1. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has linked Chinese counterfeiters now living in Nigeria to the proliferation of fake goods, worsening the production, distribution and sale of adulterated, harmful and unwholesome products.
NAFDAC Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, responding to The PUNCH in Lagos on Monday, said recent investigations found Chinese counterfeiters, previously operating externally, have set up plants and logistics channels inside the country.
2. The Federal Government has barred ministers, heads of ministries, departments and agencies and other government appointees from embarking on official foreign trips without prior approval from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. The government also directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make evidence of valid approval from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation a mandatory requirement for processing official travel documents, including official, diplomatic and service visas for government appointees.
3. The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Mr Peter Obi, said yesterday that opposition presidential candidates are not divided and are ready to work together with whoever is chosen by Nigerians. Obi spoke on Monday in Abuja during the commissioning of the presidential campaign office of Seyi Makinde, presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, and his running mate, Lawal Daura.
4. To overcome logistics challenges, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has deepened the use of technology to monitor the movement of materials during the January 16 and February 6, 2027 general elections. INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, broke the news yesterday during a workshop in Lagos organised by the Commission for Administrative Secretaries from across the country. The workshop was attended by senior officials of the electoral agency.
5. Nigeria’s Falconets began their 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign on a losing note after falling 2-0 to former champions Spain in their Group F opener in Poland on Monday. Spain, who won the competition in 2022, controlled much of the encounter at the Arena Sosnowiec and took the lead in the 13th minute through Marisa García.
6. Big Brother Naija Season 11 housemate, Whitney “Nomy” Chukwu, has been disqualified from the ‘Show Ya Sef’ house following repeated defiance of Big Brother’s instructions. Nomy’s disqualification was announced on Monday after she repeatedly refused to comply with instructions relating to a punishment imposed on her following a Head of House challenge.
7. Fuel subsidy, which President Bola Tinubu sought to remove from the centre of Nigeria’s economic policy with his May 29, 2023 announcement ending the former petrol subsidy regime, is back at the centre of the 2027 presidential contest as candidates split over how to deliver cheaper fuel without worsening the country’s fiscal burden. Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has promised to restore a form of petrol subsidy if elected, arguing that Nigerians have endured the pain of its removal without receiving commensurate benefits.
8. The Niger State Police Command has arrested four suspects in connection with the killing of a 53-year-old village head, Bawa Barde. It was learnt that the incident happened on 23rd August, 2026, in Zhilu village, Fuka District, in Munya Local Government Area when the assailants traced Barde to his residence at about 3 am, inflicted serious machete injuries on him and left him for dead.
9. Tension briefly gripped parts of Sokoto metropolis on Monday as youths protesting the continued remand of an Islamic cleric, Dahiru Mai Barewa, clashed with security personnel. The protesters, who demanded Mai Barewa’s release, reportedly blocked some roads and staged demonstrations in parts of the city before security operatives intervened to restore order.
10. The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has rejected a return to fuel subsidy, advocating instead for domestic crude pricing as a way of reducing petrol costs for Nigerians. Makinde, who stated this on Monday during the commissioning of the APM presidential campaign office in Abuja, rejected the call for the restoration of the old subsidy regime.
