₦airaland Forum

When Nigeria removed fuel subsidy in 2023, the decision was presented as a painful but necessary step to rescue the nation’s finances. Government officials argued that subsidy payments were draining public resources and pushing the country deeper into debt.

Today, Nigeria’s public debt has climbed to about ₦121 trillion, according to the Debt Management Office, while prices of food, transportation, and other basic needs continue to rise across the country.

Many Nigerians now find themselves asking a difficult question: If removing fuel subsidy saved money, why is life still so expensive?

Today on Nigeria Daily, we speak with ordinary Nigerians feeling the daily impact of rising costs, a public policy commentator on how subsidy savings are being managed, and an economist on whether removing fuel subsidy truly saved Nigeria’s economy or simply shifted the burden onto citizens.

Did Removing Fuel Subsidy Really Save Nigeria?
Click Here To Listen To Trust Radio Live
Audio | Podcast

Here's the video from the cabin of Icelandair Boeing 757-200 (TF-ISR) that performed an unauthorized low pass over Vestmannaeyjar (Captain's Village) two days ago on his retirement flight.

The captain is doing a low pass over his village, Vestmannaeyjar, on his retirement flight. The customer is always right, and from the cabin, you can hear the passengers seem to enjoy the ride, even though Icelandair has treated it seriously by reporting the incident to the police and the Icelandic Transport Authority.

The maneuver marked the captain’s final flight after 40 years of service flying over the trails of his youth.

The Icelandair B757 arriving from Frankfurt en route to Keflavík, descended toward the islands before climbing again, with Flightradar24 data showing a lowest recorded altitude of about 1,375 ft.

However, many residents described their homes as “literally shaking” as the jet roared overhead, sparking panic across the town.


ICELANDAIR REPORTS OWN PILOT TO POLICE OVER LOW FLYOVER INCIDENT.

ICELANDAIR REPORTS OWN PILOT TO POLICE OVER LOW FLYOVER INCIDENT.
Icelandair has taken a serious stance after one of its pilots allegedly flew a Boeing 757 (TF-ISR) below permitted altitude, nearly 100 m/328 ft over Vestmannaeyjar, during his final flight before retirement.

The… pic.twitter.com/DwjzuV3L0z

— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) April 11, 2026

Icelandair is investigating a retiring airline pilot’s controversial final flight after the pilot allegedly flew a Boeing 757 at a low altitude over his childhood home, contrary to international safety standards. https://t.co/9sze0A1XpV pic.twitter.com/u54iooziUm

— ABC News (@ABC) April 14, 2026

Icelandair has taken a serious stance after one of its pilots allegedly flew a Boeing 757 (TF-ISR) below permitted altitude, nearly 100 m/328 ft over Vestmannaeyjar, during his final flight before retirement.

The captain, a native of the area, was saying goodbye after 40 years of service and reportedly carried out the low-level pass while operating a Frankfurt-Keflavík service. According to the airline's Chief Flight Officer, the maneuver was conducted without management knowledge or approval and only came to light after the incident.

On his final retirement flight, an Icelandair Boeing 757 performed an unauthorized low pass over the Westman Islands the pilot’s childhood home.

FlightRadar data shows the descent… and the sudden climb. Emotional farewell or aviation violation, WHO’S AT FAULT?

In 1982, My father was on a bus when a young lady in a nurse's uniform got on board. When the bus came to his stop, he walked to her seat & put a 50ngwee coin in her hand & told her he would find her.
My mom told me that she didn't pay him much attention that day on the bus because he looked old & rugged. At that time my dad had lost his job & didnt have much.

He had defaulted on a loan & the bank had seized most of his property. and the toils of this life had worn him down. My mom was scared when this strange dirty looking man put a coin in her hand that she didn't say a word to him.

My dad knew he wud find her because there was only one clinic in the area at that time & so he figured she must work there. So the next day he went to the clinic to look for her. He did not know her name & So he went to the sister in charge and described her.

The sister in charge was so kind that she took my dad round the clinic to meet all the nurses she had on duty that day hoping he wud recognise her but alas she was not among those on duty that day.

After further description of her, the sister in charge concluded that the woman he was seeking was a young nurse by the name of Elizabeth and that she would be on duty the following day.

