Following the crash of a Nigerian Air Force plane in Ondo state, the national assembly has called for a comprehensive audit of the serviceability and airworthiness of all aircrafts in the service.

The call was made on Tuesday by the senate and house of representatives, whose members raised concerns about recurring military aircraft accidents and the need to strengthen maintenance, safety protocols and oversight of ageing fleets.

In the senate, the resolution followed a motion sponsored by Osita Ngwu, senator representing Enugu west, during plenary.

Lawmakers expressed concern that recurring military air crashes had claimed the lives of officers, raising questions about aircraft maintenance, ageing fleets, operational safety protocols and airworthiness.

The senate also warned that without a transparent and comprehensive investigation, lessons from the incident might not be learnt to prevent future occurrences.

In its resolutions, the senate observed a minute’s silence in honour of the victims and extended condolences to President Bola Tinubu, the chief of air staff, the NAF, the Ondo state government and the families of those who died.

It urged the NAF and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to conduct a thorough, transparent and comprehensive investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the crash and make their findings public.

The upper legislative chamber also mandated its committees on air force and aviation to visit the crash site, engage NAF authorities and conduct a holistic audit of the serviceability and airworthiness of aircraft in the presidential and military fleets.

The senate also urged the federal government to prioritise funding for regular maintenance and the replacement of ageing military aircraft.

Tahir Monguno, senator representing Borno north, seconded the motion and called on the relevant committees to conduct a comprehensive audit of aircraft in the NAF fleet.

“It is high time for our relevant committees to conduct a comprehensive audit to determine the serviceability and readiness of the aircraft in the fleet of the Nigerian Air Force, to determine their airworthiness, so that we will prevent a future occurrence of this ugly scenario,” he said.

Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north, proposed an additional prayer asking the senate to direct the leadership of the NAF to submit its aircraft maintenance budgetary provisions.

“It is my prayer that the senate directs the leadership of the Nigerian Air Force to make available to the senate, through the relevant senate committee, the budgetary provisions for the maintenance of the aircraft,” he said.

Titus Zam, senator representing Benue north-west, seconded the additional prayer, saying the inquiry should determine the amount allocated to the NAF for maintenance and whether the funding was sufficient to prevent the incident.

Similarly, the house of representatives lawmakers also called for stronger aircraft maintenance and airworthiness management following a motion moved by Alhassan Rurum.

After adopting the motion, the house urged the NAF to strengthen its maintenance systems, particularly for ageing aircraft, and ensure that only aircraft that meet prescribed safety standards are deployed for operations.

Donald Ojogo, a member of the house, commended the pilot, saying their actions helped minimise the destruction that could have occurred had the aircraft crashed in a densely populated area.

“We have to give kudos to the pilot. It is a very sad incident,” he said.

Babajimi Benson, chairman of the house committee on army, described the crash as a painful reminder of the risks military personnel face in the course of defending the country.

“We must never take their service and courage for granted,” Benson said.

1. The Federal Government has begun engaging state governors, transport unions and commercial fleet operators to enforce lower transport fares for commuters using Compressed Natural Gas-powered vehicles, as its CNG initiative attracts more than $2.5bn in private-sector investment.

The Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles said it would introduce stickers displaying designated routes and approved fares on buses deployed under its programme to improve transparency and prevent operators from overcharging passengers.

2. The United States of America has placed Nigeria on its Child Soldiers Prevention Act blacklist, saying the designation could lead to cuts in military training, weapons sales, foreign military financing, and defence cooperation from October 1, 2026, unless President Donald Trump issues a waiver. This came after the State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report cited the continued recruitment and use of children by Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa on Nigerian soil.

3. The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has said Islamic leaders will draw political leaders’ attention to the hardship facing Nigerians and press for measures to improve the welfare of ordinary citizens. He said religious leaders were aware of the concerns raised by Nigerians and would continue to urge those in authority to address the challenges confronting the country.

4. Vice President Kashim Shettima has issued a rallying call to the North to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 presidential election, declaring that the region has nothing to fear from a second term for the President. Shettima also urged northern leaders and citizens to unite behind the President’s re-election bid, describing the administration’s second-term agenda as a “secure, bulletproof guarantee for the region.”

5. Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Yusuf Buratai (retd.), disclosed on Monday that the $1 billion approved by the Federal Government for defence procurement during his tenure as Army Chief was released to the Ministry of Defence and not directly to the services. Buratai said the funds, which were approved by the National Economic Council (NEC), did not pass through his hands or the accounts of the Nigerian Army, Navy or Air Force.

