Former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of presiding over a collapse in agricultural export earnings while farmers struggle with insecurity and manufacturers confront punishing production costs. He said an administration that promised to build a productive economy has left Nigeria selling crops abroad without capturing enough of the processing jobs and value they can generate at home.

“Tinubu cannot call this reform when the people who grow our food and the businesses that should process it are being squeezed from both sides,” Atiku said.

In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku said the trade figures expose the scale of the failure. Nigeria’s agricultural trade swung from a ₦740.27 billion surplus in the first half of 2025 to a ₦56.13 billion deficit in the first half of 2026—a ₦796.40 billion reversal in one year. Agricultural exports fell by 33.3 per cent, far faster than imports, which also declined.

“The excuse that Nigerians simply imported too much will not stand. Tinubu’s government must answer for the collapse in what Nigeria sold to the world. The country is losing export earnings, and the President owes farmers, workers and businesses more than another speech about prosperity.

“What has his administration done to make it safer to farm, cheaper to move produce, easier to keep a processing plant running or more profitable to sell a finished Nigerian product abroad? Farmers cannot cultivate promises. Manufacturers cannot power factories with speeches. Workers cannot feed their families on assurances that prosperity is coming.”

Atiku said Nigeria’s leading agricultural exports still include cashew nuts in shell and cocoa beans, illustrating the value the country could retain by expanding domestic processing.

“We grow the crop. Someone else does more of the processing, builds a business around it and earns the larger return. Then Tinubu speaks of jobs while Nigerian factories struggle to compete. He has made production expensive and called the resulting hardship reform.

“A trade deficit alone does not explain every problem on our farms. But after more than three years in office, the President owns the decisions that have left farmers exposed and producers burdened. He cannot claim credit for every favourable statistic and disown a ₦796.40 billion reversal when the figures turn against him.”

Atiku said his proposed production subsidy for petroleum products refined in Nigeria follows the same principle: keep more production, work and value at home. The support would cover qualifying products from Nigerian refineries, including modular refineries. Imported products would not qualify. It would be capped, budgeted and independently audited, with measures to track whether savings reach consumers and businesses.

He said the Tinubu administration’s CNG initiative had failed abysmally as a relief measure: the cost of converting vehicles is beyond the reach of many poor Nigerians, conversion kits are difficult to access, and the buses presented as palliatives remain unavailable to many of the people who need them.

“Local refining is about more than the price at the petrol pump. Aviation fuel affects fares. LPG affects the cost of cooking. Petroleum products and feedstocks affect industries and the people they employ. Nigerians need practical relief they can actually access—not schemes whose costs and shortages put the promised benefits out of reach. The value of our resources must reach Nigerians beyond the refinery gate.

“My administration will begin restoring a transparent production subsidy from Day One. We will back farmers and processors with the same determination. Grow it here. Process it here. Refine it here. Create the jobs here. Make life affordable here.

“Tinubu’s record is becoming painfully clear: Nigeria supplies raw crops and crude oil while Nigerians pay dearly for finished goods. A government that cannot turn our resources into affordable products and decent jobs has failed the people it was elected to serve.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission has commenced the 100-day countdown to the 2027 general elections, with Lagos State recording the highest number of registered voters as the North-West geopolitical zone emerged as the most represented region.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday at a world press conference in Abuja, where he provided an update on the commission’s preparations for the elections scheduled for January 16 and February 6, 2027.

Amupitan said INEC had completed nine of the 14 critical milestones contained in its revised timetable and schedule of activities for the elections.

He said the commission had translated the statutory timetable into an operational plan covering its headquarters, departments and directorates, 36 state offices, the Federal Capital Territory and offices across the 774 local government areas.

The commission’s briefing came as stakeholders, including the police, European Union and National Assembly, pledged support for the electoral body ahead of the polls.

Security, misinformation and the implementation of recent judicial decisions also featured prominently at the meeting.

Lagos Leads Register

Amupitan said the total number of registered voters ahead of the 2027 elections stood at 103,428,715.

Lagos topped the state-by-state breakdown with 7,488,633 registered voters, followed by Kano with 6,570,276 and Kaduna with 4,662,640.

Katsina ranked fourth with 3,876,051 voters, followed by Rivers with 3,736,434, Oyo with 3,588,111, Delta with 3,525,988, Benue with 3,057,225, Ogun with 3,037,981 and Bauchi with 3,012,547.

Ekiti had the lowest number of registered voters at 1,055,708, followed by Bayelsa with 1,200,691.

The Federal Capital Territory recorded 1,732,043 registered voters, while Ondo had 1,733,641 and Gombe 1,768,560.

By geopolitical zones, the North-West led with 25,083,411 registered voters, followed by the South-West with 19,614,274 and North-Central with 16,965,787.

The South-South recorded 15,823,550 voters, while the North-East had 13,965,475 and the South-East 11,976,218.

The North-West therefore had 5,469,137 more registered voters than the South-West.

On the demographic profile of the register, Amupitan said male voters numbered 53,528,218, representing 51.75 per cent, while female voters accounted for 49,900,497, or 48.25 per cent.

Voters aged between 35 and 49 constituted the largest age group, with 43,265,946 voters, representing 41.83 per cent of the register.

They were followed by voters aged 18 to 34, who numbered 29,777,576, representing 28.79 per cent.

Those aged 50 to 69 accounted for 22,982,900 voters, or 22.22 per cent, while voters aged 70 and above numbered 7,402,291, representing 7.16 per cent.

The commission recorded 232,658 persons with disabilities across 10 categories, representing about 0.23 per cent of the total register.

INEC said the voter register would be displayed for public scrutiny from October 9 to 15, 2026, in line with Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.

Lionel Messi ended his Argentina international career with a goal and two assists as the world champions defeated Benin 3-0 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on Tuesday night.

The match, played on October 6, marked Messi’s final appearance for Argentina after a 21-year international career.

Former Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr was in charge of Benin for the farewell fixture.

According to Inter Miami, Messi provided the assist for Nicolás Otamendi’s opener from a corner in the 48th minute before setting up Nico Paz for Argentina’s second goal in the 61st minute.

Messi then converted a penalty in the 71st minute to complete the 3-0 victory.

Inter Miami reported the match in a report published on October 6, 2026, saying Messi had been “directly involved in each of Argentina’s goals.”

The club described it as Messi’s “final international appearance” and said he finished the night with “a goal and a pair of assists.”

Reuters reported the match at 02:21 UTC on October 7, 2026, saying Messi had brought the curtain down on his international career in front of more than 85,000 spectators.

Speaking after the game, Messi said, according to Reuters: “It’s hard to talk.”

He added: “There are a lot of emotions, a lot of things going through my head.”

Reflecting on his Argentina career, Messi said: “It was a huge source of pride for me to wear this shirt all this time, more than 20 years.”

He also said: “Playing for Argentina is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you.”

Reuters reported that Messi finished his Argentina career as the country’s most-capped player with 208 appearances and its record goalscorer with 126 goals.

The match had been announced by FIFA as Messi’s farewell appearance for Argentina.

In a September 15, 2026 report, FIFA quoted Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia as saying: “We invited the world’s best player, our national-team icon, our captain Lionel Andres Messi, to have a deserved farewell here in Argentina.”