Category Nigeria News

On Tuesday, the National Grid experienced its second 2026 collapse.

Data at the time of filing this report revealed that the 11 electricity distribution companies had no megawatts of power supplies.

The Grid’s first collapse in a year occurred last Friday, just two weeks after a similar incident on December 29, 2025, which had resulted in widespread power outages nationwide.

Transmission line maintenance, fluctuation in generation capacity, and technical issues have been the causes of grid collapses.

As of 11:00 AM, electricity generation dropped dramatically from more than 4,500 megawatts to as low as 0 megawatts.

During the incident, all 23 power generation plants connected to the grid reportedly lost output, leaving none of the 11 electricity distribution companies with no power.

READ MORE: Nigeria’s Gas Output Increases By 8% To 2.706 TRF SCF.

Femi Falana, SAN, a human rights lawyer, has criticised the Nigerian military for declaring that some officers will face a military court hearing over an alleged plot to overthrow the government.

More than three months after it announced in October 2025 that 16 officers had been detained for obstructing service rules, the military made the disclosure on Monday.

The military at the time dissented from reports that the 2025 Independence Day parade had been suspended in response to an alleged coup plot, calling the claim false, malicious, and liable to inflict unnecessary tension and distrust among Nigerians.

Falana said Falana’s response to the military’s most recent statement, which acknowledged an alleged plot to overthrow the government, suggested that the authorities had purposefully misled the public.

Also read: Military To Protest Officers Over Accusable Plan to Overthrow Government

Falana claimed that the military should have apologized to Nigerians for their earlier denial in a statement released on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday.

“The military authorities should have expressed regret to Nigerians yesterday. Falana argued that those in charge must learn to take our country as a people seriously.

He added that it was unacceptable to reverse such a grave position without making an apology.

You ought to have apologised to the Nigerian people if you had admitted there was no coup plot three months ago and discovered that the matter went beyond indiscipline during your investigation, he said.

A public apology after the allegations had been confirmed and a public acknowledgement of the earlier denial, in Falana’s opinion, would have been preferable.

However, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria expressed hope that the military would continue to make amends to Nigerians.

He claimed that a court martial could not try the detained officers. If the issue were merely one of indiscipline, he claimed, a court martial would have been sufficient.

He claimed that the officers can only be accused of treason or treasonable felony, offences that can only be determined by a Federal or State High Court because it involves an alleged coup plot.

Falana criticized the detained officers’ lack of legal representation, arguing that their legal representatives have the right to meet with their attorneys, members of their families, and doctors, rights that, in his opinion, have been denied.

Law Mefoh, the state’s commissioner of information, assured that the state’s business environment is safe and that there is no risk associated with the sit-at-home order.

Mefoh claimed that the state offers adequate security for business in an interview with Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday.

The fear factor has vanished, and Nambra is safe for business. He speculated that this sit-at-home problem may have existed when it first started, but it has since vanished.

Therefore, the continued shutdown of Anambra’s markets, particularly the Onitsha Main Market, which is arguably the biggest market in West Africa, is in vain.

READ MORE: Soludo shuts down Onitsha Main Market for a Week Over Sit-At-Home.

His statement comes after the governor ordered the well-known Onitsha Main Market to close for a week because local businesses had not done so on Monday.

The commissioner continued, “The governor and this government have every right to ensure that the state and the state as a whole operate smoothly.”

He further explained that, despite the fear factor making the market and even offices closed on Mondays in the past, “the traders have now made Monday a weekend extension,” which is seriously affecting the state’s socio-economic life.

According to statistics, Anambra loses an average of $8 billion every Monday during the market shutdown. He continued, “The government has a responsibility to make sure that the economy is running.”

Sit-At-Home Order

A Monday sit-at-home order has been in effect for years in some Anambra State locations, causing disruption to business and social activities and deserting places of employment.

The South-East’s non-state actors have been widely criticized for putting pressure on traders, transport workers, and students indoors, especially in cities like Onitsha, which has been done so.

However, the state government, led by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, has urged residents to avoid the illegal order, which it describes as economic sabotage against the area, and to go about their lawful activities fearlessly.

The ongoing recruitment exercise for 50 000 police constables will now take a two-week break, according to the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

The application portal, which was first launched on December 15, 2025, will now close on February 8, 2026, according to a statement signed by Mr. Torty Njoku Kalu, the Police Service Commission’s Head of Protocol and Public Affairs.

He explained that the extension comes after a review that found significant differences in participation between states and the receipt of over 400, 000 applications nationwide.

READ MORE: Police Intercept Truck Carrying Suspected Explosives in Oyo

While states like Adamawa, Benue, and Kaduna reported high submission rates, the PSC discovered that others like Lagos, Ogun, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, and Anambra reported comparatively low submissions.

The extension is intended to ensure that all states’ representation in the hiring process is equitable, according to the Commission.

The PSC urged all qualified Nigerians to apply through the official recruitment portal, npfapplication, especially those from states with low application numbers. psc. gov. ng.

Before the new deadline, it also directed state governments, local government councils, socio-cultural organizations, religious organizations, community leaders, and other stakeholders to mobilize and inform qualified applicants outside of their areas of responsibility.

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s management has announced new pump prices of $839 per litre and a new gantry Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) price of $799.

The Refinery made the price adjustments public on Monday in a statement.

The development comes in addition to the previously announced 699-litre gantry price and the 739-liter pump price, which were both announced prior to the previous Yuletide celebration.

Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote Group, announced a nationwide reduction in the price of gasoline, starting at MRS stations in Lagos, to a price of 739 per litre ahead of the 2025 Christmas celebration.

The gantry price was reduced from 828 to 699 per litre, according to Dangote at a press briefing at the Lekki refinery.

He emphasized his commitment to combating price manipulation and said that the 739 per litre pump price would be enforced.

“From Tuesday, MRS will begin selling gasoline at N739 per liter. We will undoubtedly impose that low price. We’ll ensure that it is put into practice. You can come to this location to purchase your truck if you have one. At N699, we are selling. The NMDPRA percentage is included in the N699. So roughly N389 or so actually comes out to us.

We will fight as hard as we can to keep these prices low, according to the statement “Those who want to keep the price to sabotage the government.” The price is not N970. He said to reporters at the time, “You can pick up gasoline at N699 if you have money to come and buy.”

However, Dangote noted that with the holiday season over, PMS prices have been moderately adjusted to maintainable levels in order to support long-term market stability and affordability in a statement sent by the refinery management to journalists on Monday.

According to the statement, “The PMS gantry price is 799 per litre, while MRS retail outlets are selling at 839 per litre,” which indicates an increase in price from the previously announced pump price of 739 per litre.

However, The Refinery reiterated its commitment to uninterrupted supply of products and market stability.

David Bird, the CEO of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, stated during a statement regarding the development that the refinery “continues to supply the domestic market with approximately 50 million litres of PMS daily, with nationwide evacuation and distribution operating normally.”

He noted that the Refinery can process a wide range of crude and intermediate feedstocks while maintaining its planned maintenance schedule.

This ability, in his opinion, keeps the domestic supply uninterrupted and stable.

Meanwhile, the Refinery’s management has made allegations that some oil marketers are denying the benefit of price reductions to the general public.

The Refinery noted that to help Nigerians cope with rising household spending during the most recent holiday season, it purposefully and temporarily implemented a price support program.

According to the Refinery, this year saw the second consecutive holiday season when it incorporated high costs, including logistics support in 2024 and a price reduction in 2025 to promote affordability and market calm.

However, it noted that “many filling stations failed to accurately reflect the new price at the pump, denying Nigerians the benefits of the reduction,” despite the price reduction.

READ ALSO: Dangote’s Petrol Will Be Sold For $739 Per Litre Starting On Tuesday.

The Refinery reduced the gantry price from 828 to 699 per litre in December.

One of the several price cuts made by the Refinery was the one that pitted Dangote against oil marketers who had accused him of plotting to snitch the upstream market.

The Refinery, however, continued to defend its position as a domestic producer, saying that it “continues to protect the Nigerian market from import-related volatility and external supply disruptions, while remaining a stabilizing force in the downstream petroleum sector.”

As the Senate resumes plenary for the remaining 16 months of the 10th Assembly, Opeyemi Bamidele, the leader of the Senate, has stated that the National Assembly will prioritize constitutional amendments, constitutional amendments, and the passage of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

The Assembly’s legislative agenda as it enters the final year of its four-year tenure was laid out in a statement released on Tuesday by Bamidele.

Only 16 months remain, underscoring the need for swift, well-considered legislative responses to Nigeria’s economic, political, and governance challenges.

According to him, the Assembly has spent the past 32 months working on radical reforms that will transform Nigeria’s extraction-dependent economy into a diversified, globally competitive one.

READ ALSO: NASS Proposes Prisoners’ Voting Rights In Electoral Law, &nbsp.

As we resume the plenary, he said, “We have resolved to take into account and finish legislative initiatives that directly affect our electoral regime and governance structure, while consolidating reforms that have already been started to improve efficiency and people-centredness.”

The 2026 Appropriation Bill, which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented to a joint session of the National Assembly on December 18, 2025, would receive significant attention from the Assembly, according to Bamidele.

He claimed that the proposed budget is essential to preserving macroeconomic stability, boosting global competitiveness, and promoting economic growth through higher wages, job creation, and improved quality of life for Nigerians.

The Senate Leader claimed that recent fiscal reforms, including the passage of the 2025 Tax Reform Act, have reduced Nigeria’s fiscal burden by reducing the burden on low-income earners while imposing greater responsibility on high-income earners, which he claimed would help reduce budget deficits over time.

Prior to the 2027 general elections, Bamidele disclosed that the National Assembly has started a clause-by-clause review of the Electoral Act, 2022, through the proposed Electoral Bill, 2025.

He claimed that the Bill introduces more than 20 significant reforms, including mandatory release of election funds to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) one year before elections, electronic voter identification using QR codes, and required electronic transmission of polling unit results.

Other proposed changes include stricter voter registration standards, a stricter system for party primaries, increased campaign spending restrictions, tougher penalties for electoral crimes, and mandatory jail sentences for election-frauders who buy votes, falsify results, and obstruct election officials.

He claims that offenders who are found guilty of buying votes could face 10-year elections suspension, two-year prison, and fines of up to $5 million.

Bamidele predicted that soon the INEC Committees in both chambers would submit their reports for discussion, discussion, and voting before giving assent to the President.

He also made it clear that technical sessions have concluded and reports from public hearings have been submitted, and that the 1999 Constitution has advanced.

Senator Barau Jibrin, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review and Deputy President of the Senate, is expected to deliver the report to the Senate before the end of the first quarter of 2026, he added.

Bamidele urged state legislatures to take the proposals on their merits and that at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly would be required to approve them.