Welcome to today's roundup of Nigerian newspaper headlines, accompanied by our advocacy-focused calls for government action on pressing issues that impact citizens.
1. The Guardian: NGE Insists on Free Press as Tinubu Urges Fairness, Pledges Recovery
We begin with the Guardian, which reports that the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has raised concerns about the worsening financial state of the Nigerian media, warning that many organisations are on the brink of collapse due to soaring operational costs.
Our Take: It is time for the government to match its frequent praise of the 'vibrant Nigerian press' with actual support that helps it stay alive, not just in spirit, but in print and pixels. If democracy truly needs a free press to breathe, then policymakers must stop watching the media suffocate under taxes and production costs. After all, a newsroom without paper or journalists can only print silence.
2. The Guardian: Nigeria Records 566,300 Leaked Accounts Amid 90.6m Global Breaches
A latest study by cybersecurity company Surfshark has ranked Nigeria as the 16th most breached country in Q3 2025, with 408,900 leaked accounts, revealing that in 2025, the country had witnessed 566,300 breached accounts.
Our Take: It's high time the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) stopped treating data breaches like harmless internet gossip and started acting like the digital gatekeepers they claim to be. With millions of Nigerians' personal details now strolling freely through cyberspace, these agencies should start patching the leaks.
3. Daily Trust: Despite Tinubu's Pledge, FG Takes Fresh N1.15 Trillion Loan
Daily Trust reports that despite a recent statement by President Bola Tinubu that Nigeria had stopped taking domestic loans, the National Assembly yesterday approved a fresh request from the federal government to borrow N1.15 trillion from the domestic debt market to fund the deficit in the 2025 budget.
Our Take: At this point, Nigerians deserve more than headlines announcing yet another loan, they deserve a clear record of how every borrowed naira is spent. The Ministry of Finance and the Debt Management Office must publish transparent, accessible reports showing where these funds go and what they achieve, while the National Assembly should follow up beyond mere approval to ensure real oversight.
4. Vanguard: UN Names Nigeria, Mali among 16 Hunger Crisis Hotspot
Vanguard reports that two United Nations food agencies warned yesterday that millions more people around the globe could face famine, with funding shortfalls worsening already dire conditions.
The Rome-based agencies listed Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen as the worst, 'where populations face an imminent risk of catastrophic hunger'.
Also classified as a 'very high concern' were Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, and Syria, with Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, and the situation of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh also making the list.
Our Take: With Nigeria now earning a spot on the UN's 'hunger hotspot' list, perhaps it is time for the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the National Emergency Management Agency to do more than hold press briefings about 'food security roadmaps'. President Tinubu might also want to turn his famous 'Renewed Hope' slogan into renewed meals for millions who can barely afford garri. If the UN can see our hunger from Rome, surely Abuja doesn't need binoculars to notice it, unless, of course, the next National Budget plans to feed only the headlines.