so much pride and relaxation.
Train your daughters well o. Make she no see soft p0rn as an easy escape from joblessness, hardship and this Tinubuization
Most of you think that relocating abroad is ticket to good life....no no...your friend might be going through hell or not even alive. There is a Ghanaian in my neighbourhood here in Rennes, the guy don go haywire Tey Tey....na so his friends and family will think he ghosted them while the guy is a ghost living on earth.
EXCLUSIVE: EFCC, SSS abduct NNPC boss Bayo Ojulari, force him to sign resignation letter after directive from Bola Tinubu’s paramour Olatimbo Ayinde
The incident Friday night was narrated to The Gazette by national security and law sources, with some calling the operation a coup d’état because the president did not sanction it.
In a development reminiscent of Nigeria’s dark military days, top officials of two federal law enforcement and security bodies have abducted the head of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Peoples Gazette can report, forcing him to resign at a secret rendezvous in Abuja.
Bayo Ojulari was seized on Friday and pressured to sign a resignation letter by Ola Olukoyede, chairman of anti-graft EFCC, and Adeola Ajayi, director-general of the State Security Service.
The incident on Friday night was narrated to The Gazette by national security and law sources familiar with the matter, with some of them describing the operation as a coup d’état because President Bola Tinubu did not sanction it.
Officials said Mr Ojulari was repeatedly questioned about what he might know of Olatimbo Ayinde, a British-Nigerian oil businesswoman who has recently emerged as one of the most powerful forces steering the Tinubu administration.
“Mr Ojulari told us he didn’t know Olatimbo Ayinde,” an official said under anonymity to disclose the matter to The Gazette. “He also said he heard she was trying to control businesses at NNPC and he rejected such moves.”
Ms Ayinde, long known in business circles for her wheeling and dealing, was charged in the United Kingdom for bribing two former Nigerian oil ministers. The Gazette reported on Thursday that anti-graft operatives were ordered to slowwalk and frustrate a request for evidence from British prosecutors for use in their ongoing trial of Ms Ayinde.
Mr Ojulari was appointed in early April by Mr Tinubu, with the Nigerian president saying the decision was largely due to Mr Ojulari’s expertise in hydrocarbon as a former Shell executive in Nigeria.
Mr Ojulari did not immediately return multiple requests seeking comments about the development on Saturday morning. The Gazette has contacted the presidency, SSS and the EFCC for comment.
Mr Ojulari has been under fire since he authorised a trip of NNPC executives and mid-level officials to attend an oil and gas conference in Kigali earlier this month. Mr Ojulari was said to have spent millions of dollars on the trip, although the specific amount remained fuzzy. He denied the allegations, saying his detractors were behind the campaign.
Digital Ambush: Inside the APC’s Multibillion Naira Plot to Silence Dissent Before 2027 - by: Mohammed Bello Doka -2nd August, 2025
In what can only be described as a calculated digital ambush, Nigeria’s ruling party has quietly declared war — not with guns, but with algorithms, influencers, and a tsunami of bot-driven propaganda.
As the 2027 elections draw near, the APC has launched a multibillion-naira digital warfare initiative, masked under the banner of “media strategy,” but designed to manipulate public perception, drown out opposition voices, and rewrite the story of their administration’s catastrophic economic and security record.
This is not speculation. It is unfolding in plain sight.
This weekend, Abuja played host to the ongoing Progressive Digital Media Summit, a state-backed convergence of content creators, influencers, strategists, and government media aides — all paid and primed to flood the internet with strategic disinformation and narrative laundering.
Behind the grand speeches about “nation-building” and “digital innovation” lies a chilling truth: the government is building a narrative machine, not a better nation.
The Sinister Blueprint
Inside sources and public speeches at the summit have now confirmed what many feared — a coordinated deployment of digital soldiers, trained to sanitize every failed policy, deflect every criticism, and drown every cry for help in a deluge of hashtags and choreographed trends.
From TikTok to Telegram, Facebook to X, the plan is clear: occupy every space. Choke every voice. Drown the truth.
A former government insider at the summit boldly declared that “2027 has already begun online,” with billions already being channeled through covert media contracts, “influencer retainerships,” and ghost-operated accounts to overwhelm the public space with false hope and manufactured praise.
This is not campaigning—this is psychological warfare.
What They Want You to Forget
They want the world to forget that:
Over 130 million Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty
Food inflation has spiraled to historic levels
Mass kidnappings, banditry, and terror have become normalized
The fuel subsidy removal crushed the masses, while the elite moved on with imported SUVs and bulletproof fortresses
Foreign diplomats have started to whisper what local voices scream daily — Nigeria is bleeding, and its people are being conditioned to smile through their pain.
A Digital Smokescreen for National Failure
The APC knows its failures are impossible to hide. So, the next best option? Whitewash the walls of ruin with digital graffiti.
