Today’s Headlines: Nigeria’s case spiritual, don’t blame youths supporting Peter Obi’ – Fr Mbaka, Trump proposes $70,000 fee for international students seeking to work in US

Catholic priest and founder of the Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria, AMEN, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka has described Nigeria’s challenges as “spiritual”, saying the country’s youths should not be blamed for supporting the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Mr Peter Obi.

Mbaka made the remarks in a video recorded during one of his church programmes.

The cleric said Nigeria was endowed with abundant human and natural resources but had failed to translate its wealth into improved living conditions for its citizens.

The administration of United States President Donald Trump has proposed a $70,000 fee for international students seeking to work in the country, Associated Press reports.

This development was in the latest move to restrict foreign student enrolment and employment in the country.

The Department of Homeland Security proposed the fee on Wednesday, saying schools would be required to pay it for every international student participating in the Optional Practical Training programme.

The OPT programme allows international students to work in jobs related to their fields of study during or after their education in the US.

Formal credit access in Nigeria has nearly doubled to 10 per cent, reflecting a growing shift towards formal financial services, particularly among women business owners and farmers, according to the 2026 Access to Financial Services in Nigeria Survey by Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access.

The survey showed that formal financial inclusion has risen to 73 per cent, representing an estimated 87.2 million adults across the country.

The 2026 A2F Survey, conducted by EFInA in partnership with the National Bureau of Statistics, covered all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, based on more than 18,600 interviews conducted between April and June 2026.

The findings showed significant gains among women, with formal financial inclusion among women business owners increasing from 67.5 per cent to 76.3 per cent.

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.

The Presidency on Tuesday rejected claims by The Economist that Nigerians dislike President Bola Tinubu, describing the assertion as “intellectual fraud” and insisting that the President’s economic overhaul is unstoppable.

In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, the Presidency said the foreign publication’s position “smells of opposition and is riddled with inconsistencies.”

The statement is titled ‘Beyond the Economist Condescension: Nigeria’s Re-engineering Under Tinubu is Unstoppable.’

The Presidency argued that it had become a tired, predictable ritual for foreign publications, which it described as operating from “comfortable, insulated drawing rooms,” to view Nigeria through a cracked, distorted lens.

The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested a 27-year-old woman, Precious Yohanna, over the alleged killing of her newborn baby in the Jabi area of Abuja.

The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, saying the arrest followed the discovery of the lifeless body of a male infant in a bush near Jabi.

According to the police, operatives received a distress call at about 10:30pm on October 4 concerning an abandoned baby in the area and immediately mobilised to the scene.

Adeh said the infant was found with deep wounds on the throat and abdomen and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where medical personnel confirmed him dead.

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