My dad bid her goodbye with the promise that he would return the following day.
True to his word. The following day, my dad took the 2 hour walk from his farm to the clinic to find his mystery nurse.

The moment my mom got to the clinic, the sister in charge told her of the man who was looking for her, from the description of the man, my mom knew it was the man from the bus who had given her the coin.

Around noon my dad reached the clinic, when my mom saw him coming, she was so embarrassed because of his appearance so she hid under a hospital bed. They looked for her but couldnt find her.

My dad chatted with the sister in charge for a few minutes then left. He went to the clinic the following day & caught her unaware, he introduced himself to her & spoke to her for some time, told her about himself & his interest in her.

She recalls how he wore the same pair of black canvas shoes that had a hole in them that allowed his pinkie toe to protrude. My mom was so embarrassed, she cudnt wait for him to leave.

He kept on going to see her, sometimes she wud tell her friends to lie to my dad that she wasn't around & he wud go back. But sometimes he wud find her unexpectedly & she would talk to him briefly & then make up an excuse to make him leave.

My dad followed her to the clinic for sometime and then he stopped. He saw she wasn't interested because of the cold shoulder she would give him & he knew the friends where lying when they said she wasn't there. So he stayed away.

A week passed without him going there, & that started bothering my mom. She would stand outside the clinic looking at the long dusty road hoping to see him coming but he never did. All of a sudden, his old canvas shoes with a hole in them he wore each time he went there with the protruding pinkie toe didnt embarrass her as much...She realised she missed him.

One day she decided to go to the sister in charge, she saw them chatting a number of times after she wud blow him off & so she hoped she could help her find him.

The sister in charge who was alot older than my mom, sat her down & told her not to judge people by their outward appearances. She told my mom that she felt my dad was a good man who had just fallen on some tough times & that she shud get to know him.

One day as my mom was seated with other nurses in the nurse's station, she saw a lone figure coming up the long dusty road, it was my dad...oh she jumped up & ran to meet him at the road. She was so happy to see him.

They spent the afternoon together & my mom told me how happy she was. He wore the same old worn out canvas shoes that had a hole, but that day she was seeing him through the eyes of love. She saw a man who she felt could love her better than the other men who had let her down before.

When he left, the sister in charge sat my mom down and told her about the proverbs 31 woman from the bible. She told her not to look at what he didn't have, but to concentrate on what was there and build from that. She told her that all my dad had was an old house on a farm but if she was wise, that was enough to sustain them. She told her to ask God for wisdom to use that land to be a blessing in his life." My parents had a traditional marriage shortly after.

On her days off, my mom made a vegetable garden. She would carry the vegetables she grew with her to work at the clinic and people would buy. Her garden grew that she hired farm workers, with the profit she built small houses on the land & put them on rent.

By the time I was 18, my mom had built 23 two roomed flats on our farm and had tenants. My mom bought cattle and would supply milk to people.

My mom's exploits motivated my dad to also start farming. He started growing and supplying strawberries to supermarkets. My mom got early retirement from nursing to concentrate on farming, she would supply maize to National mealing & vegetables to shoprite. Together they worked & grew. It was rare to find my mom without my dad nearby.

I saw my parents working together and at the end of the day, I saw them praying together. In 2014 When my dad died, my mom asked me to write a tribute from her for his funeral, she told me that she was grateful he didnt give up on her...& that he decided to go back to the clinic one last time.

🌼🌿🌼🌿🌼🌿🌼🌿🌼🌿🌼🌿🌼🌿🌼🌿🌼🌿

-Many people will encounter true love atleast once in their lifetime, but many will miss it or already missed it because the love God sent their way did not come in the packaging they wanted.

Vanity & unrealistic expectations has made many people overlook the person who would have made their stay here on this earth a pleasant one.

They chose to love the wrong person because he or she had the right body, the right job, drove the right car or wore the right clothes and walked passed a love that was truly true just because it did not come in the "right" packaging.

🌿💚🌿🤍🌿💚🌿🤍🌿💚🌿🤍🌿💚🌿🤍🌿💚

My mom almost missed the love of her life because he didn't come in the right packaging. She was embarrassed of his appearance & financial situation & was scared what her family & friends would say.
But thank God for that sister in charge.

🌿🦋🌿💚🌿🦋🌿💛🌿🦋🌿💚🌿🦋🌿💛🌿

-The charm of beauty & the pride of life are often the fortress of loneliness & great sadness.

