Tuesday 20 October

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News

What happened, and what it means for you.

  1. CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso said on Thursday, 8 October 2026, that Nigeria's net foreign reserves had risen to $46 billion and gross reserves had passed $55 billion.
  2. Net reserves have grown by about $11.2 billion since the end of December 2025, when they stood at $34.80 billion.
  3. The naira closed at ₦1,332.10 to the dollar on the official market on 8 October, and the CBN's Monetary Policy Committee next meets on 23 and 24 November 2026.
Gist Reel

Economy · 4 min read

CBN puts net reserves at $46bn: what Nigeria’s bigger buffer means for you

CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso says net foreign reserves have reached $46bn and gross reserves have passed $55bn. Here is what the two figures mean for the naira and for you.

Nigeria's net foreign reserves have risen to $46 billion and gross reserves have passed $55 billion, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Olayemi Cardoso said on Thursday, 8 October 2026. He was speaking at the Nigeria-Asia Connectivity Dialogue in Singapore, according to ThisDay. "The gross foreign reserves are now at an all-time high of $55 billion," Cardoso said, as reported…

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VideoVideo: INEC Nigeria on YouTube

Explainers · Video

INEC voter register display: how to check your details by 15 October

INEC is displaying the preliminary voter register at ward centres until 15 October and has started handing out PVCs. Here is how to check your details and fix errors.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) began a nationwide display of the voter register on Friday, 9 October 2026, giving registered voters until Thursday, 15 October to check their details and raise claims or objections. Collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) also began nationwide on Friday. This is the preliminary register for the 2027 general elections, and the display lets…

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VideoVideo: Channels Television on YouTube

Economy · Video

NNPC petrol discount and ₦1,350 ceiling: what the FG’s fuel plan means for you

The FG will sell petrol at cost at NNPC stations for 30 days and is negotiating a ₦1,350 cap on landing costs. Here is how it works and what is still unclear.

Updated 09:20 WAT, 12 Oct 2026: The Presidency says the government's 30-day discount is an extension of NNPC Retail's Independence anniversary discount, funded from NNPC Retail's own margin. Updated 09:11 WAT, 10 Oct 2026: NNPC says its ₦66-a-litre petrol discount, introduced on 1 October, now runs until 31 October and is not a subsidy. The Federal Government will offer a…

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  1. Nigeria marks 66 years of independence on 1 October 2026; this opinion piece traces how its history still shapes the country.
  2. The writer argues that the 1914 amalgamation, the civil war, decades of military rule and oil dependence explain today's debates on identity, federalism and trust in government.
  3. The piece closes with lessons for future generations, from credible elections to economic diversification.
Gist Reel

History · 13 min read

Nigeria at 66: how our history shapes the country today

As Nigeria turns 66, an opinion piece on how colonial rule, the civil war, military rule and oil still shape national identity, politics and everyday attitudes, and what the past can teach the next generation.

Opinion | Nigeria at 66 Nigeria marks 66 years of independence today, 1 October 2026. From pre-colonial kingdoms to the Fourth Republic, the country's past still shapes how Nigerians see one another, how they vote and what they expect from government. Here is how, and what that history could teach the next generation. Historical Events That Shaped Nigeria Pre-Colonial Foundations…

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  1. The FCT has been placed in the high-risk category for flooding from 27 September to 10 October 2026, with areas including Kubwa, Gwarinpa, Nyanya and Wuse at risk.
  2. The Federal Fire Service FCT Command named practices that worsen flooding, including dumping refuse in drains and building on floodplains.
  3. Residents can call the fire service's FCT emergency line on 0803 200 3557.
Gist Reel

News · 2 min read

FCT on high flood alert as fire service warns against practices that worsen flooding

The FCT is in the high-risk category for flooding from 27 September to 10 October, and the Federal Fire Service has named the practices residents must stop to avoid making it worse.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been placed on high flood alert from 27 September to 10 October 2026, and the Federal Fire Service has named the everyday practices it says make flooding worse, Vanguard and ThisDay reported. The National Flood Early Warning Systems Centre, under the Federal Ministry of Environment, issued the alert on Monday, 28 September. It lists…

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  1. The FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat said on 29 September that a viral post linking a diphtheria case in Abuja to sliced watermelon could not be verified.
  2. A rapid response team found no matching case on the FCT diphtheria line list or in National Reference Laboratory records.
  3. Officials say the FCT outbreak is real, mostly affecting unvaccinated children aged five to nine, and urge three doses of the pentavalent vaccine.
Gist Reel

News · 2 min read

FCT health secretariat debunks viral diphtheria claim, urges vaccination

The FCT Health Secretariat says a viral post linking a diphtheria case to sliced watermelon could not be verified, but warns that the FCT outbreak is real and urges parents to vaccinate their children.

A post circulating on social media claimed that a resident of an Abuja estate had contracted diphtheria after eating sliced watermelon. It included a photograph of the person, an address and a diagnosis, none of which health officials could confirm. In a statement on Tuesday, 29 September, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary of the FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat,…

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  1. An early-morning explosion at a gas outlet near Liberty Junction, Kubwa, on Sunday, 27 September, damaged at least nine shops and a police traffic post. Reports say a car rammed the outlet. The driver and a child were rescued, and no deaths were reported.
Gist Reel

News · 2 min read

Gas explosion rocks Kubwa after car hits gas outlet

A car rammed a gas outlet near Liberty Junction, Kubwa, early on Sunday, 27 September, starting a fire that damaged at least nine shops and a police traffic post. The driver and a child were rescued, and no deaths were reported.

