Parents interviewed across Nigerian states say private-school expenses extend well beyond tuition, including graduation charges, textbooks, uniforms, feeding, lessons, photographs and events. The costs can accumulate across multiple children, and charges described as optional may still lead to pupils missing activities or refreshments. Federal and state authorities have introduced measures to restrict non-terminal-class graduations, promote reusable textbooks and regulate fees, but enforcement varies and textbook charges persist in some areas. School administrators argue that charges cover legitimate event and operating costs amid rising expenses, while parents report delayed payments and difficulty challenging numerous separate bills.

Nigeria’s stalled 10MW Lambar-Rimi wind farm in Katsina illustrates why renewable-energy plans have not matured into a dependable industry. Begun in 2005, the project suffered ownership changes, security disruptions, repeated delays and conflicting completion assessments; its turbines have degraded during years of inactivity. Katsina reacquired the facility in 2025 and plans to rehabilitate it and pair it with a 10MW solar plant, aiming for operation in late 2026, but officials did not answer questions about progress or spending. Other large wind and solar projects have also stalled or been cancelled, while a 10MW solar plant in Kano demonstrates that delivery is possible. Experts cite unpredictable policy, weak coordination, financing difficulties, grid limitations, poor wind data, land and community issues, and uncertain power buyers as core obstacles. Egypt’s experience shows how clear rules, prepared sites, transmission investment, standard contracts and development finance can support projects. For Nigeria, recommendations include adapting these mechanisms to its more decentralised electricity market, gradually developing local manufacturing and technical capacity, and aligning generation with credible buyers and grid infrastructure. The DARES programme and a proposed solar manufacturing facility could help create demand, but their impact remains to be seen.

Field observations in Rivers State, satellite data and regulatory figures raise questions about TotalEnergies’ December 2023 declaration that routine gas flaring had ended across its Nigerian operations. PREMIUM TIMES observed persistent flames near the company’s OML 58 facilities, while satellite estimates show flare activity continued at OML 58 and OML 130 after the announcement. The evidence does not establish that the flaring is routine, since regulations also permit certain non-routine and safety flaring, but the company has not provided asset-level records explaining the events, and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission did not respond to questions about verification or enforcement. Residents and local health workers report persistent exposure and recurring health complaints, though they offered no clinical evidence establishing causation. The investigation also highlights gaps in Nigeria-specific methane disclosure despite TotalEnergies’ reported methane-reduction work and calls by experts for transparent, independently verifiable data.

An investigation by Premium Times reports that Anthony Kila’s claimed bachelor’s, master’s, postgraduate and doctoral qualifications from universities in Italy and the UK are unsupported or contradicted by university records and programme histories. Aston University said it had no record of him pursuing an MBA; City St George’s said he enrolled in a banking and finance course but was deregistered before completing it; and the University of Essex said it never offered the postgraduate diploma he claimed. Universities in Perugia and Siena said their programmes and historical records do not match his claimed degrees. Cambridge had not responded, while the investigation questioned whether Kila could have met the requirements for the credentials he cited. Kila said he was gathering his academic documents and could not provide them by the newspaper’s deadline. The report follows an earlier investigation into his professorship, after which Michael and Cecilia Ibru University suspended him as pro-chancellor.

Adamawa’s 2027 governorship contest is expected to be close after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s defection to the APC and his split with former ally Atiku Abubakar. The APC’s Tijjani Galadima benefits from incumbency and state and federal backing, while Atiku’s support may strengthen ADC candidate Hamman Modibbo, whose nomination is disputed by rival factions. Abdulrahman Haske’s move from the APC to the APM, Binani’s grassroots appeal for the NDC, Ishaku Abbo’s regional support for Labour, and divisions within both the ADC and PDP further complicate the race. Analysts say Adamawa’s history of split-ticket voting and local political dynamics mean that endorsements by major figures may not guarantee victory.

A Premium Times investigation found no evidence that Anthony Kila, pro-chancellor of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, was awarded a professorship by a recognised academic institution. Kila said the title came from the European Centre for Advanced and Professional Studies, which reporters could not verify as an existing institution. The European Education and Culture Executive Agency said Kila was not listed as a Jean Monnet project coordinator, and a Jean Monnet expert considered his claimed status highly unlikely. The investigation also found that nine of 22 works on Kila’s Google Scholar profile were not authored by him and that his public profiles contained inconsistent academic histories. Verification of his claimed degrees is ongoing; the university said it had no evidence that he was not a professor.

Nearly five years after the Petroleum Industry Act established requirements to end routine gas flaring and reduce methane emissions, Nigeria’s upstream regulator, NUPRC, has not implemented key provisions effectively. It issued required regulations after the Act’s original deadline, began awarding flare-gas permits more than four years after the law took effect, and has not disclosed required venting data or timely annual reporting. Methane measurement remains limited by technical and reporting gaps, while operators’ compliance and enforcement actions are not transparent. The investigation also highlights concern that a 2026 executive order directing flare penalties into the Federation Account could weaken deterrence and deprive host communities of remediation funds. The gaps leave communities exposed and make it difficult to assess progress toward Nigeria’s climate commitments.

Survivors and relatives say 37 people arrested on suspicion of illegal mining died in an overcrowded, poorly ventilated NSCDC detention facility in Minna on 17 September. Witnesses described detainees gasping, pleading for water and showing unusual symptoms after a substance was reportedly sprayed into a cell, but the report stresses that these accounts do not establish the cause of death. Authorities initially cited a suspected disease outbreak, while investigations, autopsies and forensic examinations are under way. The Federal Government formed an independent inquiry and suspended 20 NSCDC officers; the state government and the Nigerian Bar Association also initiated inquiries. Families are seeking answers and, in one case, an unidentified relative’s remains. The deaths have intensified scrutiny of detention practices and illegal-mining enforcement, alongside the poverty and lack of alternatives that draw young people to mining.

A PREMIUM TIMES investigation based on the Pandora Papers helped support Nigeria’s case in its Mambilla project arbitration against Leno Adesanya. The 2021 report documented an offshore company, Hydropower Investments, set up to hold shares in Adesanya-linked businesses for three children of former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki. The tribunal cited the newspaper’s reporting as the source of documents behind Nigeria’s allegation about a transfer of Sunrise Power shares, and also found significant red flags in a $1.74 million payment from Adesanya to Dasuki’s son, while saying it did not establish that the payment was connected to the Mambilla agreement. Nigeria avoided potential liabilities exceeding $3 billion, and Sunrise Power and Adesanya were ordered to reimburse about $11.82 million in legal and arbitration expenses.

Recently crowned Miss Universe Zimbabwe Rosseanna Hall returned to Shurugwi and paid a year's school fees for three underprivileged pupils. She also donated food hampers, a solar system and electrical equipment to a school, supplied food and sanitary products to female prisoners, and promised support for high-performing pupils. Hall said she aims to empower girls and women, combat drug abuse and child marriage, address mental-health challenges, and help at least 20 vulnerable students receive vocational training. Temba Mliswa's TMP Foundation backed the initiative, while MP Joseph Mupasi donated US$5,000 toward Hall's upcoming international modelling pageant in Puerto Rico.