-If u r ever given a choice....please choose someone who brings peace to your life rather than someone who excites you.

HISTORY WORE UNIFORM AND SALUTED BACK.

🇳🇬🪖MWO Eno Essien has been promoted to Captain the first female in Nigerian Army history to benefit from this Concessional Promotion. Not by privilege. By performance.

WHY A MASTER WARRANT OFFICER WAS PROMOTED TO CAPTAIN?
A lot of people were surprised seeing a Master Warrant Officer promoted directly to the rank of Captain. But here’s the truth, it is not a mistake. It is called a CONCESSIONAL COMMISSION.

The Concessional Commission is a special pathway in the Armed Forces designed to reward exceptional non-commissioned officers who have given decades of dedicated service. It is not for everyone.

To qualify, such a soldier must:
-Reach the rank of Master Warrant Officer or equivalent and above.
-Have an outstanding service record and leadership qualities.
-Complete over three decades of unbroken service.

When granted, the individual is commissioned as a Captain (or equivalent in other services). This is not just about rank , it is about honour, recognition, and reward for years of sacrifice and discipline. It also improves their retirement benefits and serves as motivation for other senior soldiers.

However, this type of commission is:
🪖Terminal (not for further promotion).
🪖Short in duration before retirement.
🪖Focused purely on recognition and legacy.

So the next time you see a senior soldier move from the Non Commission Officer (NCO) to Commission Officer level, understand this: It is not politics. It is not favoritism.

✅ It is recognition earned through years of service. In the military, loyalty and consistency are always rewarded one way or another. Congratulations, Ma once again.

For every woman told she can't lead here's proof the ceiling cracks. Congratulations, Captain Eno Essien. You didn't just rise you opened a door.
#ThankASoldier
#ForGodAndCountryAlways
#GodBlessEverySoldier
#WomenInUniform

This is the first time an African president would talk about Nigeria in a less than admirable tone. But would you blame the president of Ghana for speaking so frankly? Bola Tinubu opened the floodgates with that less than careless remark on Kenya. True leaders don’t do that! pic.twitter.com/XGk3rVYDoX

— NEFERTITI (@firstladyship) April 14, 2026

Stephen0mozzy:
Government of Statistics.
How's Nigeria's Cost of Living compared to UK and US? How about quality of life? How about value of life?

There's even a thread on frontpage now with Omomo Ghana here saying we should get better so that we'll stop coming to their country...

https://x.com/i/status/2044063047598149678

The Presidency has highlighted Nigeria’s improving economic outlook, noting that the country is projected to grow faster than major economies such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and South Africa in 2026.

According to the latest World Economic Outlook released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in April 2026, Nigeria’s economy is expected to expand by 4.1% in 2026. This rate is higher than the projected growth for the United States (2.3%), the United Kingdom (0.8%), Germany (0.8%), and South Africa (1.0%).

The IMF also forecasts Nigeria’s growth at 4.3% for 2027, placing the country among the stronger performers in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the regional average is projected at 4.3% for 2026.

Reacting to the figures, the Presidency, through the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, attributed the positive outlook to the ongoing economic reforms being implemented under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

“Nigeria, under the visionary leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is turning the corner,” Bwala stated on X. “Latest projections by the International Monetary Fund show our economy growing at 4.1% in 2026, faster than the US, UK, Germany, and even South Africa.”

The statement further noted that the reforms, though challenging in the short term, are “slowly but steadily showing tangible fruits. President Tinubu is not joking; he is seriously fixing the economy,” he added.

Key highlights from the IMF report show that while advanced economies are expected to record modest growth — with the United States at 2.3%, the Euro Area at 1.1%, and Japan at 0.7% in 2026 — emerging and developing economies, including Nigeria, are projected to drive global growth.

Within Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria’s projected 4.1% growth in 2026 is above the regional average and significantly stronger than South Africa’s 1.0%.

The Presidency expressed confidence that continued implementation of reforms in areas such as fiscal management, energy sector revitalization, and ease of doing business will further strengthen Nigeria’s growth trajectory in the coming years.

Economists have noted that while the IMF projections are encouraging, sustaining this momentum will depend on addressing critical challenges such as inflation, insecurity, and infrastructure deficits.

