Odita Sunday 
MONDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2026
WORLD • GULF
Container Ship GFS Pride Sinks in Strait of Hormuz After Projectile Strike
The Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride caught fire and sank in the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by an unidentified projectile, with all 21-crew evacuated safely, according to Singapore’s maritime authority. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say the ship hit a naval mine on an “unauthorised” route; a maritime security firm found no independent evidence of a mine. A sister ship, GFS Giselle, was damaged but reached anchorage. Singapore condemned the attacks as a breach of international law.
The incident comes amid what reports describe as a US-Iran war that has raised risks to shipping through a key energy route. Two senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Tehran is changing tactics to keep oil prices high; those claims are unverified. For Nigeria, a major crude exporter and petrol importer, higher oil prices cut both ways: more export revenue, but costlier fuel at the pump.
WORLD • TECHNOLOGY & VATICAN
Musk Shows “Flying” Tesla Roadster.
Elon Musk unveiled a new Tesla Roadster at a SpaceX test facility in Texas on Thursday, claiming it accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in under a second and can fly using air-thruster nozzles. A driverless demonstration climbed a ramp, flipped and leapt over parked cars; no sustained flight was shown. Musk said production would start in 2028 and admitted “success is not guaranteed.”
AFRICA • HEALTH
Kenya Reports More Ebola Cases; Africa CDC Flags $700m of Unaccounted Aid in Congo
Kenya confirmed a third Ebola case on Friday, a 65-year-old relative of the first patient who died on 5 October and who was already in quarantine. TVC reports that Kenya has since recorded four new cases, bringing its total to seven; we have not confirmed that count from a second source. Officials say all cases link to the first patient and there is no sign of community spread, though three contacts of the first case have not been traced. Nairobi’s airport has a designated gate for flights from ten affected countries.
In DR Congo, where the outbreak has killed at least 4,000 people since May, Africa CDC says more than $700 million of about $962 million sent by donors to response groups is unaccounted for in their reports. Director Jean Kaseya called it “too early to speak of embezzlement” but warned non-compliant groups could be barred from working in Congo.
NIGERIA • POLITICS
Presidency Rejects Makinde’s ₦250bn NLNG Claim; APC Council Picks Cause Unease
The Presidency dismissed Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde’s claim that the Federal Government is withholding ₦250 billion in NLNG dividends per state until after the 2027 elections. Makinde’s camp has also listed 12 states it says President Tinubu will lose. Reports say the appointments of Wike, Adeleke and Soludo to the APC campaign council are causing unease in the party.
Rabiu Kwankwaso ruled out withdrawing from the presidential race, while Lukman says the opposition will field a single candidate. APC won 21 chairmanship and 239 councillorship seats in the Kogi local government polls.
. SERAP sued INEC over alleged mismanagement of ₦126 billion in electoral funds. Ekiti Governor Oyebanji announced his first appointments, and Segun Showunmi says state coordinators will deliver their states for Tinubu.
NIGERIA • SECURITY
Army Chief Heads to Borno as Tinubu Orders Terror Camps Crushed; EU Gives €20m
The Chief of Army Staff is heading to Borno after President Tinubu ordered security chiefs to crush terrorist camps and rescue abducted Nigerians. National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu said military operations alone cannot end banditry. The European Union will provide €20 million in defence support to Nigeria’s armed forces.
Gunmen stormed a community in Taraba, sending women and children fleeing, and bandits abducted a Kaduna councillor and his two sons. The Army explained why it arrested Plateau journalist Lawrence Zongo. Five suspects are in custody over the abduction of 20 NYSC members in Imo State.
WATCH THIS WEEK
21 Oct: South Africa inflation data (forecast 4.6%).
24 Oct: Tinubu campaign event in Kaduna (per TVC).
27 Oct: Dangote Refinery IPO deadline.
3 Nov: US midterm elections.
NIGERIA • ECONOMY
FG Rules Out Petrol Subsidy, Says Multiple Exchange Rates to Return; $78.5bn Pipeline Unveiled
The Tinubu government has ruled out a return to the petrol subsidy and said multiple exchange rates will return, Details of the exchange-rate plan have not been published. Nigeria unveiled a $78.5 billion investment pipeline at the IMF and World Bank meetings, and the Finance Ministry disputed a claim that federal interest payments have reached 124 per cent of revenue..
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