The National Press Newspaper cover for Friday July 17, 2026
https://the-national-press-newspaper.co.uk/the-national-press-newspaper-cover-for-friday-july-17-2026/
My wife manages my money because I spend recklessly says Davido
https://the-national-press-newspaper.co.uk/my-wife-manages-my-money-because-i-spend-recklessly-says-davido/
Davido has revealed that Chioma Adeleke, his wife, is in charge of his finances, referring to her as his “life coordinator”.
The 33-year-old Grammy-nominated Afrobeats singer spoke during a live session on Davrel Twitch.
During the broadcast, Davido attempted to send $4,000 to his personal assistant Lati, but was unable to access his bank account due to connectivity issues.
maureen
Motherhood forced me to pause my acting career says Maureen Solomon
https://the-national-press-newspaper.co.uk/motherhood-forced-me-to-pause-my-acting-career-says-maureen-solomon/
Maureen Solomon says she does not regret stepping away from acting at the height of her career to prioritise raising her children, describing the decision as necessary despite the challenges.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Rubbin’ Minds, Solomon, 42, acknowledged that leaving the film industry was difficult but maintained that motherhood ultimately took precedence over her professional ambitions.
Shetima
Tinubu Presents Shettima With Running Mate Certificate
https://the-national-press-newspaper.co.uk/tinubu-presents-shettima-with-running-mate-certificate/
Lagos Ibadan Expressway goes for concrete pavement technology
https://the-national-press-newspaper.co.uk/lagos-ibadan-expressway-goes-for-concrete-pavement-technology/
President Bola Tinubu has approved the reconstruction of the failed Ibadan axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway using durable rigid concrete pavement technology.
The directive aims to provide a long-lasting, heavy-duty solution for one of Nigeria’s busiest interstate highways.
The Federal Government yesterday in Abuja confirmed that the recently completed Ibadan section of the highway had failed badly, deteriorating into a dangerous zone for motorists.
The Federal Ministry of Works, led by Senator Dave Umahi, was instructed to initiate immediate procurement for a complete rebuild using reinforced concrete pavement instead of traditional asphalt.
Alongside the reconstruction order, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a full business case to hand over the operation and maintenance of the entire expressway to Messrs Aspect Concession Limited.
The broader continuous upgrades along the corridor include finalizing uncompleted underpasses, flyover ramps, tolling infrastructure, and integrating solar-powered streetlights.
The Ministry of Works, Engineer David Umahi has adopted rigid concrete pavement as the new design standard for Nigeria’s major statutory economic corridors. While the upfront cost is higher, concrete roads are structurally designed to endure heavy axle loads from trucks and boast an estimated lifespan of up to 50 years with minimal maintenance.
The announcement of using conreate payvement technology however triggered mixed reactions from daily commuters and stakeholders:
Support: Many praise the shift to concrete, citing the legendary durability of similar projects like the Apapa-Oworonshoki expressway.
Critics express deep worry over a return of severe gridlock on the Lagos-Ibadan corridor. Others argue that resources should instead be diverted to completely failed networks, such as the Lagos-Abeokuta Expresswa
INEC
Appeal court validated INEC electoral guidelines
https://the-national-press-newspaper.co.uk/appeal-court-validated-inec-electoral-guidelines/
The Court of Appeal in Abuja yesterday validated the electoral guidelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the upcoming 2027 general elections.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel, the appellate court set aside a previous Federal High Court ruling from May 20, 2026, which had nullified critical sections of INEC’s revised timetable and administrative guidelines.
The lead judgment, prepared by Justice Adebukola Banjoko and read by Justice Okon Abang, ruled that the plaintiff, the Youth Party, lacked the legal standing to challenge the directives.
The court held that the party failed to demonstrate how INEC’s timelines caused any actual injury to its internal operations or primary election arrangements.
The appellate court clarified that statutory clauses like “not later than 120 days before the election” merely represent deadlines and do not prevent INEC from setting earlier administrative windows.
Judges noted that striking down the guidelines would cause administrative chaos and impede the timely printing of sensitive electoral materials.
The Overturned High Court Decision. Previously, Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court had invalidated INEC’s deadlines.
The lower court had agreed with the Youth Party’s argument that INEC overreached its authority by shortening statutory windows.
This specifically concerned the directive mandating political parties to submit their membership registers and candidate databases by May 10, 2026.
With this new Court of Appeal decision, INEC’s full administrative authority and its original schedule for the 2027 polls have been completely restored
mock
INEC considers full system audit, mock Presidential election ahead of 2027
https://the-national-press-newspaper.co.uk/inec-considers-full-system-audit-mock-presidential-election-ahead-of-2027/
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is considering conducting a comprehensive audit of all its electoral technology systems, alongside a mock presidential election, as part of measures to strengthen preparations for the 2027 general election.
The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Thursday, 16th July, 2026, while receiving the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, on a courtesy visit to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The INEC Chairman said the proposals, which were under consideration by the Commission that same day, were informed by concerns arising from the 2023 general election, particularly regarding the reliability of election technology.
According to him, the Commission was looking at the possibility of auditing all its systems ahead of the 2027 election, as well as conducting a mock presidential election, to test the readiness of its processes and technology before the actual polls.
Prof. Amupitan noted that the proposed exercises were not originally captured in the Commission’s budget, but stressed that INEC would explore ways to actualise them if required, given their potential value in strengthening the credibility of the general election.
He linked the proposals to the Commission’s broader efforts at technological reliability, which include continued deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), as well as an ongoing review of the Commission’s cyber-security architecture covering system redundancy, penetration testing and disaster recovery mechanisms.
The INEC Chairman explained that public confidence in the electoral process depended significantly on the reliability of the Commission’s technology and processes, adding that INEC remained committed to addressing any gaps identified from previous elections ahead of 2027.
He listed election technology and cyber-security as one of the key areas of continued collaboration between INEC and the United Kingdom, noting that the Commission valued the technical partnership it had enjoyed with the UK and other international partners, including the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), in strengthening its electoral processes.
Prof. Amupitan reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to delivering elections that are credible, transparent and reflective of the will of Nigerians, stating that electoral credibility remained a shared responsibility requiring the cooperation of political parties, security agencies, civil society, development partners and citizens.
FG releases common entrance examination results
https://the-national-press-newspaper.co.uk/fg-releases-common-entrance-examination-results/
The Federal Government has officially released the results of the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) for admission into Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1) across the country’s Federal Unity Colleges.
The announcement was made in Abuja by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, following the submission of the official reports by the National Examinations Council (NECO).
Performance Summary
10 candidates tied for the highest overall score, achieving 202 marks out of the maximum obtainable score of 210.
82 candidates recorded the lowest score of just 1 mark.
Federal Government Academy (FGA), Suleja: For the nation’s premier gifted school, the highest score recorded was 187 out of 210, while the lowest score was 4.
70,357 pupils.Total Present: 66,950 candidates sat for the exam.Total Absent: 3,407 candidates missed the test.
The test was administered across Nigeria, as well as designated international centers in the Benin Republic and Togo.
The Ministry of Education reaffirmed that placements into the 80 Federal Unity Colleges will strictly follow the established federal guidelines:60% Merit30% Equality of States (State Quota)10% Exigency
Parents and guardians can check their children’s result details by logging into the official NECO NCEE Portal. You will need the candidate’s registration number to access the scores online