The full IMF World Economic Outlook report also projects global growth at 3.1% for 2026, with emerging markets and developing economies expected to grow at 3.9%.

Nigeria, under the visionary leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is turning the corner. Latest projections by the International Monetary Fund show our economy growing at 4.1% in 2026, faster than the US, UK, Germany, and even South Africa.

Slowly but steadily, the… pic.twitter.com/MmNsOB4qfS

— D. H Bwala (@BwalaDaniel) April 14, 2026

We are f!ght!ng for our rights, and you say you will deal with people? You cannot intimidate us’- retired Nigerian police officers slam senior police officer who allegedly threatened one of them during a protest at the force Headquarters over delayed pension payments pic.twitter.com/qR2crsszxh

— Oyigbo hype wahala𓃵 (@oyigbohypewahal) April 13, 2026

Happening Now: Retired Nigeria Police officers protest at Force Headquarters over unpaid pensions, calling the situation unfair and painful. pic.twitter.com/nsWgwcWZee

— Seleman (@Eromosele6) April 13, 2026

Retired police officers on April 13, 2026, stormed the Force Headquarters in Abuja to demand payment of their pensions.

The retired pensioners, in solidarity, sang as they marched to the force headquarters to register their displeasure over unpaid gratuities and poor pension conditions.

They sang songs that depicted they were dissatisfied with the way their pension was being handled and how much was being paid to them.

Retired police officers are pushing back against intimidation, saying "You cannot intimidate us" after a senior officer allegedly threatened one of them during a protest at the force HQ over unpaid pensions. The officers claim they're fighting for their rights and won't be silenced.

The protest highlights ongoing issues with pension payments, sparking tensions between retired officers and the police leadership.

EXCLUSIVE: Tinubu's Newly Appointed INEC Chairman Prof Amupitan Wrote Legal Brief In 2020 Report Confirming Genocidal Killings In Nigeria; “Legal Brief: Genocide (Silent Slaughter) in Nigeria – The Implications for the International Community."

“it is a notorious fact that there is perpetration of crimes under international law in Nigeria, particularly crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.”

“While the country is trying to manage the concerns engendered by the clamour for self-determination, two violent extremist groups have emerged to exacerbate an already deteriorating situation… Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen, responsible for an orgy of bloodbath and massive displacements in many States across Nigeria.”

Accusing the Nigerian government of constitutional failure, asserting that the neglect of the state to prosecute alleged perpetrators had made international intervention “a moral and legal necessity.”

“The victims of the crises are mainly the Christian population and the minority ethnic groups in Nigeria. Hence the need for remedial actions under the international law.”

Tracing the historical roots of Nigeria’s ethno-religious conflicts, Amupitan wrote that the “drive for Islamisation of Nigeria through the jihad of 1804” had now reappeared through modern extremist movements. He described the Fulani-led jihad of Uthman Dan Fodio as a “full-blown Islamization agenda”, arguing that the same ideological undercurrent still drives much of the current violence in northern Nigeria.

“Following the 19th century jihad of Uthman Dan Fodio, the Hausa territories were conquered and the Sokoto Caliphate established. The success of the jihad was one of the religious triumphalism that aimed at expanding the caliphate to other parts of Nigeria in the irrevocable bid to dip the Quran into the Atlantic Ocean in Lagos.”

The caliphate thereafter became a dominant force in the north,” and that subsequent governments had continued to protect its influence through political manipulation and systemic favoritism. The legal brief also accused Nigerian authorities of deliberately avoiding the term “genocide” to escape international accountability:

“States are skeptical of naming ‘genocide’ the way it is to avoid committing resources to stop it and to punish perpetrators. Such States easily find cover under the principle of complementarity. Concealing genocide becomes a strategy to guard sovereignty and protect ego, at the expense of innocent lives.”

The alleged involvement of the State and non-State actors in the commission of crimes under international law in Nigeria has complicated an already complex situation.

Consequently, the situation beckons the urgent need for a neutral and impartial third-party intervention, especially the UN and its key organs, the military and economic superpowers.

International law supersedes absolute state sovereignty in cases of genocide and crimes against humanity...."

Prof. Amupitan concluded his paper by making a direct appeal to the United Nations and global powers to intervene in Nigeria’s crisis: