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The Big Story
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Electoral Commission Flags 1.5 Million Suspicious Voter Registrations, Probes Its Own Officials
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“The trust is on ground zero.” Lawrence Bayode, Director of Information and Communication Technology at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
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INEC says some of its own registration officials abused their access to create fake voter records. Director of Information and Communication Technology Lawrence Bayode told Channels Television on Sunday that more than 11 million people registered in 2026, and the commission’s biometric system flagged about 1.5 million records as suspicious. Of those, 1,277,252 were confirmed invalid and removed before the preliminary register was published, leaving about 268,000 still being checked. He said some records used photographs made with artificial intelligence or taken from calendars, the same photo appeared on several profiles, and some officials used a special option for people without all their fingers to register people who do not exist. Voters whose phones simply enhanced their photos will not be excluded. INEC has withdrawn the officials’ access, and Bayode said he is gathering evidence before sending his findings to the commission. Bayode suggested the officials could face stiffer sanctions than staff caught in similar misconduct in 2023. The final register is due on 15 December. [Premium Times]
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What Else Is Happening
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Army Says It Killed Four ISWAP Commanders in Borno
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai say they killed four commanders of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), including two Arab fighters described as high ranking, in an offensive in Kukawa, Borno State, launched on 31 October. Spokesperson Captain Mohammed Goni named two of the dead as Abu Hajara, a member of the group’s Shura Council, and Abu Walid, a close associate of wanted leader Ba Shuwa. Weapons and communication devices were recovered. [Premium Times]
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Federal Government Pilots Phone Loan Service for Basic Handsets
The Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) has begun piloting SPARK, a loan service that works on basic phones without internet through the code *347*333#. It targets first-time borrowers and covers items such as solar equipment, with wider availability expected before the end of 2026. It is a loan, not a grant, and must be repaid. CREDICORP says 353,561 Nigerians have borrowed through its programmes, with over NGN61.40 billion paid out. [Premium Times]
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Pension Agency Pays NGN13.87 Billion in Arrears to 18,822 Retirees
The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) says it has paid NGN13.87 billion in pension increment arrears to 18,822 pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme. Former Power Holding Company of Nigeria pensioners received NGN9.42 billion, covering 65 months of arrears from June 2021 to October 2026. Pensioners of five other defunct agencies, including Peoples Bank of Nigeria and Assurance Bank, shared NGN4.46 billion covering 22 months from January 2025. [Nairametrics]
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Oil Prices Fall Over 4% on Hopes of a US-Iran Deal
Oil fell more than 4% on Monday on hopes of a deal to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, with Brent crude down 4.5% to $118.3 a barrel and US benchmark crude down 4.37% to $99.57. Nairametrics says it is unclear whether the fall will bring lower petrol prices and other energy costs, and notes that Nigeria’s energy inflation more than doubled to 10.85% in September from 4.69% in August. [Nairametrics]
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Market Watch
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Weakened 0.12%, with the official rate at NGN1,347.94 per US dollar on 2 November against NGN1,346.26 on 30 October, a rise of NGN1.68, though still 8.61% stronger than the NGN1,475.00 on 31 December 2025. [CBN]
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Fell 0.02%, with the All-Share Index at 254,245.21 on 2 November against 254,299.49 on 30 October. [NGX Group] Oil and Gas stocks fell 3.75% and banks fell 1.79%, while industrial stocks rose 3.34%, and 41 stocks declined against 21 that advanced. Investors lost about NGN35.25 billion, taking market value to NGN165.08 trillion. [Nairametrics]
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Government savings bonds now pay more. The Debt Management Office opened its November offer on Monday at 13.25% a year for two years and 14.25% for three, about 0.18 percentage points above October. You can buy from NGN5,000 through a stockbroker, with interest paid every three months and your money returned at the end. The offer closes on 6 November. [Nairametrics]
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Quick Hits
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| → Jigawa State will spend NGN4.5 billion on three cattle ranches, in Ringim, Kafin Hausa and Kiyawa, to cut clashes between farmers and herders, its livestock commissioner said. Each ranch will cover 510 hectares and house 3,000 households, with schools, clinics, markets, electricity and water. [Nairametrics] |
| → MTN Nigeria’s mobile money revenue rose 102.2% in the nine months to September as wallet balances more than quadrupled to NGN43.8 billion. Wider fintech revenue still fell 25.9% to NGN97.5 billion after its airtime and data credit service was suspended from April to June. [Nairametrics] |
| → The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) arrested several operators of illegal National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment in Gwagwalada, Abuja, and seized their equipment. It says first enrolment must be done at its approved centres and data changes through its self-service platform. [Nairametrics] |
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On a Lighter Note
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Nathaniel Bassey has hit one billion YouTube views, the first African gospel artist to do so. His channel passed the mark during October’s Hallelujah Challenge, the midnight worship session he started online in 2017, now at about 1.014 billion views and 5.24 million subscribers. It added roughly 200 million views in the last seven months. [The News Chronicle]
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Why It Matters
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Of the 11 million Nigerians who registered to vote this year, about 1.5 million records were flagged as suspicious, and about 268,000 are still being checked before the final register on 15 December. Eligible voters should not be removed, INEC says, but trust in the process has taken a hit. The cost of living matters just as much. Oil fell more than 4% on Monday, yet it is unclear whether petrol and other energy costs will follow, and energy inflation already more than doubled to 10.85% in September. If you are a retiree, pension arrears have been paid to 18,822 pensioners, some covering 65 months. If you borrow, a new phone code now offers loans, but they must be repaid, and over 353,000 Nigerians have already borrowed through the corporation’s programmes. If you need your National Identification Number fixed, use an approved centre, since illegal operators were arrested in Abuja. And if you save, a federal savings bond now pays up to 14.25% a year from NGN5,000, and the offer closes on 6 November.
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Around the Community
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Wishing our readers SK Alagbada and Segun Thompson a very happy birthday! From all of us at Frontier Brief Media.
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Produced with AI assistance using open-source web content. Edited by Tomiwa Afolabi. Sources have not been independently verified by Frontier Brief Media. Readers are encouraged to consult original sources before acting on any information herein.
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