Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Thursday, 30th October, 2025

Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 30th October, 2025

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the removal of Maryam Sanda, sentenced to death in 2020 for the culpable homicide of her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, from the pardon list.

Naija News reports that this was made known in a statement on Wednesday by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The statement disclosed that Tinubu ordered the removal of individuals convicted of severe crimes, including kidnapping, drug offenses, human trafficking, fraud, and illegal firearms possession or trafficking, from the list.

Additionally, those who were previously pardoned on the old list have had their sentences reduced.

Recall that the pardon granted to Maryam Sanda had drawn widespread condemnation, with the federal government promising to review the list.

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has accused some United States lawmakers of relying on misleading data to allege that there is a Christian genocide in the country.

Idris was responding to calls by some US legislators urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take diplomatic action against the Nigerian government over what they described as “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians.”

Speaking during an interview on CNN on Tuesday night, Idris insisted that insurgents do not target a particular religion.

He asserted that the lawmakers’ claims do not reflect the complexity of Nigeria’s security situation.

His comments were contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Media, Rabiu Ibrahim.

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s nominees for the positions of service chiefs.

Those confirmed include General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Waheedi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff, and Air Vice Marshal Kennedy Aneke as Chief of Air Staff.

Naija News had earlier reported that Tinubu wrote to the Red Chamber seeking expeditious screening and confirmation of the nominees.

During Wednesday’s plenary, the Senate suspended other business to focus on the exercise. A closed-door session lasting over two hours allowed lawmakers to engage the nominees on plans to strengthen intelligence coordination, modernise military operations, and restore public trust in the Armed Forces.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio later subjected the confirmation to a voice vote, which was unanimously approved.

Speaking after the confirmation, Akpabio commended President Tinubu for his choices, describing the nominees as seasoned officers capable of repositioning the military.

The House of Representatives has approved President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s request to implement a fresh external borrowing plan worth ₦1.84 trillion (about $1.23 billion) as captured in the 2025 Appropriation Act to help finance the country’s widening budget deficit.

The decision followed the consideration and adoption of a report by the House Committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management, chaired by Abubakar Hassan Nalaraba, during plenary on Wednesday.

According to the committee, the new borrowing will partly address the ₦9.27 trillion deficit contained in the 2025 fiscal framework.

In a move to ease repayment pressure and stabilise Nigeria’s debt position, the House also approved the refinancing of a $1.12 billion Eurobond (7.625% USD1.118bn due November 2025).

The resolution explained that refinancing the maturing Eurobond would help Nigeria avoid a debt servicing crunch and reduce the risk of volatility in the country’s external obligations.

Beyond the loan and Eurobond refinancing, lawmakers further approved the federal government’s plan to access an additional $2.35 billion through multiple international financing instruments.

The Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has dismissed reports linking his principal to an alleged coup plot, describing them as “false, baseless, and politically motivated.”

Julius Bokoru, in a statement on Wednesday, said Sylva had no connection to any coup-related activity and reaffirmed his loyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress.

“Chief Timipre Sylva remains a committed democrat and supporter of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. These rumours are the handiwork of political opponents trying to tarnish his image ahead of 2027,” Bokoru stated.

While denying any coup involvement, Bokoru confirmed that Sylva’s Abuja residence was recently raided by individuals believed to be operatives of the Defence Headquarters.

He added that the reason for the raid was never disclosed by the operatives, stressing that Sylva and his wife were both out of the country at the time.

Bokoru explained that the former Bayelsa State governor was undergoing routine medical checks in the United Kingdom and was scheduled to attend a professional conference in Malaysia thereafter.

The Federal Government has released the sum of ₦2.3 billion to clear salary and promotion arrears owed to lecturers in public universities.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while giving updates on ongoing engagements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other tertiary unions.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu remains committed to resolving outstanding welfare and funding disputes in “a transparent, fair and sustainable manner.”

A statement by the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, quoted Alausa as saying, “A total of ₦2.311 billion, representing Batch 8 salary and promotion arrears, has been released through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to universities. Benefiting institutions should begin to receive payment alerts anytime from now.”

Alausa explained that the government had also approved the full mainstreaming of Earned Academic Allowances into university salaries from 2026, to ensure “prompt, predictable, and sustainable payments.”

He added that the Ministry of Finance and the OAGF were finalising the release of non-statutory deductions and pension remittances, expected “in the coming days.”

Funds have also been released under the Needs Assessment of Nigerian Universities scheme, with budgetary provisions to sustain the intervention, he noted.

Popular Nigerian singer, Oladips, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of collecting ₦10 million from him.

The rapper disclosed this in his latest interview on the Trending podcast.

The revelation comes nearly a year after he was arrested by EFCC during a midnight raid at his estate.

The singer was arrested, along with some of his neighbours, for alleged fraud in November 2024.

He was released after spending five days in detention.

Speaking about his experience with the EFCC, Oladips stated that nothing was found on him after the EFCC investigations

While revealing that the EFCC collected ₦10 million from him before his release, he lamented that “Nigeria just happened to me”.

Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage has disclosed that while growing up in London, she used to feel unhappy about her African heritage.

She, however, stated that the positive image Afrobeats is giving the continent has made her proud of her race.

Speaking at the Unstoppable Africans event recently, Savage boasted that Afrobeats is unstoppable.

The superstar dismissed claims that Afrobeats is currently having its worst performance in two decades.

She argued that contrary to claims that the genre was declining, it is gaining more ground on charts and tours.

The singer noted that Afrobeats has achieved a lot despite not having enough support, structure or infrastructure.

Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, Amaju Pinnick, has rejected claims that funds meant for the FIFA Goal Project in Kebbi State were mismanaged, describing the accusations as “completely misconstrued.”

Naija News reports that the issue came to light after FIFA shared a post on social media showing the half-finished Benin-Kebbi Stadium. The image sparked outrage from football fans who questioned how the project’s funds were used.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE News, Pinnick insisted that the project followed due process and that FIFA maintained close oversight of every transaction.

Note that the FIFA Goal Project was designed to improve football facilities across the world, but in Nigeria, it has attracted criticism due to the condition of some unfinished or poorly maintained sites.

Pep Guardiola believes the Premier League is once again being shaped by the power of set-pieces, drawing comparisons with the rough-and-tumble days of Tony Pulis’ Stoke City.

The Manchester City manager admitted that more teams are using long throws, corners, and physical duels to unsettle opponents, describing it as a growing tactical weapon across the division.

“It’s true that people use every throw-in like a corner and put 10 players there in the box,” Guardiola said. “We suffered when we played at Brentford, or look at Brentford against Liverpool which we saw in our hotel, every action (Michael) Kayode put in the box. And Kayode was the man of the match.”

Statistics show that nearly 19 per cent of all Premier League goals this season have come from corners, the highest figure in years and almost five per cent more than usual.