They are bankrolling media operatives, hiring data consultants, and pushing sponsored stories to counter international pressure and hoodwink a weary populace into believing things aren’t as bad as they know they are.
Expect to see influencers suddenly “rediscovering the Renewed Hope Agenda.” Expect to hear TikTok skits mocking fuel queues and joblessness—packaged as “content.” Expect to be gaslit by bots, trends, and hashtags that try to convince you “things are getting better.”
It’s all part of the script.
What Must Be Done
If there was ever a time for alternative voices to rise, it is now.
If there was ever a time to match propaganda with purpose, it is now.
This is not just about politics. It’s about reclaiming digital space from state-sponsored manipulation. It’s about protecting the minds of millions who scroll daily, not knowing they are being fed poison in polished pixels.
The opposition must urgently scale its digital communications, build firewalls of truth, train its own rapid response teams, and speak boldly before the noise becomes deafening.
IGBOPHOBIA SERIES BOTTOM LINE: LAGOS IS NOT A NO-MAN’s LAND BUT IGBOS ARE NOT GUESTS IN LAGOS EITHER - THEY ARE NOW STAKEHOLDERS
I honestly think It is fundamentally wrong and unfair to refer to Igbos in Lagos as Guests. They are no longer guests but STAKEHOLDERS.
They OWN lands in lagos legitimately
They OWN BUSINESSES in Lagos some of which employ lagosians
Many Igbos are BORN in Lagos and Lagos is the ONLY place they knew or that knew them .
Some MARRIED Yorubas and have GRANDCHILDREN who are half Yorubas
Many Gave out their Daughters to Yorubas in marriage
You cannot, either in law, custom or civil sense call Igbos ‘guests’ in Lagos anymore. That defies common sense and the root cause of the current problems.
As stakeholders in lagos they have a right to vote for who they think would take care of their interests better. They don’t have to vote the way lagosians want them to just because they live in lagos . That’s not right. You have to campaign and convince them to vote for your candidate and not intimidate or force them
Just as you would sound funny to call your in laws who have children for your children guests in your house, you can’t call Igbos guests in Lagos anymore and that is my whole point
Just as you would sound funny to call someone who invested in your company and is now a shareholder a guest in the office….
Just as a Igbo man who is now landlord of an estate cannot be said to be the guest of the person who sold the land of the estate to him
That makes no sense . Legal. Civil or Commin.
Sure, Igbos cannot claim to own Lagos or claim lagos is no man’s land (and truth be told only very few of them have even made such an audacious and gaslighting claim)
That will be stupid but lagos is theirs too!
The sooner we all come to grips with this reality , maybe then we can all get along in Lagos at least.
Politicians are the only ones trying to cause all this confusion for the sake of votes
I therefore conclude my series on this one post and move on . Tomorow if I have cause to call out Igbos too I will do it without fear or favour
I HOPE OUR POLITICIANS ARE LISTENING!
I have said what I said . Deal with it 🚶🏽♂️🚶🏽♂️🚶🏽♂️🚶🏽♂️🚶🏽♂️🚶🏽♂️ @OfficialAPCNg @OfficialPDPNig @ADCcoalition @officialABAT @atiku @PeterObi @akintollgate @LexieBeautiful_ @DeleFarotimi
It’s September 2026. The inevitable has arrived. Nigeria is now a nation in freefall, its foundations collapsing under the crushing weight of decades of reckless borrowing, unchecked spending, economic mismanagement, systemic corruption, and failed leadership.
For those of us who have been paying close attention, this looming collapse comes as no surprise. It isn’t mere speculation or alarmism; it’s the harsh reality laid bare by rigorous analysis and undeniable evidence.
Using advanced predictive models powered by machine learning techniques, sophisticated algorithms, and large datasets, I have analyzed thousands of potential scenarios based on Nigeria’s current economic, financial, political, and social factors. The results paint a chilling picture of an impending crisis, exposing our nation’s vulnerabilities with unsettling precision.
Economic factors included in the model are GDP growth, inflation rate, unemployment rate, exchange rate stability, fiscal deficit, trade balance, debt-to-GDP ratio, debt servicing costs, government revenue and expenditure, foreign reserves, and tax collection efficiency.
Financial sector factors include banking sector stability, investor confidence, stock market performance, and credit availability.
Political and governance-related factors include political stability, policy consistency, corruption levels, regulatory effectiveness, and security challenges such as insurgency and kidnapping occurrences.
Social and demographic factors include poverty levels, income inequality, population growth, social unrest and protests, and the quality of healthcare and education systems.
External factors such as oil price volatility, global economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, and unforeseen events like conflict with neighboring countries like Niger were added to the model.