6. Troops of the Nigerian Army, in collaboration with personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, local hunters and forest guards, have killed three suspected kidnappers and rescued an abducted victim in Edo State. The operation was conducted on Sunday at Sasaro Forest in the Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of the state.

7. Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s public offer has reportedly attracted subscriptions several times above its original fundraising target, with a fourfold subscription of the N2.15tn offer value translating to about N8.61tn. President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, disclosed on Monday that subscriptions had exceeded the amount the company originally intended to raise by more than three or four times, as the refinery extended the closing date of its share offer by two weeks to attract more African investors.

8. The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has defended the Federal Government’s decision to divert the Ondo section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, saying the original route crossed terrain with pits more than 100 metres deep, which would have significantly increased construction costs. Umahi spoke in Abuja while providing an update on President Bola Tinubu’s four legacy road projects, insisting that the diversion was based on engineering considerations and the need to ensure value for public funds.

9. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Monday declared himself the field commander of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the FCT, pledging to coordinate the President’s campaign in the territory and Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections. Wike made the declaration at a Rainbow Coalition stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, where he unveiled a cross-party mobilisation strategy involving members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to secure Tinubu’s re-election.

10. A Federal High Court in Abuja heard on Monday that international terrorist organisation – Al-Qaeda –  supported members of the proscribed terrorist group – Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU) –  to stage the May 15 attacks on schools in  Oriire Local Government, Oyo State. The attacks, the court also heard, were to force the Federal Government to release their leaders who were arrested and being prosecuted.

1. Political parties and their candidates have begun moves to resolve discrepancies in the Independent National Electoral Commission’s final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, following the omission of several governorship and other candidates across the country.

The development has triggered protests and anxiety among affected parties, with the Peoples Democratic Party, Nigeria Democratic Congress, African Democratic Congress and other political platforms engaging the electoral commission over the missing names.

2. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has demanded immediate and full transparency from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, over reported redeployments in key departments and the production, printing and custody of sensitive materials for the 2027 general elections. In a statement issued by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the reported changes in the Electoral Operations Department raised serious questions that INEC must answer without delay.

3. Dangote Refinery-backed MRS and other Nigerian filling stations have increased their retail prices of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popularly known as petrol. A market survey conducted on Sunday showed that filling stations in Abuja and its environs had raised petrol prices to N1,409 per litre from N1,370.

4. The United States Department of Homeland Security has released the names and photographs of 24 Nigerian nationals arrested by immigration officers over alleged criminal offences. The development comes as the Donald Trump administration intensifies its immigration enforcement campaign.

5. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said his administration’s investments in compressed natural gas and electric-powered transportation are beginning to deliver substantial savings for Nigerians, with some commuters reporting reductions of up to 67 per cent in transport fares. The President, who personally responded to testimonies from beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s transportation interventions on Sunday, said the emerging relief demonstrated his administration’s determination to cushion the hardship occasioned by the removal of the petrol subsidy.

6. The Rivers State Government has cordoned off a building estimated to be over 60 years old in the old Port Harcourt Township area after part of the structure collapsed, injuring four persons. The two-storey building, located at No. 18 Club Road, reportedly shed part of its parapet on Friday around 7pm, with debris falling onto the ground floor, where people were gathered at a bar. The incident left four persons injured, including a woman who reportedly sustained injuries to her head and ear. No death was recorded.

7. The Presidency on Sunday dismissed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s proposed production subsidy on petrol as “a dangerous mathematical fantasy wrapped in political deceit”, saying Nigeria does not have the crude oil volumes needed to fund it. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, stated this in a statement issued on Sunday titled ‘Atiku’s Demagoguery in the Face of Tinubu’s Logical Policies’.

8. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has begun engaging the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to resolve the omission of some of its candidates from the commission’s final list of governorship candidates for the 2027 elections, released on Saturday. In a statement on Sunday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, said the party was treating the development with the seriousness it deserved and seeking an amicable resolution in line with the law and established electoral guidelines.

9. Twenty one political parties are fielding 119 women for governorship elections in next year’s poll, it was learnt at the weekend. However, 936 governorship candidates and running mates are on the ballot for the February 6, 2027 poll across 28 states.
Also, out of 10,020 candidates for the House of Assembly, 1,016 are women.

10. As part of efforts to reduce the cost of living, the Federal Government has waived N3.3 trillion in fuel taxes and duties. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu disclosed this yesterday in a series of posts on his X handle. The President also defended the government’s response to rising petrol prices, saying the tax waiver would complement the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Retail’s decision to forgo its profit margin for 30 days to provide temporary relief.