Nigerian Newspapers 16th September: Lagos/Ibadan Expressway Gridlock, Inflation, Others

Nigerian Newspapers reported on a variety of topics from the gridlock on the Lagos/Ibadan expressway to the easing of the headline inflation in the country to the fears of further inflation as the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz continues with fears that higher Crude Oil prices may lead to more hardship for Nigerians and indeed people across the world.

1. The Punch Newspaper leads with the gridlock on the Lagos/Ibadan expressway caused by the repairs of the expansion joints on the Kara bridge and now compounded by an accident which caused absolute chaos on Tuesday.

Motorists and commuters on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were trapped in gridlock for over 14 hours on Tuesday after a multiple-vehicle crash at the Kara Bridge compounded ongoing repair works on the bridge.

The crash, which occurred in the early hours of the day, involved seven vehicles and initially disrupted movement towards Ogun State, with the resulting gridlock later stretching beyond the Long Bridge towards Magboro and into Lagos.

As the congestion worsened, some impatient motorists drove against traffic in an attempt to escape the gridlock, creating another bottleneck for vehicles heading towards Lagos.

2. The Nigerian News Direct leads with the August Economic data released by the National Bureau Of Statistics with the easing of the headline inflation across the Country.

Nigeria’s headline inflation rate eased marginally to 15.39 per cent in August 2026 from 15.43 per cent recorded in July, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The NBS disclosed this in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for August 2026 released on Tuesday.

The latest figure represents a 0.04 percentage point decline from the July inflation rate and a significant drop from the 23.14 per cent recorded in August 2025.

The bureau also reported a sharper slowdown in month-on-month inflation, which fell to 0.71 per cent in August from 1.57 per cent in July.

3. The Guardian leads with the blowback of the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz with higher Crude Oil prices and its implications for the average Nigerian.

Nigeria risks crisis-level energy cost and micro squeeze as escalating disruptions to oil supplies push global prices towards $120 a barrel, threatening refined product price stability and pushing millions of already strained households to the edge.

The renewed crisis is a potential revenue windfall for the country, providing the authorities an opportunity to consolidate the modest gains of the external reserves, a firmer hold on the naira, which had lost over 65 per cent of its value to pro-market reforms, and boost federation revenue.

But with Nigeria’s supply still largely constrained by legacy challenges, such as underinvestment and high production costs, the macro space is limited, suggesting the additional losses by the citizens, who now pay the full cost of refined products, could outweigh the fiscal gains.

4. Vanguard Newspaper leads with the seeming growing Political rift between the APC Governors and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as the 2027 General elections.

State governors elected on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC, were at daggers drawn with Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, yesterday, over creation of parallel political structures believed capable of undermining President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

In a position widely seen as a direct response to the Rainbow Coalition championed by Wike, Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, who Wike had recently accused of sponsoring political attacks against him, made the declaration on behalf of the governors late Monday night, after a closed-door meeting at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.

The warning comes amid mounting friction within the APC over the coalition, with some powerful blocs in the party said to be pushing back against the arrangement over fears that it could split votes and damage Tinubu’s 2027 presidential chances.

The governors warned that coalition candidates flying different party flags could confuse rural voters, with the tensions already playing out in states, including Rivers, Kwara, Gombe and Cross River.

5. The Nation leads with the call by the Oba of Benin, Omo N’oba Uku Akpolopolo, Ewuare II urging Nigerians to back the second term aspirations of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

A royal commendation came yesterday for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for living up to expectations in the last three years.

The Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku’Akpolokpolo Ewuare II, who noted the President’s re-election bid, said he deserves a “renewed mandate”.

“For somebody who is doing well, it is our prayer that he gets a renewed mandate,” the monarch said.

Oba Ewuare, who received the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), led by Senator Abdulaziz Yari, at his palace, said critics should allow President Tinubu to complete his good work.