Good morning,
A parent in the FCT watched school fees climb from ₦3,000 to ₦7,000 in a single session. Another mother told reporters she pays for supplies she never receives. Across the country, families are cutting household budgets, tapping cooperative savings and taking extra jobs just to keep children in classrooms. Some are downgrading to unregistered schools operating out of converted homes with no libraries, no trained teachers, sometimes no toilets. The arithmetic is brutal: when a bag of rice costs more than a month’s salary, education becomes a luxury. The government talks of reforms. Parents are selling their belongings.
In Abuja, a three-storey commercial building collapsed in Wuse Zone 4 hours after the FCT Administration’s Development Control Department sealed it and ordered occupants to vacate. Emergency responders launched search and rescue operations. A building marked unsafe collapsed anyway. The state said leave, the building fell. The question, which we still don’t know the answer to, is whether anyone was inside.
In Kwara, Sunday Igboho’s Iru Ekun Security Network is patrolling forests with AK-47s, targeting bandits and kidnappers. The network formally launched in Ilorin and has stormed abandoned villages and farmlands terrorised by armed militias. Igboho has reportedly urged members to “eliminate” suspects rather than hand them over to police. The state has approved the network. The message is clear: when official security fails, citizens arm themselves.
But there is hope. Aliko Dangote has opened a ₦2.2 trillion Initial Public Offering for the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, targeting 10 million Nigerians, from drivers and cooks to market traders. The IPO comprises 4.1 billion shares at ₦525 each and opens on September 14. Ordinary Nigerians can now own a piece of Africa’s largest refinery. The question is whether they will buy in.
And actress Tayo Odueke (“Sikiratu Sindodo”) has addressed her past romance with transport union figure MC Oluomo. Her rare public comments on privacy and public scrutiny have generated significant attention. The question is whether the public will respect her privacy or keep speculating.
On the pitch, Ranchers Bees crushed Abia Warriors 4-0, with Muhammed Rabiu Zulkifilu scoring the first hat-trick of the NPFL season. The result was a major upset against the early title contenders. Three other fixtures were postponed due to continental engagements.
School fees rising. A sealed building collapsing. Vigilantes patrolling with AK-47s. A refinery IPO opening to millions. A celebrity addressing a past romance. These are not separate stories. They are the same story: a country where parents sacrifice everything, where the state seals buildings that fall anyway, where citizens take up arms, where billionaires open doors, and where private lives become public spectacle. The question is whether we will build a country that works, or simply watch it all unfold.
Warmly,
Lolade