Nigeria

The economy is marked by major corporate consolidation and persistent state inefficiency. MTN's $6.2 billion takeover of IHS Towers signals large-scale investment, while the NNPC GCEO publicly admits the state oil company lacks the capacity to operate refineries profitably. Infrastructure remains a focus with Lagos road repairs and a major expressway closure, alongside new crude oil exports and a continued ban on raw shea nut exports.

• 2Senate panel orders probe after inspecting burnt Lagos airport terminal
• 2Lagos completes repairs on section of Lekki–Ajah Expressway
• 2Tinubu extends raw shea nut export ban by one year
• 2Nigeria to start exporting new crude grade in March
• 2Ndume questions US bill targeting Kwankwaso, says proposed sanctions are misplaced

Politics is consumed by early positioning for the 2027 elections, with opposition realignment and internal APC management taking center stage. A closed-door meeting between PDP's Makinde and NNPP's Kwankwaso suggests potential coalition-building, while Tinubu personally intervened in a power tussle between the SGF and Alia. The APC is managing its internal processes, extending deadlines for congress forms, and celebrating recent electoral victories.

• 3[Updated] 2027: Makinde, Kwankwaso hold closed-door meeting in Ibadan
• 3APC: victory in FCT, Rivers, Kano a referendum on Tinubu govt
• 3Rivers assembly halts impeachment proceedings against Fubara
• 3Nigeria: Trump Praises Nigeria’s First Lady Remi Tinubu at US Prayer Breakfast
• 2BREAKING: Court validates 2025 PDP Convention in Ibadan

Security is in a state of heightened crisis with a direct foreign military intervention and relentless militant violence. The US deployed a military contingent to Nigeria, a move that split lawmakers, while jihadist groups conducted a massacre in Kwara state following a deceptive letter. Deadly attacks on villages and a major kidnapping incident underscore the pervasive threat, despite army operations killing an ISWAP commander.

• 2US deploys military contingent to Nigeria
• 1Insecurity: Lawmakers split over Ndume’s support for US troops deployment
• 1US condemns Kwara killings, backs Tinubu’s security deployment
• 1'They sent a letter asking to preach. Then they massacred us' - Nigerians on jihadist attack
• 1Turkey Condemns Kwara Terror Attack, Pledges Support

Society is gripped by acute frustration over failing public services, with electricity blackouts sparking direct protest. Lagos residents protested an eight-month blackout, accusing the power distributor IKEDC of insincerity. This core tension over state capacity is reflected in other issues, including a deadly mine accident, a US congressional report on alleged genocide, and local crackdowns on illegal chieftaincy titles and motorcycles.

• 5Aspiring singer dies from snakebite in Abuja, hospital denies negligence
• 3Lagos cracks down on illegal chieftaincy titles
• 2Lagos residents protest eight months blackout, accuse IKEDC of Insincerity
• 2Why it’ll be difficult to prosecute Simi over her tweets – Lagos DSVA
• 2Kano sets March 1 for schools’ Eid al-Fitr break