By analyzing these critical variables, the results consistently pointed to a single, alarming outcome: a cascading failure of Nigeria’s economic and social systems, ultimately culminating in widespread collapse. With each iteration of the predictive model, the conclusion remained unchanged—without decisive intervention, Nigeria is on an irreversible path to disaster.
The model delivers a chilling prediction—there is a 75% probability that by September 2026, Nigeria would plunge into an unprecedented financial collapse. Without the academic jargon or complex statistical notations, here’s what is predicted to happen with alarming likelihood—explained in a layperson’s narrative: 1. Nigeria’s Credit Rating Downgraded, Global Lenders Cut Ties
All hell breaks loose as credit rating agencies downgrade Nigeria’s sovereign credit rating to junk status, triggering a wave of panic. International private creditors issue immediate debt call notices, cutting Nigeria off from critical funding. Multilateral lenders such as the World Bank and IMF, along with bilateral creditors, respond too slowly to provide a lifeline, leaving the government stranded without viable options. With no new loans, no debt relief, and foreign reserves depleted, the economy plunges into a devastating freefall, leaving the nation teetering on the edge of collapse.
2. Nigeria Defaults on External Debt Obligation
Nigeria defaults on its external obligations as the government fails to meet its debt repayment schedules. The naira collapses, inflation soars to uncontrollable levels, and fiscal stability shatters. What remains of international investors pull out en masse, further accelerating the economic downturn. 3. Banking Sector Collapses, Nationwide Bank Runs Begin
Investor confidence evaporates overnight, triggering a catastrophic meltdown in the banking sector. Banks across the country face mass withdrawals as desperate citizens scramble to salvage their dwindling savings—only to find their accounts frozen, their futures uncertain.
4. Creditors Seize Oil Tankers
In a ruthless move to recover their losses, private creditors seize Nigeria’s oil tankers, severing the country from its primary source of revenue. Federal accounts dry up, leaving the government unable to fund essential operations.
5. Government Payroll Collapses, Triggering Hyperinflation
Government coffers dry up, and salaries and pension payments grind to a halt. In a desperate attempt to stay afloat, the government prints massive amounts of naira, fueling hyperinflation and causing the currency to collapse. Basic necessities become unaffordable, pushing millions into extreme poverty. 6. Federal Remittances to States Cease, Weaker States Face Collapse
The federal government stops sending allocations to the states, bringing state governments to their knees. Without these funds, essential services like healthcare, education, and infrastructure projects collapse. State governors and local governments, devoid of alternatives, declare financial emergencies, leading to widespread insolvencies.
7. Nationwide Food, medicine and Fuel Shortages Deepen
With oil exports halted and supply chains broken, food, medicines and fuel become scarce commodities. Prices skyrocket beyond affordability, leading to mass hunger and desperation. Gas stations run dry, businesses reliant on fuel grind to a halt, and black-market prices soar beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians. Oil theft is rampant as citizens crack open pipelines to drain crude oil for backyard refining.
8. Looting and Widespread Social Unrest Erupt
Desperate Nigerians take to the streets in search of food, fuel, and basic necessities. Supermarkets, warehouses, and government food storage facilities are looted, with mobs stripping them bare within hours. Armed gangs and vigilantes fill the power vacuum, turning once-thriving cities into chaotic battlegrounds.
9. Law and Order Breaks Down
Chaos erupts in the streets as law enforcement agencies abandon their posts, unable—or unwilling—to contain the widespread violence. Police stations are deserted, and officers disappear from the streets, leaving communities to fend for themselves. Everyone is in survival mode: kill or be killed.
10. Nationwide Power Supply Fails
The nation goes dark as electricity supply, already unreliable, grinds to a complete halt. Power plants shut down one by one due to lack of funds for maintenance and fuel shortages. Businesses close, hospitals struggle to operate without power.
11. Public Health System Collapses
Hospitals run out of essential medicines and equipment, forcing many to shut down. With no resources to combat disease outbreaks, malnutrition and preventable illnesses such as cholera and malaria claim thousands of lives.
12. Educational System Shuts Down
Schools and universities close due to unpaid staff and lack of funding. A generation of Nigerian children is left without education, their futures stolen by economic collapse. Higher education institutions fall into disrepair.
13. Essential Services Collapse Completely
Critical services collapse under the weight of the crisis—airports grind to a halt, with flights suspended and terminals deserted as fuel shortages and operational failures cripple the aviation sector. Communication networks falter, cutting millions off from vital information and emergency services. Transportation networks break down, leaving roads littered with abandoned vehicles and public transit systems paralyzed.
Local markets, once bustling with activity, descend into chaos as food and essential supplies vanish, prices soar beyond reach, and desperate citizens scramble for survival amidst widespread scarcity and looting.
