Odita Sunday 
SATURDAY, 17 OCTOBER 2026
WORLD • UKRAINE
Zelensky Tells US Warned of Intelligence Cut-Off Over Refinery Strikes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Washington warned it could cut off intelligence sharing over Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, according to a report published this week. We have not seen an official US statement. Oil prices rose about 2 per cent earlier in the week after fresh Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
AFRICA • HEALTH & HORN
Kenya’s Ebola Contact Tracing Continues; Ethiopia-Eritrea Claims Unverified
Kenya confirmed a second Ebola case this week and has traced 128 contacts, 113 of whom are in quarantine, with no evidence so far of wider community transmission. In the Horn of Africa, a pro-government militia commander claims Ethiopian-aligned forces took Shire and Axum and that Eritrean troops are retreating; neither government has confirmed this.
In Sudan, fighting has intensified in North Kordofan and Blue Nile, with more than 12.4 million people displaced. Tanzania is nearing a US$42 billion gas deal with Equinor and Shell, but nothing has been signed.
NIGERIA • ECONOMY
Inflation Falls to 14.63% for a Fourth Straight Month, but Core Prices Rise
The National Bureau of Statistics says headline inflation fell to 14.63 per cent in September, from 15.39 per cent in August and 20.98 per cent a year earlier. Month-on-month inflation was 0.06 per cent. Food inflation was 19.59 per cent year-on-year, though food prices fell 1.55 per cent from August. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, rose 1.11 per cent on the month. Urban inflation was 15.64 per cent and rural 12.46 per cent. This confirms the figure we reported as a headline-only item yesterday.
The Naira closed at ₦1,331.61 to the dollar on Thursday. The NGX All-Share Index rose 0.01 per cent to 247,707.13. FAAC shared ₦2.43 trillion for September among the three tiers of government.
NIGERIA • LABOUR
NLC Rejects Government’s Reply on Pay; Wants Talks Opened by 17 October
The Nigeria Labour Congress rejected the government’s response to its 14-day ultimatum on pay and fuel prices in a letter dated 13 October, signed by President Joe Ajaero. The government says the ₦70,000 minimum wage, signed on 29 July 2024, will not be reviewed until 1 June 2027. The NLC wants talks to begin by 17 October and asks for lower petrol prices, tax relief, and wage awards. No strike has been announced.
NIGERIA • TRAGEDY
Fuel Tanker Explosions in Edo and Rivers Reportedly Kill Five, Injure 31
Explosions in Edo and Rivers states killed five people and injured 31, according to Punch, after people rushed to scoop fuel from leaking or overturned tankers. Daily Trust reports deaths and injuries at Oluku, near Benin City, where the blast also damaged vehicles and property. Lagos traffic officials issued the same warning earlier this week after a 33,000-litre tanker overturned in the state.
NIGERIA • POLITICS
State Police Bill: Five Assemblies Approve, 31 Yet to Decide; APC Names 12 Campaign States
Five state Houses of Assembly (Edo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Zamfara) have approved the State Police Bill, Punch reports, and 31 have yet to decide as the 30-day deadline expires. The National Assembly needs 19 more states to reach the constitutional threshold. The presidency is expected to send a National Policing Bill on 29 October.
The APC released a nationwide campaign timetable naming 12 states for President Tinubu’s personal campaign activities. Atiku Abubakar, in a statement from the ADC campaign council, said Tinubu cannot seek four more years while sending governors, ministers and defectors to defend his record. ADC chieftain Dele Momodu alleged on Arise TV that INEC has been filled with people of Yoruba origin; this is an allegation. Senators backed Godswill Akpabio’s return as Senate President by voice vote.
Tinubu met security chiefs on the rescue of abducted Nigerians, including schoolchildren, and pledged more military aircraft for surveillance. Nigeria’s Power Minister Joseph Tegbe broke ground on five mini-grids totalling 17.7 MW in Oyo State and urged Nigerians to ignore reports of a tariff hike.
NIGERIA • HEALTH & TRANSPORT
93% of Diphtheria Cases Not Fully Vaccinated; First Niger Bridge Reopens
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency says 93 per cent of children affected by diphtheria outbreaks were not fully vaccinated, and that vaccines are available. The First Niger Bridge, linking Onitsha and Asaba, reopened on Thursday after 38 days closed. Night repairs on Lagos Island’s Independence Bridge run from Friday to Sunday, with one lane open.
NIGERIA • SOCIETY
Toluwanisings Died After Being Turned Away from Hospitals, His Aide Says
Gospel singer Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji, known as Toluwanisings, died on Wednesday 14 October, Naija News reports. His personal assistant, Babadunni Gbolabo, said in a video that he was taken to eight hospitals in Ibadan and turned away, with some citing a doctors’ strike; these are the aide’s claims and have not been independently verified. The family will decide funeral arrangements after consultations.
About the Author