An early-morning gas explosion rocked the Liberty Junction area of Kubwa, Abuja, on Sunday, 27 September, after a car rammed a gas retail station, injuring the driver and starting a fire that spread to nearby shops and a police traffic post. The incident happened at about 6:15am on Arab Road, and at least nine shops were affected. The vehicle was…

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  1. FCT Police say a woman and two guest house workers were arrested over the disposal of a man's body, found under Katampe Bridge, Abuja, on 26 August.
  2. Police allege the woman left the Gwarinpa guest house with his phone after finding him not breathing, and that two staff dumped the body.
  3. The cause of his death is still under investigation, and the claims are allegations, not court findings.
Gist Reel

News · 2 min read

Police arrest woman and two hotel staff over disposal of man’s body in Abuja

FCT Police say a woman and two guest house workers have been arrested after a man's body was dumped under Katampe Bridge, Abuja. Police stress that the cause of his death is still under investigation.

Police in the Federal Capital Territory have arrested a woman and two guest house workers over the death of a man whose body was dumped under Katampe Bridge in Abuja, Daily Trust and Legit.ng reported. FCT Police Commissioner Ahmed Sanusi announced the arrests at a press conference on Saturday, 26 September. He said the investigation began after the man's family…

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  1. Former US Air Force members Chijioke Timothy Odimegwu, 25, and Harafat Mogaji, 26, were sentenced in the Southern District of Iowa on Friday, 25 September 2026.
  2. Odimegwu got 111 months and Mogaji 78 months for a phishing and business email scheme that diverted about $2.4 million, the US Justice Department said on 29 September 2026.
  3. The viral "15 years" figure is their combined 189 months, and the Justice Department release of 29 September 2026 does not state either man's nationality.
Gist Reel

World · 3 min read

US Air Force pair get 111 and 78 months in jail over $2.4m email fraud

Chijioke Odimegwu and Harafat Mogaji were stationed at Dover Air Force Base when they diverted millions from US businesses. The viral "15 years" claim adds their terms together, and the official record never names a nationality.

A US federal judge has sent two men who were serving in the United States Air Force to prison over a phishing and email-fraud scheme that diverted about $2.4 million, the US Department of Justice announced on Tuesday, 29 September. Chijioke Timothy Odimegwu, 25, got 111 months and Harafat Mogaji, 26, got 78 months. That is nine years and three…

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  1. Tinubu is back in Lagos after a four-week UK and France trip, will attend an MKO Abiola film premiere on October 1, then return to Abuja for the 2027 campaigns.
Gist Reel

News · 1 min read

BREAKING: Tinubu Returns to Nigeria After Four-Week Working Vacation

Tinubu Returns to Lagos After Four-Week Working Vacation President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Lagos following a four-week working vacation in the United Kingdom and France. His first major public engagement in the city is the premiere of a film honouring the late MKO Abiola, widely recognised as the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. The premiere holds…

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  1. A police sergeant has died after a 20-year-old driver allegedly knocked him down and dragged him under a car during a stop-and-search in Lagos, Commissioner of Police Fatai Tijani said on Monday, 28 September.
  2. The driver was arrested and the vehicle recovered; the driver told journalists his brakes had failed.
  3. Tijani urged motorists to obey lawful instructions at stop-and-search points and to report police misconduct through proper channels.
Gist Reel

News · 2 min read

Lagos police sergeant dies after being dragged by car during stop-and-search

Lagos police say a 20-year-old driver knocked down a sergeant during a stop-and-search and dragged him for several metres. The officer died of his injuries; the driver says his brakes failed.

A 20-year-old driver has been arrested in Lagos after allegedly knocking down a police sergeant during a stop-and-search operation and dragging him for several metres, Lagos Police Commissioner Fatai Tijani said. The officer later died of his injuries. How it happened Tijani briefed journalists at the command headquarters on Monday, 28 September. He said officers were carrying out routine stop-and-search…

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  1. Ethiopia's army and allied militias took Alamata, about 120km south of Mekelle, on Monday, with two diplomatic sources confirming its fall, Reuters reported.
  2. Ethiopia closed its embassy in Eritrea and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats on Thursday, after blasts were heard overnight in Addis Ababa.
  3. A doctor at Alamata General Hospital told the BBC at least 52 civilians were killed in three days of fighting around the town; a pro-government militia now claims to have taken Maychew, about 75km from Mekelle.
Gist Reel

World · 7 min read

Ethiopia’s army takes key Tigray town as war tests Obasanjo’s peace deal

Federal troops and allied militias have seized Alamata, the southern gateway into Tigray, as Ethiopia's worst fighting since 2022 spreads into Afar and piles pressure on Olusegun Obasanjo's African Union mediation.

Updated 18:00 WAT, 1 Oct 2026: Ethiopia has closed its embassy in Eritrea and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats after blasts were heard overnight in Addis Ababa, while pro-government forces claim to have taken Maychew and retaken Erebti. Updated 10:02 WAT, 1 Oct 2026: A hospital doctor told the BBC that at least 52 civilians were killed in three days of…

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