14. Economic Activity Grinds to a Halt and Markets Crash
The Nigerian Stock Exchange collapses as investors pull out en masse. Trillions of naira in wealth evaporate overnight, rendering once-powerful corporations bankrupt. Foreign direct investment dries up, and more businesses shut down, further fueling unemployment.
15. Diplomatic Isolation Grows
Foreign governments evacuate their citizens and non-essential embassy staff. Travel advisories are issued, warning foreigners to avoid Nigeria altogether. Diplomatic ties weaken, and the country becomes increasingly isolated on the global stage.
16. Mass Migration and Refugee Crisis Begins
With the collapse of infrastructure and services, a mass exodus of Nigerians begins. Thousands flee the country in search of safety and stability, leading to an international refugee crisis that strains neighboring countries.
17. Political Stability Crumbles and Military Takeover Looms
As the government struggles to maintain control, political factions and power-hungry opportunists exploit the crisis, pushing the nation toward instability. Rumors of a military coup swirl as desperation for leadership grows, and civil war looms on the horizon. 18. Secessionist Movements Gain Momentum and Civil Conflict Erupts
Amid the chaos, religious extremists and separatist groups capitalize on the breakdown of governance to push for independence. Calls for secession grow louder, with armed clashes erupting in different parts of the country, threatening our fragile unity.
19. Humanitarian Crisis Escalates Beyond Control
With millions displaced, infrastructure failing, and government support nonexistent, our nation faces a full-scale humanitarian disaster. International aid organizations struggle to provide relief, but looting, corruption, and insecurity hinder their efforts.
20. Foreign Exploitation and Intervention Intensify
As the country’s crisis deepens, foreign powers exploit the situation for their interests. Resources such as oil, minerals, and land become vulnerable to external control, turning Nigeria into a pawn on the global stage.
Where is President Tinubu and the National Assembly?
President Tinubu and the National Assembly can either dismiss this urgent warning as mere alarmism—just as they have always done—or finally recognize it as a wake-up call to take decisive action before it’s too late.
Instead of implementing strategic, data-driven policies to avert disaster, the government remains trapped in a cycle of reactive measures, short-term fixes, and empty rhetoric, leaving the country on a dangerous trajectory toward financial and social ruin.
Can This Looming Catastrophe Be Prevented?
The tragic truth is that this collapse is preventable. The warning signs are clear—widespread corruption, irresponsible spending, mounting debt, and failed leadership. Yet, rather than taking decisive action, those in power prioritize short-term gains at the expense of long-term stability.
Despite the bleak outlook, Nigeria’s collapse is not inevitable. The only way to avert disaster is through decisive and immediate action. President Tinubu must break free from the debt death spiral, where the government is compelled to borrow increasingly larger sums just to cover soaring interest payments. Further, the government must abandon its reckless spending habits and prioritize fiscal discipline.
Subsidies that primarily benefit the elite must be eliminated, and resources must be redirected to critical sectors like education, agriculture, healthcare, and economic infrastructure. Politically motivated blackhole projects, such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, should be suspended or canceled.
Debt restructuring is essential to prevent creditors from seizing national assets and to create fiscal breathing room. Diversifying the economy is no longer an aspiration but an urgent necessity. Agriculture, manufacturing, and technology must be developed to reduce dependency on oil and create sustainable revenue streams.
Streamlining and shrinking the bloated federal government is not just necessary—it’s an urgent imperative. The current structure is riddled with overlapping functions, inefficiencies, waste, fraud, and abuse across ministries, departments, agencies, parastatals, and redundant commissions. To address this, we must eliminate unnecessary ministries, freeing up resources that can be better utilized elsewhere.
Digital transformation should be implemented to optimize processes, clarify roles, and enhance efficiency through improved workflow. Additionally, many ministries handle responsibilities that should not fall under the federal government’s purview.
These functions should be decentralized, shifting to state and local governments where they can be more responsive, efficient, and impactful. A leaner, smarter, and more accountable federal structure will better serve the nation’s development goals.
The future of our economy depends on innovative entrepreneurship to drive productivity, growth, and inclusive prosperity. To achieve this, the federal government must stay out of the way by removing excessive regulatory barriers, creating a business-friendly environment, and ensuring access to financing for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Rather than stifling initiative with bureaucratic red tape, the government should focus on providing infrastructural support, enforcing the rule of law, and promoting policies that encourage competition and innovation.
Only then can entrepreneurs unleash their full potential and propel the nation toward sustainable economic prosperity.
Finally, corruption—the underlying cause of much of Nigeria’s financial instability and economic woes—must be addressed head-on. Billions of naira are lost each year to corrupt practices and looting, money that could otherwise be used to stabilize the economy and invest in the future.
We must ensure that the costs of corruption far outweigh its benefits by instituting and enforcing the most severe penalty—a death sentence—for anyone found guilty of looting, embezzlement, bribery, oil bunkering, diversion of public assets, destruction of public infrastructure such as oil pipelines or jetties, theft of government property, the sale of arms, or the provision of financial support to terrorists and secessionists.
