West Africa News Desk — September 29, 2026 PM

Zach Martin

KMKT IR Hub Radio. West Africa News Desk. So, at 6:22 this evening, Nigerian Air Force One touches down at the presidential wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

Emily Martin

And the man stepping off is President Tinubu, back after four weeks in London and Paris. He left Abuja on August 30. The presidency first called it a three week vacation.

Zach Martin

Right, so it stretched. And that matters, because the whole time there were, um, rumours about his health. So the first thing reporters ask is basically, are you okay?

Emily Martin

And he answered directly. He said, and I'm quoting, "Ready to kick, ready to walk. There's nothing wrong." He also said rumour will always be emanating from politics, but the facts remain, he's here.

Zach Martin

Hmm. Okay, but journalists at the airport were barred from taking visuals of the arrival. So, you know, words yes, pictures no.

Emily Martin

That's a fair detail to hold onto. Also the opposition hasn't gone quiet. Atiku Abubakar questioned the constitutional side of the absence after the first 21 days, and he pointed to Section 145, which is about handing over presidential functions.

Zach Martin

And the Vice President, Shettima, went to the UN General Assembly in his place. The government says he carried the full mandate.

Emily Martin

Yes. Now here's the part I found interesting. He didn't fly to Abuja. He came to Lagos first, on purpose.

Zach Martin

Why Lagos?

Emily Martin

Two reasons. One, Independence Day, Nigeria's 66th. He's due at the premiere of a film honouring MKO Abiola, the winner of the June 1993 election, at the Wole Soyinka National Theatre. Two, the presidency says he'll hold strategy meetings with political leaders over several days, for the 2027 elections.

Zach Martin

So the vacation had a schedule. Paris wasn't just rest. A private dinner with President Macron, a meeting with Vincent Bolloré, and Femi Otedola on Monday.

Emily Martin

Plus he watched Ogun State sign a deal with DP World for a deep sea port, expected to bring in seven billion dollars.

Zach Martin

Big stagecraft, then. Big arrival, big film premiere, big plans. And then, the same evening, football happens.

Emily Martin

Oh, football happened.

Zach Martin

Guinea Bissau, three, Nigeria, nothing. In Bissau. Franculino Djú scores in the 15th minute, Mama Baldé makes it two around the 65th, and Álvaro Djaló finishes it in stoppage time.

Emily Martin

Daily Trust called it Guinea Bissau's biggest ever win against Nigeria. Nigeria has three points from two games. Guinea Bissau is top of Group L with six.

Zach Martin

And Ghana, they're, they're, they were cruising. Two nil up at home, Nuamah from the penalty spot, Afena Gyan with a free kick.

Emily Martin

And then The Gambia scores twice before halftime, a penalty and Omar Colley. Ebrima Colley adds two more after the break. Four to two, in Accra.

Zach Martin

That's the thing, it's, it's a coach's lesson. Leading by two is not winning. It's just leading.

Emily Martin

Mm. And Senegal, the tidy one. One nil over Ethiopia in Bahir Dar, Ibrahim Mbaye in the first half.

Zach Martin

So a president says he's ready to kick, and the Super Eagles get kicked.

Emily Martin

Zach.

Zach Martin

Sorry, sorry. It was right there.

Emily Martin

KMKT IR Hub Radio. West Africa News Desk. We have to turn to something much heavier from northern Nigeria.

Zach Martin

Yeah. At least 87 people, mostly women, reported missing after two weekend attacks. That's AFP, citing security reports and a local source.

Emily Martin

On Saturday, at least 47 farmers were taken while harvesting peanuts in Mariga, in Niger State. On Sunday, 40 women were kidnapped in Yargada, in Zamfara.

Zach Martin

Peanut harvest. That's just, people at work in a field.

Emily Martin

And in Abia, police say they raided camps linked to criminal groups and found 28 human skulls and bones, suspected to be kidnapping victims. The suspects fled.

Zach Martin

Now, the money. Because this is a business, right? That's the uncomfortable part.

Emily Martin

SBM Intelligence, a Lagos consultancy, estimates armed groups raised about 7.8 billion naira, nearly six million dollars, in ransom between July 2025 and June 2026. The year before, 2.6 billion.

Zach Martin

So more than triple. When a habit pays that well, it compounds. Nobody stops.

Emily Martin

And in August, gunmen took as many as 600 worshippers during Friday prayers at a mosque in Dekera, Niger State. Residents protested last Monday because hundreds were still in captivity.

Zach Martin

With elections in January, security's going to be on the ballot, huh.

Emily Martin

It will. Now, a different story about control. Burkina Faso opened its first gold refinery on Monday, in Ouagadougou.

Zach Martin

Okay, explain it to me like I've never seen gold. Why does a refinery matter?

Emily Martin

Think of selling raw cocoa versus selling chocolate. The country digs the gold, but someone else refines it and keeps the extra value. Raffinor BF cost 11 billion CFA francs, about 19 million dollars. It starts at 164 tonnes a year, and the plan is 515.

Zach Martin

Wait, 164 tonnes. Is that more than they mine?

Emily Martin

BBC says it's significantly more than current annual production. So the suggestion is they'd process gold from elsewhere in the region too.

Zach Martin

That's ambitious.

Emily Martin

The mines minister said, "This is the day we take back the keys to our own house." Captain Traoré wants the entire value chain on site. But there's a caveat. Artisanal mining is hard to regulate, smuggling is common, and the government alleges some illegal gold funds the insurgency.

Zach Martin

So the refinery is only as good as the gold that actually reaches it.

Emily Martin

Yes. And it's a trend. Guinea and Ghana restrict raw gold exports, Mali is building a refinery, Ivory Coast plans one next year.

Zach Martin

Last one. Guinea Bissau again, but not football.

Emily Martin

Right. Deposed president Umaro Sissoco Embaló plans to return on October 4 to run in the December 6 election, according to a source who spoke to Reuters. He was toppled in a coup last November.

Zach Martin

And the new constitution says candidates must have lived continuously in the country for the previous five years.

Emily Martin

He's been in Senegal, then the Republic of Congo. Reuters says it's unclear how that rule affects him. His camp says the military government told him he's welcome.

Zach Martin

Welcome to come home, maybe not welcome on the ballot. We'll see.

Emily Martin

So here's what ties tonight together, for me. Governments promising sovereignty. Refine our own gold, set our own election dates, write our own rules.

Zach Martin

But a farmer in Mariga can't harvest peanuts safely. That's, that's the basics. You can't build the house before the ground is secure.

Emily Martin

Mm. Keys to the house are one thing. Whether people can walk safely to the field is another.