Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Thursday, 9th October, 2025

Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 9th October, 2025

The federal government has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to suspend its planned strike action, assuring that all outstanding issues will be addressed.

The assurance was given by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during a press briefing on Wednesday, noting that President Bola Tinubu has the political will to meet the demands of the union.

He added that President Tinubu has directed that all necessary efforts must be put in place to ensure that university and other public tertiary institution students remain in schools and the school doors remain open for activities.

Alausa submitted that there is no basis for the proposed ASUU strike, as their grievances are already receiving attention.

The Minister disclosed that by Thursday, the Yayale Ahmed-led Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiating Committee would meet with the leadership of ASUU to present the government’s offer to them.

He revealed that the committee has reached out to ASUU and other unions in tertiary institutions to start giving dates and times when they will meet.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has urged the Federal Government to address the attacks on Christians truthfully and with compassion.

In a statement signed by the President of CAN, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, the association warned that the loss of Christian lives should not be reduced to statistics.

Expressing concern over the ongoing discussions about faith, violence, and insecurity, he noted that it was paramount for the government to act decisively to end killings and attacks against Christian communities across the country.

CAN said many Christian communities, particularly in northern Nigeria, had suffered attacks, loss of life, and the destruction of places of worship.

Okoh noted that these incidents highlighted the need for government and security agencies to ensure the protection of all citizens, regardless of region or creed.

The Nigeria Police Force has suspended the enforcement of the vehicle tinted glass permit across the country following a court order restraining the exercise.

The spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this on Wednesday during an interview on Africa Independent Television (AIT).

Adeh explained that the suspension would remain in place pending the outcome of the ongoing legal proceedings.

“Information reaching me from the office of the PRO is that the order has been received and the enforcement of the tinted permit is now on hold pending the court’s verdict,” she said.

Speaking further, Adeh said the police would comply fully with the court’s directive and would not take any action until a final decision is reached.

The FCT police spokesperson emphasised that the suspension is nationwide and applies to all categories of tinted glass permit enforcement.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of coercing opposition politicians into defection.

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, made the allegation while speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday.

Speaking against the backdrop of a claim by a former media aide to late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, Ologunagba said many of the defections are not voluntary, but based on harassment, inducement, coercion and intimidation.

He added that the forced defections won’t last.

Naija News recalls that Ahmad stirred political waters by asserting that the Governor of Taraba State and another governor from the North West will, “in just a matter of days,” formally defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Naija News reports that Ahmad made this assertion in a post via his verified Twitter handle on Tuesday, October 7.

However, Ologunagba said the PDP is bigger than individual members, and as some people are leaving, others are also joining the party.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, has condemned the Vice President Kashim Shettima for describing Dangote Refinery as a national asset.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, he argued that no company, regardless of size or influence, is above the country’s labour laws.

He described Shettima’s statement as a national tragedy, maintaining that it could signal that wealth and political clout override legal protections for workers.

He accused the Dangote Group of infringing on workers’ rights to freedom of association, including the right to join trade unions of their choice.

Ajaero said the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria was fulfilling its mandate to protect members from exploitation and criticised attempts to portray union activity as sabotage or a threat to national interests.

The National President of the Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM), Oladapo Olatunbosun, has assured Nigerians that the current scarcity of cooking gas will fizzle out by the weekend.

Olatunbosun gave the assurance on Wednesday while speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

He explained that the current scarcity is due to some factors, including the strike embarked upon following the industrial dispute between members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Dangote Refinery, a recent renovation/maintenance work by the Dangote Refinery, and the activities of middlemen.

The NALPGAM president, however, assured that the scarcity would soon clear off as the trucks have resumed operation and products are being loaded for movement across the country.

According to him, the price per kilogram should not exceed ₦1,300/kg.

Nigerian singer, Oluwafemi Oladapo, also known as Slimcase, has shared his thoughts on the current state of Afrobeats.

Naija News reports that Slimcase, in a post via his Instagram page, stated that Nigerian artists are releasing too many songs and albums.

According to him, Nigerian musicians are putting themselves under unnecessary pressure to release new projects frequently.

He wrote, “Too many songs, too many albums. Una too dey put una self for pressure for this Niger sha. Take a chill pill and be like Rihanna. Do other things and come back give us a fresh vibe.

“Your sounds are getting boring because they’re coming too much in a year. I owe dem a song this year and that’s it. It’s only God that is new every morning. Everyday every second singles and albums dey kiii Afrobeats gradually it’s not fun anymore.”

Grammy award-winning Nigerian singer, Temilade Openiyi, better known as Tems, has spoken about the struggles she faced at the beginning of her career.

Naija News reports that Tems, during a recent interview with CNN, said it was hard for people to take her seriously, stressing that she did not feel supported for a long time.

The 30-year-old hitmaker also noted that authenticity is her non-negotiable core principle.

Speaking about her initiative, ‘The Leading Vibe,’ Tems said she is using the platform to create the opportunities she once lacked.

According to her, the programme aims to support and elevate women in behind-the-scenes roles in the music industry.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah delivered a stellar performance on Wednesday, scoring twice as Egypt defeated Djibouti 3-0 in Casablanca to book their ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The 33-year-old captain, who has now netted nine goals in the qualifiers, was instrumental in helping Egypt clinch an unassailable five-point lead in Group A with one match left to play.

Egypt opened the scoring through Ibrahim Adel in the eighth minute, before Salah doubled the lead just six minutes later.

The Liverpool forward struck again in the 84th minute to seal victory for the Pharaohs.

Although Salah has struggled for form with Liverpool this season, scoring only three times in nine appearances, his international form remains electric.

At least eight Super Eagles of Nigeria players could be ruled out of the crucial World Cup qualifier against the Benin Republic if they receive another yellow card in Friday’s game against Lesotho.

The Super Eagles players at risk of this include Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, Tolu Arokodare, Stanley Nwabali, Ademola Lookman and Bruno Onyemaechi. All eight have already been booked in previous rounds of the qualifiers.

The three-time African champions look to revive their World Cup qualification campaign under Eric Chelle. They will face Lesotho in South Africa on Friday before returning to Nigeria to face the Benin Republic at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo four days later.

FIFA rules stipulate that any player who receives two yellow cards in separate matches will serve an automatic one-game suspension. That means if any of the eight players are cautioned again, they will miss the high-stakes encounter against Benin.

Other players, including Jamilu Collins, Sodiq Ismail, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Umar Sadiq, are also one booking away from suspension but were not called up for the current fixtures. Osayi-Samuel, in particular, was left out due to injury.