This punishment must be applied without exception, regardless of the individual’s status, political affiliation, religion, or tribe. Only through such decisive action can we deter the reckless plundering of our nation’s resources, safeguard national unity, and restore integrity to public service.
As Nigeria faces its darkest hour and stands on the brink of total collapse, one pressing question remains: Will Nigerians everywhere rise to demand accountability, or will they remain passive as their nation disintegrates before their eyes? The fate of our country is inseparable from the fate of our people—when Nigeria falls, we all fall with it.
The time for complacency is over; the moment for decisive action is now.
World Igbo Congress To Launch ‘Federal Credit Union Bank’ In Boston To Transform Diaspora Businesses
According to a statement made available to SaharaReporters, the event is scheduled to take place from August 29-31 at the Marriott in Boston.
The World Igbo Congress (WIC) has announced the launch of the Igbo Federal Credit Union Bank at its 2025 convention in Boston, Massachusetts.
According to a statement made available to SaharaReporters, the event is scheduled to take place from August 29-31 at the Marriott in Boston.
According to WIC Chairman, Dr. Festus Okere, who signed the statement, the bank aims to transform Igbo businesses in the Diaspora and contribute to the development of the homeland.
The initiative seeks to replicate the successful Igbo apprenticeship scheme that revitalised the eastern region's economy after the Nigeria-Biafra war.
Okere said that the 2025 World Igbo Congress convention is expected to draw one of the largest crowds ever, considering the current circumstances in the homeland and abroad.
"This year marks the launch of the Igbo Federal Credit Union Bank, which aims to transform Igbo businesses in the diaspora and contribute to the development of our homeland.
"This initiative presents an opportunity to replicate the Igbo apprenticeship scheme that played a crucial role in revitalising the eastern region's economy after the civil war. The Federal Credit Union Bank project in the United States is poised to usher in a new era of prosperity," Okere said.
Attendees will include Chief Gaius Chibueze, also known as E-Money; Chairman of Faith Toyota; a representative from Boston, Massachusetts government; and Chief Valentine Igbobi, the PCNI Chairman and Ochiagha of Ndiigbo in New England 2025.
Okere said that Chief Igbobi has authorised full representation from the People’s Club of Nigeria in the Boston branch for the event, while the Umuada Igbo will also attend in significant numbers.
The World Igbo Congress Convention 2025, organised by the apex Igbo organisation in the diaspora, is scheduled for August 29-31 at the Marriott in Boston, Massachusetts.
WIC Vice Chairman, Hon. Basil Onwukwe, stated that only individuals with proven character from political office holders in Nigeria will be invited to the convention.
"These individuals will undergo a careful vetting process to ensure they are committed to protecting the lives and properties of the Igbo people," he said.
This Harvard professor says an unexpected interstellar visitor to our solar system, spotted earlier this month, is perhaps Alien probe.
A new scientific paper that considers whether the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS might be more than just a natural comet or asteroid.
The paper, written by Avi Loeb, Adam Hibberd, and Adam Crowl, investigates whether 3I/ATLAS could confirm the "dark forest hypothesis."
This idea, made famous by Cixin Liu’s novel The Dark Forest, suggests that the universe is full of intelligent but hostile civilizations.
These civilizations stay quiet to avoid attracting dangerous attention. So, when searches for alien signals by projects like SETI find nothing, it might not mean aliens aren’t out there. Instead, it could mean they are hiding to avoid being destroyed by others.
3I/ATLAS was discovered on July 1, 2025. It is only the third known object from outside our solar system, after 1I/’Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. It was first reported by the ATLAS telescope in Chile, which spotted signs that it came from beyond our solar system.
This object stands out because it has several unusual characteristics. Its orbit is almost aligned with the plane of the solar system, but it moves in the opposite direction, a pattern that is extremely rare.
It is about 20km across, much larger than previous interstellar objects, making it unlikely based on current science. It also shows no signs of having a tail of gas and dust, which most comets would as they near the Sun. This raises questions about what it’s made of and how it moves.
3I/ATLAS is also on course to make close passes to Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. The chance of it having such a path by coincidence is extremely low.
During its closest approach to the Sun in October 2025, it will be hidden behind the Sun from Earth’s point of view, which would be a perfect hiding spot for a spacecraft to perform a special maneuver called a reverse Solar Oberth maneuver. This type of maneuver allows an object to slow down and stay trapped in the solar system’s gravity.
Loeb writes, "Given its interstellar speed of 60 kilometers per second, 3I/ATLAS entered the outer boundary of the Solar System (at 100,000 times the Earth-Sun separation) about 8,000 years ago. This was roughly when human-made technologies became advanced enough to start documenting history on Earth."
