• Fuel prices likely to drop as FEC reviews crude-for-naira deal
• Niger drops French, adopts Hausa as official national language
• FG receives 11 lawsuits from PDP governors concerning Rivers State governor suspension
• NIMC warns Nigerians not to sell their NIN
• Donald Trump relaxes tariffs for multiple countries, raises China’s tariff to 125%

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the top five Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss.

Fuel prices likely to drop as FEC reviews crude-for-naira deal

Oil marketers have announced that fuel pump prices can be reduced as the Federal Executive Council renews the crude-for-naira deal with Dangote Refinery.

Chinedu Ukadike, the National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, has assured the public that fuel prices will drop. This comes in response to the Federal Executive Council’s recent directive to implement the previously suspended naira-for-crude policy with local refiners fully.

He also mentioned that Dangote Refinery is expected to reduce its petrol loading costs before the end of the week, which should help bring prices down further.

The Federal Executive Council emphasized that this naira-for-crude initiative is not a short-term fix but a strategic policy to strengthen sustainable local refining efforts.

Niger drops French, adopts Hausa as official national language

Niger’s military government has officially declared Hausa as the country’s new national language, marking a significant shift from its colonial legacy where French held a dominant position.

The announcement was made in a new charter released on March 31, published in a special edition of the government’s official journal.

The document states, “The national language is Hausa,” while designating English and French as the country’s working languages.

Hausa is already widely spoken across Niger, particularly in regions like Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua. The new charter also formally recognizes nine additional local languages, such as Zarma-Songhay, Fula, Kanuri, Gourmanche, and Arabic, as “the spoken languages of Niger.”

FG receives 11 lawsuits from PDP governors concerning Rivers State governor suspension

The Federal Government has officially received the lawsuit filed by 11 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who are challenging President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State.

A source from the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja, who spoke anonymously due to a lack of authorisation, confirmed that the suit has been served on the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice.

The 11 PDP governors, representing the states of Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Zamfara, and Bayelsa, have approached the Supreme Court to dispute the President’s constitutional right to suspend an elected state government.

NIMC warns Nigerians not to sell their NIN

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has warned Nigerians not to share their National Identification Numbers (NIN) with unauthorized individuals or organizations in exchange for money.

This caution comes after reports from Anambra State, where some residents were reportedly being enticed to provide their NINs for a fee. The Commission has condemned this practice, calling it illegal and subject to penalties under the NIMC Act No. 23 of 2007, the Data Protection Act, and the Cybercrime Act.

In a statement released on Wednesday by Dr. Kayode Adegoke, the Head of Corporate Communications at NIMC, the Commission confirmed that it had been alerted to these unlawful activities and that arrests had already been made in collaboration with security agencies.

“The National Identity Management Commission has been made aware of unauthorised individuals or organisations attempting to collect the National Identification Numbers of Anambra residents in exchange for money,” the statement said.

Donald Trump relaxes tariffs for multiple countries, raises China’s tariff to 125%

In response to China’s actions, U.S. President Donald Trump has increased tariffs on Chinese goods from 104% to 125%.

Trump announced on Wednesday, while also suspending tariffs for several other countries. According to the White House, this suspension applies to all nations affected by the tariffs.

Earlier this month, Trump made headlines by imposing a “baseline” tariff of 10% on all countries, with higher rates up to 50% for those he considered the “worst offenders.”

The tariffs on Chinese imports, which started at 10% in March, have progressively increased to 20%, 54%, 104%, and now 125%, as part of retaliatory measures against China’s responses.