Even though Avi Loeb has made these claims, other scientists don’t agree with him. Richard Moissl, Head of Planetary Defense at the European Space Agency told Newsweek that based on all the observations they have of 3I/ATLAS, there is no evidence to suggest it came from anything other than natural causes.
Appeal Court Rules FRSC Lacks Power To Seize Drivers’ Licences, Vehicles Without Legal Grounds, Awards N10Million To Nigerian Motorist
In Appeal No: CA/OW/199/2022, between the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the Corps Marshal, and an FRSC officer identified by Uniform No. COSS 35 (1st to 3rd Appellants) and Mr. Shebbs Emmanuel Ugochukwu (Respondent), the Court of Appeal upheld the lower court’s ruling that the seizure of a driver’s licence, vehicle, or related documents without lawful justification constitutes a violation of fundamental human rights.
The Imo State Division of the Nigerian Court of Appeal in Owerri has ruled in favour of Dr. Emmanuel Ugochukwu Shebbs, affirming that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) does not have the authority to seize documents and properties of road users without lawful justification.
In Appeal No: CA/OW/199/2022, between the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the Corps Marshal, and an FRSC officer identified by Uniform No. COSS 35 (1st to 3rd Appellants) and Mr. Shebbs Emmanuel Ugochukwu (Respondent), the Court of Appeal upheld the lower court’s ruling that the seizure of a driver’s licence, vehicle, or related documents without lawful justification constitutes a violation of fundamental human rights.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justices Amina Audi Wambai, M. Lawal Abubakar, and Ntong F. Ntong, the appellate court affirmed the FRSC’s liability but reduced the damages awarded to Mr. Ugochukwu from N30 million to N10 million, to cover general and exemplary damages for the rights violation.
The enrolled order signed by Suobo Zuofa Esq. for Deputy Chief Registrar, made available to SaharaReporters on Monday, partly read: "This is an appeal against the Judgment of the High Court of Abia State, Aba Judicial Division, delivered on the 15th day of March, 2022, by Hon. Justice A.I. Nwabuogu (J) in Suit No: A/M/86/2021.
"On this Friday, the 27th day of June, 2025, upon reading the record of appeal herein and briefs of argument filed and exchanged by the parties in this appeal. And after hearing Amobi Nzelu Esq of Counsel for the Appellants and Ikechukwu D. Maduike Esq, for Counsel for the Respondent, it is here by ordered that: ‘On the whole issues 1 and 2 having been resolved against the Appellant, the decision of the lower court adjudging the Appellants as having violated the fundamental human rights of the Respondent is affirmed.
"However, the appeal succeeds in part only with respect to the quantum of damages awarded against the Appellants.
"The sum of N30,000,000.00 awarded as general and exemplary damages is reduced to N10,000,000.00 only."
Background
The case began five years ago, in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when FRSC officers stopped the Respondent/Applicant along Bende Road in Umuahia.
Ugochukwu said, "It was a Saturday–one of the designated days during the COVID-19 lockdown when Governor Okezie Ikpeazu (as with other governors) allowed residents to go out and restock essentials.”
"While it was expected that citizens would use this window to restock their homes," Ugochukwu said, "some FRSC officers saw it as an opportunity to 'restock'; not their kitchens, but their pockets."
He said, as usual, the FRSC officials checked his vehicle's documents, safety items like the spare tyre and fire extinguisher, and confirmed everything was in order.
According to him, when he was about to enter his car, one officer asked him for "something" (money), and he offered an explanation that he was heading to the market and needed to withdraw cash from an ATM.
He said, “At that moment, I had no cash on me, so literally, I had no ‘something’ to give.
"Suddenly, they embarked on a second round of inspection; this time, ransacking my car.”
"From that point, a new set of 'offences' emerged; 'worn out tire or no spare tire', they named it. From a casual 'find me something', I had suddenly become a traffic offender," Ugochukwu stated, describing it as "so funny."
Thereafter, he said the officer booked him N3,000 and retained his driver's licence.
"I didn’t argue. I left," he said in a statement made available to SaharaReporters.
"Perhaps they assumed the man driving a Toyota Avalon was just another ‘Yahoo boy’ (internet fraudster) or maybe an ordinary Nigerian youth who is easily expendable and dispensable. I don't look for trouble, but when I start, I mean business."
He said he had options but chose the legal way to contribute and enrich the legal jurisprudence on the use of roads.
He said, "I could have flashed my official ID card, and they would have responded with, 'Doc, Doc; carry go; carry go.'
"I could have picked up my phone and called one of my former students in the State Executive Council or the State House of Assembly, the PPRO or even the then Commissioner of Police (CP Janet), doing it ‘the Nigerian way.’
"I could have easily paid the N3,000 fine. But I remembered the many Nigerian youths who neither had connections nor ID Cards; those who couldn’t afford to 'pay their way out' of an abusive law enforcement system.
"I remembered the many youths whose vehicles, papers, and licences have been unlawfully confiscated by some abusive officers, who weaponise their uniforms against innocent youths contrary to the law.
"So, I decided to put myself through the crucible. I approached the High Court to enforce my fundamental rights. From the affidavit I submitted, they realised who they were dealing with.
"I received calls from well-meaning friends urging me to withdraw the case, but I refused. I wanted justice.
"The High Court gave judgment in my favour and awarded me N30 million in damages. On appeal, the Court upheld the judgment of the trial court, reduced the award to N10 million.
"But for me, it’s not about the money. It’s about the judicial precedent now established in FRSC & Anor v. Shebbs, that the seizure of a driver’s licence, vehicle, or related documents without lawful justification is a breach of fundamental rights. This is my humble contribution to the development of Human Rights Law in Nigeria."
"The Appeal Court has ruled that Road Safety does not have the right to seize documents and properties of road users unless they intend to charge you to court,” he added.
"The Appeal Court has broken the fetters of injustice in the Road Safety operations," he stated, calling on Nigerians to demand their properties seized by the agency.
Lekki airport: Pay us before demolition, Ajah residents tell LASG
Property owners and tenants in the Ajiwe community of Ajah, Lagos State, have appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the state to halt the demolition of their houses for infrastructure projects until they receive due compensation.
They claimed that their property had been slated for demolition to make way for the Gas Link pipeline and Green Line Rail projects, integral components for the new Lagos Airport under development in the Ibeju Lekki area of the state.
The affected landlords and tenants, who staged a protest on Abraham Adesanya express road, weekend, displayed placards, some of which read: “We say no to Gas Link and Green Line Rail projects demolition of our properties without Compensation,” “Our properties cannot be demolished without Compensation,” “Compensate us,” among others.
Spokesman for the protesters, Kehinde Alakoso, said the projects served an overriding public purpose, as stipulated by law, but stressed the need to consider the human cost.
Alakoso said: “We have written to the state governor, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, and other relevant people in the state. Despite these communications and a meeting with the commissioner in April 2025 where compensation assurances were given, no concrete plans have materialized.”
Lamenting the impact of the project since work began in November last year, he stated: “Since pipeline laying started last November, they have blocked entrances to a lot of businesses. These businesses are crumbling and property owners and tenants are living in fear of the unknown and incursion onto their properties.”
Highlighting the legal basis for their demand, Alakoso stressed: “We acquired these properties legitimately and they have title documents.”
The law says you can publicly acquire people’s property, but you should make provision for compensation. They must put a human face to what they are doing; let us know how you want to compensate the people.”
Also, General Secretary of the Odugbese Ajereongbe Chieftaincy family and a representative of affected Ajiwe landlords, Ahmed Ajanaku, said that the government’s promise at a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Swiss Hotel, Victoria Garden City, VGC was not kept.
Another affected tenant, Prince Olanshile Mogaji, representing occupants of Top Notch Plaza since 2004, pleaded for due process and respect.
An Abuja Chief Magistrate Court on Friday ordered the remand of a social media influencer, Ghali Isma’il, at the Keffi Correctional Centre for allegedly spreading false information about President Bola Tinubu’s health.
Isma’il, 29, was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on the publication of false news and inciting disaffection against the government.
He was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services after posting videos on his verified TikTok handle, @bola_asiwaju, falsely claiming that President Tinubu had died from poisoning.
One of the charges, titled “Publication of False News with Intent to Cause Offence Against Public Peace,” stated: “That you, Ghali Ismail, Male, twenty-nine (29) years of Jogana village, Gezawa LGA, Kano State, on or about the 20th Day of July, 2025 and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did publish false information by uploading a video clip on your verified Tiktok handle (‘bola-asiwaju’) wherein you falsely claimed that you reliably confirmed from official sources that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was critically ill, having been poisoned through his meal, with intent to cause public alarm and disturb public peace. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 418 of the Penal Code Act, Cap P3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
The second count, “Inciting Disaffection to the Government,” read in part: “…with intent to bring contempt or incite feelings of disaffection against the person of the President. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 416 of the Penal Code Act, Cap P3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
After hearing arguments from the prosecution and defence counsel, the presiding judge, Ekpeyong Iyang, denied the defendant’s bail application and ordered that Isma’il be remanded in Keffi Correctional Centre. The case was adjourned till August 19, 2025.
Isma’il’s arraignment comes days after Farooq Kperogi, a journalism professor at Kennesaw State University in the United States, publicly apologised for falsely reporting that former President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Aisha, were divorced at the time of his death.
Meanwhile, Finnish prosecutors are currently trying Biafran separatist agitator, Simon Ekpa, for terrorism-related offences. Ekpa, however, claims his controversial online posts were meant merely as “content.”
Similarly, last week in Abuja, Nnamdi Kanu, another Biafran separatist leader, told a Federal High Court that his online broadcasts — which prosecutors allege contributed to the deaths of hundreds — were meant as jokes. Finnish authorities are seeking a six-year sentence for Ekpa, arguing that his activities may amount to terrorism under the country’s laws.
Northern Nigeria facing malnutrition crisis, 652 children lost in Katsina – MSF
Northern Nigeria is currently facing an alarming malnutrition crisis, Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders, said on Friday.
MSF in a statement by the Field Communication Officer, Abdulkareem Yakubu, said, in Katsina State, for instance, where it has been present since 2021, the teams are seeing an ever-increasing number of malnourished children in its therapeutic feeding centres, with increasingly severe conditions and higher mortality rates.
Earlier this week, the World Food Programme announced it will be forced to suspend all emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in Northeast Nigeria by the end of July due to ‘critical funding shortfalls’.
A food security survey carried out by humanitarian organizations in the local government area of Kaita, in Katsina state, before the lean season began at the start of 2025 revealed that over 90 per cent of households had reduced the number of meals they ate each day.
Across the north, other factors worsening the malnutrition crisis include disease outbreaks worsened by low vaccine coverage, availability and accessibility of basic health services, and other socioeconomic indices complicated by insecurity and violence.
MSF, however, noted that in collaboration with the local authorities, emergency prevention and distribution of nutritional supplements has started for 66,000 children in Mashi Local Government Area.
“In the context of drastic cuts in international funding, the need for prevention and treatment of malnutrition is enormous in northern Nigeria, and urgent mobilisation is required. By the end of June 2025, nearly 70,000 malnourished children had already received medical care from our teams in Katsina State, including nearly 10,000 who were hospitalised in serious condition.
“Without taking into account the new healthcare facilities opened by MSF during the year in the state, this represents an increase of approximately one-third compared to last year. In addition, between January and June 2025, the number of malnourished children with nutritional oedema, the most severe and deadly form of malnutrition, rose by 208 per cent compared with the same period in 2024.
“Unfortunately, 652 children have already died in our facilities since the beginning of 2025 due to a lack of timely access to care. A worrying sign of the growing severity of this major public health emergency is that adults—particularly women, including pregnant and breastfeeding women—are also affected”, MSF noted.
The international organisation stated that a screening carried out in July in all five MSF malnutrition centres in Katsina State on 750 mothers of patients revealed that more than half of adult caregivers were acutely malnourished, including 13 per cent with severe acute malnutrition.
To cope with the massive influx of children expected by the end of the lean season in October, MSF said it has increased its support to local authorities in several states in northern Nigeria, where we provide care to the population.
“In Katsina state, for instance, we opened a new Ambulatory Therapeutic Feeding Centre in Mashi and an additional Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Centre in Turai, to provide a total of 900 beds in two MSF-supported hospitals,” it added.
The country representative of MSF in Nigeria, Ahmed Aldikhari, explained that, “The year 2024 marked a turning point in northern Nigeria’s nutritional crisis, with an increase of 25 per cent from the previous year.
“But the true scale of the crisis exceeds all predictions. We are currently witnessing massive budget cuts, particularly from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, which are having a real impact on the treatment of malnourished children.
“At the same time, we observe ever-increasing needs, such as in Katsina State, where an increasing number of people cannot afford to buy food anymore, even though it is available in markets.”
On his part, the nutrition referent at MSF, Emmanuel Berbain, said, “The most urgent way to reduce the risk of immediate death from malnutrition is to ensure families have access to food.
“This can be done through large-scale distribution of food or nutritional supplements, as we are currently doing in the Mashi area, or through cash distributions when and where it is possible.”
MSF added that the capacity to care for and treat malnourished children must also be expanded, both by increasing the number of beds in health facilities and by providing funding and access to Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food.
“These actions must be undertaken as a priority in areas where the needs – i.e. the number of malnourished children – are greatest.
People over the age of five, who are also increasingly affected by malnutrition but are currently not covered by any assistance, should also be included in prevention programs.
On July 8, the Vice President Kashim Shettima publicly sounded the alarm on the scale of malnutrition in Nigeria, warning that it deprives almost 40 per cent of children under the age of five of their full physical and cognitive potential. He described the situation as a national emergency requiring urgent and collective action.
Meanwhile, MSF treated over 300,000 malnourished children in seven northern states in 2024, a 25 per cent increase from 2023.
“In the Northwest alone, where MSF tackles malnutrition in the states of Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, and Zamfara, we have already treated almost 100,000 children suffering from severe and moderate acute malnutrition in outpatient treatment centres in the first six months of 2025 and hospitalised around 25,000 malnourished children,” the statement concluded.
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